The Fabulous Forum

The who, what, where, when, why — and why not — of L.A. sports

| Main |

Economic gloom sparks price cuts at NASCAR tracks

4:30 PM, January 9, 2009

NASCAR Sprint Cup drivers circle Auto Club Speedway, formerly California Speedway, in Fontana during the Auto Club 500 on Feb. 25, 2007.

Several tracks hosting NASCAR Sprint Cup races, including Daytona International Speedway and Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, have announced price cuts or other promotions in hopes of fending off attendance declines due to the poor economy.

Daytona International, the cathedral of stock-car racing that hosts the season-opening Daytona 500 on Feb. 15, said today it slashed the price of "a limited number" of seats in its 58,000-seat grandstands along the 2.5-mile track's back straightaway to $55 each from $99. The track earlier announced plans to close those grandstands entirely for its other Cup race in July.

Auto Club Speedway, a two-mile track that hosts the next Cup race after Daytona on Feb. 22, cut the price of seats in the first five rows of its main grandstands to $35 each from $55.

Two other tracks in Virginia, Richmond International Raceway and Martinsville Speedway, also announced ticket promotions for their upcoming Cup races.

All four venues are owned by International Speedway Corp., and "with the economy the way it is, we're doing everything we can" to help NASCAR fans, said Auto Club Speedway spokesman David Talley.

Texas Motor Speedway, owned by Speedway Motorsports Inc., last month also announced plans to sell tickets for as low as $20 each for its Cup races this year.

Only two years ago, the 168,000-seat Daytona International was sold out for the Daytona 500. But with the economy taking its toll, "these are challenging times for everyone," said track president Robin Braig. And the $55 seat is the lowest price for the 500 since 1995.

-- Jim Peltz

Photo: NASCAR Sprint Cup drivers circle Auto Club Speedway, formerly California Speedway, in Fontana during the Auto Club 500 on Feb. 25, 2007. Credit: Mark J. Rebilas / US Presswire


Comments

They could cut the prices in half and they're still going to see empty stands. When you have to spend four hundred bucks plus for two people for a weekend, it's time to move on to other interests.

35 bucks for these seats are not good! that is to low to see the backstretch and turns 2 and 3 !!!!!!! not to mention in front of you the cars are so low and close to the wall they are hidin away and at speeds of 200 mph ...bad deal .....maybe the upper rows will be empty to sneak up . usauly the other way around

Post a comment
If you are under 13 years of age you may read this message board, but you may not participate.
Here are the full legal terms you agree to by using this comment form.

Comments are moderated, and will not appear until they've been approved.

If you have a TypeKey or TypePad account, please Sign In






Recent Comments
Ted Green: Lakers need to put up the money
Actually its called the exception to all...
comment by Bgeeezy21
Ted Green: Lakers need to put up the money
Are you tools kidding me?? Critic a mans...
comment by Craig
Ted Green: Lakers need to put up the money
When the Lakers let Fish go a few years ...
comment by Elliot Burstein
Ted Green: Lakers need to put up the money
I agree Lamar should get a raise but now...
comment by D Gaines
Ducks acquire veteran center Saku Koivu
Agreed, Koivu is a class act as a person...
comment by patrick parsons
Hey, Dodgers and Angels fans, what's your trade for Roy Halladay?
hu, dewitt, abreu, mcdonald, aj ellis, m...
comment by tony
Ted Green: Lakers need to put up the money
We need Odom back. He is oneof my favori...
comment by Randall
Our Bloggers
The Fabulous Forum is written by the entire Sports department of the L.A. Times
Categories


The Fabulous Forum Archives

Blue Notes
What's Bruin
All Things Trojan
Varsity Times Insider

LA Times Blogs


Booster Shots : Oddities, musings and some news from the world of health
Culture Monster: All the arts, all the time
Daily Dish: Inside scoop on food in L.A.
Daily Travel & Deal Blog: For restless SoCal
Dodger Thoughts: Jon Weisman's daily Dodger discussions
Greenspace: Environmental news from California and beyond
Hero Complex : News on genre films, graphic novels, and science fiction
Jacket Copy : Book news and information
L.A. Land: Real estate news and insights
L.A. Unleashed: All things animal in Southern California and beyond
Lakers: All things purple and gold
Money & Company: Tracking the market and economic trends
Outposts: Getting the most from the great outdoors
Pop & Hiss: The L.A. Times music blog
Show Tracker: What you're watching
Technology : The business and culture of our digital lives
The Daily Mirror: L.A. crime 50 years ago
The Fabulous Forum: The who, what, where, when, why and why not of L.A. sports
The Movable Buffet: Dispatches from Las Vegas
To Live and Buy in LA : Finding the best values online & in stores
Up to Speed: L.A. car culture
Buy Tickets
Search for Tickets
 

LATimes.com now offers sports tickets to popular sporting events around the world including basketball tickets, baseball tickets, and football tickets to otherwise sold-out events.

Popular Events
With the NBA playoffs approaching, Lakers tickets are this month's hot item. USC Trojans tickets are also in high demand, as the NCAA football season starts up again.

Dodgers tickets and LA Angels tickets are as always a big hit, and there are plenty of fans looking for Athletics tickets and Padres tickets.
Powered by TicketNetwork