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 The sprawling Charlotte Motor Speedway, which once drew a crowd
of 167,000, is removing 41,000 seats while tracks in Dover and
Atlanta will chop capacity by at least 17,000.
"Right-sizing is the term," NASCAR's Chief Operating Officer Brent
Dewar told Reuters after addressing the Sport Business Summit in
midtown Manhattan on Wednesday. "It is what you are seeing in all
sports properties is the transformation of making the fan experience
greater."
With TV ratings on a steady decline the sight of empty seats has
served as a glaring reminder of the problems facing NASCAR as the
series tries to recapture the glory days of the 1990s.
But Dewar maintains that downsizing is not so much a sign of trouble
but a sign of the times reflecting the race experience fans demand
and the way they consume sports.
"What you are seeing at a lot of the tracks is widening of the
seats, additional suite access, venues that allow a better fan
experience," said Dewar. "It is not just going to the race; it is
more than the race.
"That is the story you are seeing at many of the tracks, football
stadiums and baseball parks. The fan expectation today going to a
sports venue is changing."
One thing that has not changed is NASCAR's global strategy, which
pales in comparison to the aggressive approach taken by the National
Football League, Major League Baseball, National Basketball
Association and National Hockey League.
Those four North American leagues all regularly play games in
foreign markets from London to Beijing, hoping to tap new revenue
streams but NASCAR has no such plans to race outside U.S. borders.
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Instead, NASCAR is building interest at the grassroots level by
supporting a European series, searching for international drivers
while relying on television and digital platforms.
"We are always having conversations about emerging markets," said
Dewar, who added that the sport broadcasts to 150 markets and
territories around the world. "It's about globalization of the fan
base. It doesn't mean we have to go racing in every market around
the world."
"We are always having conversations about emerging markets.
"It's about globalization of the fan base. It doesn't mean we have
to go racing in every market around the world."
(Editing by Frank Pingue)
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