The Best Seat at the Track, The Best View on the Net!
August 5th, 2014
Volume VIII, Edition CXXIV
Top News
Milka Duno to Drive Selected Races for RAB Racing with Brack Maggard
"We have a history of working with 'blue chip' world-class sports in the U.S. and developing brands internationally," explained Hillary Mandel of IMG. "This experience and expertise will ensure the right broadcasters embrace NASCAR for the renowned sports property it is. Our dedicated team will work with NASCAR and alongside our unrivaled global sales force in more than 30 offices worldwide to ensure both extensive media coverage across all platforms and increased awareness worldwide. We are extremely excited by the opportunities that lie ahead."
NASCAR's TV deal, on the North American side transfers to a split between FOX Sports and NBC Sports beginning with the 2015 season.
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GOT A NASCAR QUESTION OR COMMENT? WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU!
That's right; our Fan Q & A column is back once again in 2014. Send your question Summer Bedgood's way at summer.bedgood@frontstretch.com and if you're lucky, you'll get your name in print on Thursday when she does her weekly column. It's all part of our daily mission to give back to you – the fans that keep Frontstretch afloat!
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A Day at the Track Without Breaking the Bank
$100 for a ticket to a Sprint Cup event. $5 for a soda. $20 for parking. A T-shirt, hat and diecast just ate another $100. You splurged and added on the pre-race pit pass, paired with hotel, meals, and beer. The total creeps up toward a cool grand for a day at the track. It's insane! How can NASCAR think they can sustain a fan base when charging us a mortgage payment to take the family out for an adventure?
The answer to this corporately motivated question is simple: Because they can. Enough fans cough up the cash that the price remains high year after year, even when the stands appear empty on camera.
Today, I'm going to work on finding the bargains that do exist at many tracks: how you can take advantage of seeing your heroes for a fraction of the cost of an all-out Sunday ticket.
The real deal here is planning ahead. If you wait until the last second, the bargains for tickets tend to disappear. For example: Michigan International Speedway was offering, until Sunday a Family Four Pack to the August 17th race for just $119. This special price included tickets to the Sunday race, four hot dogs and four Cokes. For $299, they were offering a Camping Getaway, which included a camping spot for the entire week and four tickets to the track good Friday through Sunday. These are outstanding values, but they are not offered at the last second. If you'd like to visit a particular race during the season, call the track to get on their email/mailing lists and follow them on social media. Ask for special packages and to be notified when such offers become available. Don't just click on the "buy tickets" link, as some of the promotional offers won't be listed and Ticketmaster doesn't always give you the best seat. By the way, Atlanta still has some great two and four-pack packages available for the end of the month. Richmond is offering $19 student tickets with ID and a Papa John's four-pack for $199 (includes ticket, pizza, and soda for four). Don't let those get away!
Parking is generally free at most of the tracks. However, the free lots tend to be on track property and the last lots to empty after the race. If you're saving dollars, leave plenty of time to spare, drive past the pretty houses that are selling their front yards and park where you're not shelling more cash out of your pocket.
As for food and drinks? Bring your own as small, soft-sided coolers generally are allowed into the grandstands. It's only a couple cans of your favorite beverage, a sandwich and a couple bags of chips; that's easy to carry. Had you stopped at the concession stand, your cooler contents would've just cost you $20, let alone if you've got the kids with you... sheesh! Where does it all go?
Next, souvenirs. This one takes a little more time and effort. There's always the buy-nothing strategy, but let's face it, you want something as a memento of this special day. Magnets, hat pins and stickers can be found for $5, and sometimes less. Hats and T-shirts take a little more specialized shopping. Be aware of what drivers are leaving their teams at the end of the season. Stop by their souvenir truck. You may find hats and shirts marked down as low as $3. These are not knock-offs or irregulars, simply leftovers.
And then, there's the free stuff! Don't fool yourself into saying it always costs something to participate in NASCAR activities. Bristol hosts the Hauler Parade on Thursday night. It's free and a ton of fun. New Hampshire hosts a Thursday night FanFest, which often includes driver appearances, music, cars, vendors and the hauler parade. Come race week, there will be an avalanche of display cars visiting local retailers near the track, and the drivers often stop by.
Maybe you've got to see the cars in action, but just can't swing enough cash for the Sunday ticket. Well, some venues offer Qualifying Day tickets for as little as $10. Or what I consider the real bang-for-your-buck day is Saturday. For half to a third of the price of the Sunday ticket, you get Happy Hour and a Nationwide or other supporting race. Bristol has Friday night tickets available for $38, while the Saturday night Sprint Cup race starts at $75. Traffic is lighter Friday, there's no lines at the souvenir trucks and there's plenty of wiggle space in the stands. Sometimes kids can come on Friday and Saturday for free or $10.
Yes, NASCAR can break the bank, if you let it. However, if your passion is seeing stock cars in action, don't be fooled into thinking that a day at the track is out of your price range. Make a call to the real person working at the track to find the best deals available, and be willing to carry more than your wallet with you. Most of all, plan ahead and have a wonderful time!
P.S.: If your favorite track is one that only offers weekend ticket packages, tell that live person on the phone that if they had more flexible pricing schemes, they would've gotten at least some money from you, instead of none.
2014 Sonya Strictly by the Stats
Top Three Rookies for 2014 GoBowling.com 400
1.) No. 42 Kyle Larson - started 1st, finished 11th (1st in ROTY standings)
2.) No. 3 Austin Dillon - started 11th, finished 15th (2nd in ROTY standings)
3.) No. 51 Justin Allgaier - started 22nd, finished 16th (3rd in ROTY standings)
S.D. Grady is a Senior Editor for Frontstretch and runs a NASCAR blog called the S-Curves. She can be reached via e-mail at sonya.grady@frontstretch.com. Follow her on Twitter at @laregna and on her Facebook page (she's an author, too!) at https://www.facebook.com/Author.SDGrady.
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Tom Bowles is the Editor-in-Chief of Frontstretch. He can be reached via e-mail at tom.bowles@frontstretch.com.
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TODAY ON THE FRONTSTRETCH:
FRONTSTRETCH TRIVIA:
Q: In the 1990 Bud at the Glen, a surprising Hut Stricklin had a near-career day, leading a lap and spending much of the race inside the top 5. However, his day ended against the Armco barrier. What happened?
Check back Wednesday for the answer, here in the Frontstretch Newsletter!
Monday's Answer:
Q: In 1987, Tim Richmond led seven laps and finished tenth at Watkins Glen. However, it appears that Richmond greatly benefited from the race being postponed to Monday. What was going on with Richmond on Sunday and what would have happened had the race actually ran as originally scheduled?
Coming tomorrow in the Frontstretch Newsletter:
-- Top News from Ashley McCubbin
-- Links to your favorite Frontstretch articles, and more!
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Tomorrow on the Frontstretch:
Open-Wheel Wednesday by the Frontstretch Staff
Did You Notice?... by Tom Bowles
Amy steps up with 1,2,3,4,5 reasons you should be concerned about something going on in NASCAR this week.
NASCAR Mailbox by Summer Bedgood
Summer's back from vacation and ready to once again answer questions from you, our loyal fans. Do you have a question or comment for Summer? Don't be shy. Just send her an email (summer.bedgood@frontstretch.com) and you might just see your name in print!
NASCAR Power Rankings: Top 15 after Pocono compiled by Michael Mehedin
Jeff Gordon entered Sunday's GoBowling.com 400 as the points leader, then proceeded to dominate Sunday's race. Unfortunately, Gordon could not quite reach paydirt. Does that mean he's also at the top of the Power Rankings? Not necessarily. Find out how your favorite experts voted in the latest edition of our weekly poll.
Got something to say about an article you've seen in the newsletter? It's as easy as replying directly to this message or sending an email to editors@frontstretch.com. We'll take the best comments and publish them here!
©2014 Frontstretch.com
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