NH losing fall NASCAR race?
 

Reports say it is going to Las Vegas. I have not been in years but certainly enjoyed the fall race more than the July heat.

http://nesn.com/2017/03/report-new-h...-race-in-2018/

That's really going to hurt NH Motor Speedway... Big loss financially...

I think it hurts the whole area. Yeah, it's not what it used to be but still brings people to the area.

New Hampshire Motor Speedway is losing the September NASCAR race weekend in 2018. The fall race will be moved to Las Vegas. Speedway Motorsports, Inc., which owns New Hampshire Motor Speedway and Las Vegas Motor Speedway and others, say they can't ignore the support from the Las Vegas community. This is a major blow to New England race fans and the local economy.

I had tickets to both races for over 15 years. The rat race of getting to and from the track on race day got old. Nascar has a serious problem in declining attendance and TV viewership. There was a time when both NH races had waiting lists with 30K people on it. Now there are thousands of empty seats for both races. It was only a matter of time before they lost a race to one of the newer tracks.

BT

Used to enjoy NASCAR
 

Back in the 60's, 70's when the cars are actual cars you can buy from the dealers and tweaked to get the most speed out of them. Richard 'The King' Petty was and still is my idol! What fun was that!

Today the cars are so spec out that they are all basically the same and no way or form compared to the cars we drive. It's all about how well tuned the car is and how well the driver is. No wonder they are packed like a swarm of bees as they go round and round on the tracks. I honestly believe the races are rigged and the winner is predetermined. No fun at all!

I think this is the reason they lose loyal fans. Maybe Danica Patrick is their only hope, but it is getting old!

I live in NC (home of NASCAR) and I don't hear the same amount of chit chat about it that I used to when I moved here in 2001. I don't even see people displaying their favorite driver numbers much anymore on their cars around here. I used to like it and then one day I just found it very boring.

Guess they are having trouble across the board. Knew it was fading, but not this quickly (probably because I don't follow NASCAR). Apparently the 10 year $8.2B TV contract that is in place until 2024 is keeping them well afloat for now. I'm sure it will be far less of a financially appealing contract in 2025 :eek2:

http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports...edia/86573130/

I just wonder if hotel and motel owners will give up the space for July to teams where they lose the revenue for that week and in Sept. I spoke with a couple and they are now weighing it out.

Just business
 

This is exactly what Bob Bahre did when he bought Loudon years back. He own a southern track that he could bring it's date up to Loudon, that is how he got two. The new owner is doing the same thing by moving one of Loudon's date to Vegas.

I have been to almost every NASCAR racing event at Loudon starting well before the Cup races. I have seen the track start with nothing, get open-wheeled and NASCAR events and have very long waiting lists for seats. I have also seen the downturn in interest and it attendance.

We are now a one Cup race track. In my opinion, if attendance does not increase significantly for the July race, that will also be moved in the next five years. The July race is very hot, weatherwise, so it is not the most comfortable race to attend. It will be very hard to build attendance for this race.

SMI, the NHMS owner, wants lights to support night racing and Route 106 widened and it appears they are not going to get either. SMI also owns other tracks that only have one big race. Access to these tracks is better than access to NHMS and these tracks have lights, so a night-time, summer race will work well at these tracks.

To me, it was great while it lasted. However, the writing is on the wall if July attendance does not improve. We could be seeing the beginning of the end without better access and night racing.

R2B

Nascar / Loudon
 

I think it all looses a little steam when you get into the hark back to those 60's and 70's vehicles. Could be age?

On a parallel note you have not lived until you saw Bill "Grumpy" Jenkins blistering down the track at Epping. Truly indeed "Mr. Big Block Chevrolet".

My Dad lived in Brentwood the last few years of his life, and I could always tell when there was an event at Loudon.

Too bad from a financial perspective..... But as George Harrison immortalized "all things must pass".

The same company owns both tracks and a few others... Bruton Smith/Speedway Motorsports. So their isn't really a downside corporation-wise. The local employees will take the hit for sure.

The local economy will also take the hit... and that's going to suck for those businesses that have a boost in revenue from the NASCAR events.

The town of Loudon had best re-evaluate their position on night racing and other uses (drag racing etc) of the track. If they don't... well the July race will not be here for long.

Sadly, I feel that NASCAR has lost its way and needs to re-evaluate their racing model. It used to be a battle of cars, drivers & pit crews. Now all of the cars are just about equal, they run around the track in 1 big pack & the race is won in the pits. Nobody cares to see a race won by a pit crew! They want to see some hotshot driver actually drive the wheels off his car, lap the field then almost get wrecked by another driver at the end...

Woodsy

I think NASCAR, in general, is losing it's appeal. It was never a #1 sporting event in New England so when popularity slows down south it dries up here. I went to a couple big races over the years and found it extremely boring and I'm a car guy.

...or Arnie Karp driving the Boston Strangler Funny Car!!

I would love to see drag racing there! Run what you brung!! I have a 70 Olds that I would like to run

I'm willing to bet Loudon has no NASACR races in 5 years or so.. that place will just be an abandoned parking lot eye sore like the Weirs.

How about the day/night Wild Willie Borsch ran his AA fuel altered (AA/FA), the Winged Express at New England Dragway in the late 1960s. That guy was crazy! Best show I ever saw there.

R2B

Drag racing sounds good to me. My problem is I don't still have the 36 and 40 fords with full race. The international Harvestor engine I had never was engineered for racing as other things were more important at the time.
Maybe something like a Fall National venue.

I am a retired workaholic and continuing aquaholic.

Why Decline
 

What are the factors behind the decline in NASCAR? Is it the aging of the baby boom? competion with other forms of entertainment?

A lot of the big names have retired, and with them many of the fans too. Disposable income is down as well, plus in this area a lack of options close to the track for dining, entertainment, lodging etc. Driving by the track I've noticed a huge change in the camper lot as well. 10 years ago it looked like a rolling junkyard, now it's all high end campers. People who don't have the extra money aren't attending the races, and not to stereotype, but it seems like nascar has been a lower middle class spectator sport, and those are the people who don't have the extra cash for tickets.

A little of both, IMO. Cars, in general, just aren't as important to the youth of today as they were in my generation. But take their mobile device away front them and they are ready to commit suicide.:confused:

I think many have lost interest like I did. One day it was like..why am I sitting here watching cars go in a circle for 4-5 hours? :laugh: I went to a race in Rockingham, NC right before NASCAR stopped racing there and it was okay. Nothing I ever felt compelled to do again.

Somebody mentioned the cars these days. All they are is a shell. The Taurus', Camry's, and Impala's on the track are obviously NOT what is in the dealer's showroom. It would be one thing to know that the car in your driveway is almost or even resembles the one on the track.

I think it's a generation thing, too. Look at what interests kids or young adults these days. It's not NASCAR.

You mean they won't be racing my Prius some day?:emb:

He and Bruton Smith bought the North Wilksboro Speedway just to take the Cup races elsewhere. Bob put a 2nd race at Loudon and Smith at the new Texas Speedway so it can work both ways.

Losing NASCAR
 

Speaking for the Boomers I think you are on to something. All my kids love the Donzi, but when I am immersed in the oil change, plugs, tune up, and gas filter changes, you would have thought I bacterial MONO. No interest in the fineness of a small block Chevy. See ya Dad!
Chief Thundercloud attended Westfield State for a while, and I could not wait to tear up the Westbound side of the Mass Pike to get there. Confident that all of the TLC that I had put into my 70&1/2 Camaro, Konis, the widest Michelins I could stuff in the wells would carry me well. The 373's in the rear brought me to the magical 120 MPH point eastbound on the Mass Pike @ 3AM. Mass's finest followed me stealth (no lights) for about 5 miles before saying hello. (Thankfully before surcharges) but steep fine and an appearance in Court somewhere in Ludlow later I was "on the road again". Trooper kicking the tires whilst conversing asked me what is that on your windshield? I promptly replied that it was Audiotronics finest, a radar detector. Pushing my last button before letting me go home to Bahsten, (no oui on the record / no reckless endangerment) he replied smugly, it didn't work did it!
Yes indeed, times have changed.

Whether or not you are a fan of NASCAR, bike week or any of the other events that draw people to New Hampshire, the loss of any event is a loss of revenue for the state and it's businesses. Just like finding sponsors for a race team, good luck finding some way to replace the lost dollars that supported local business in New Hampshire. I understand the move was done to run and support a business and any smart business would do the same thing to survive, but the impact to the region will be far reaching. Just like down here in Connecticut, our great Governor thinks we don't need business's (big or small) to survive. Who needs GE! Just keep raising taxes, that will do it. Whether it's 100,000 or 50,000 people coming in to see the race, they will spend some form of money in New Hampshire. All things change with time, some for the better, some for the worst. Some people support change and some don't. Look at the Weirs? I love New Hampshire and hope it can survive this or any other loss of business, and still provide the get place it is known to be. On a positive note I hope Laconia supports the new business moving into the Weirs (sounds like a major investment for this company) so it will become beneficial to all whether they patronize it or not.

Having a boat is a lot of work. My kids and grandkids only see fun side of having a boat. They are all around when it's time to put it in the water. When it's time to take it out, clean it, winterize it, and service it, they are no where to be found.

If you need a reason why. you just answered it in your post "I have not been in years" Las Vegas has hundreds of thousands of people there without the race and having the race there insures a large attendance. And having a large attendance may help with the TV rating that have been slipping for years now. The young folks are not into auto racing as much as the older crowd.

Once you do away with the elephants the circus was over. Once the general redneck population got past retirement age and do not drive, going to the races was over.

I have actually been to a race at Las Vegas and it was pretty good. Their March felt like our July, heat wise, but we still had a good time. Shuttles will take you from the strip right to the race track so you did not have to drive.

whether you enjoy it or not if it's not a night event tv revenue is just not there. No track owner is spending those millions on lights because they don't expect a huge return. Racing is still popular just look to the national event(NHRA)in Epping and the local tracks in NE but without enough support and infrastructure to support these events they move and tracks close. This may be the first blow to NHMS and perhaps not the final

Automobile / truck racing is in general decline across the board and has been for at least the past five or so years.

NASCAR isn't the only victim.

IndyCar and Formula 1 have both experienced a substantial decline in interest and attendance.

Racing's appeal is dying off as the baby boomers age out and die off: the younger generations just don't care much about motor sports anymore.

There is increasing hostility by many millennials to internal combustion engines, as they are concerned about global warming; they've little interest in How Things Work, other than apps / electronic devices, their new addiction.

This shift in interest by the new kids in town has affected other hobbies as well, such as High End Audio, hunting / fishing, and casino gambling.

I believe if the town allowed the track to put in the lights and have a night race they would put the lights in next week. I know the track keep petitioning the town to do so but because of an agreement the last owner had with the town they keep saying no. Maybe losing a race will open up their eyes to perhaps losing both and all that revenue and they will allow lights. It would make it much better to go to on a hot July day/night.

I think the changing interests has at least as much to do with the downturn as the money aspect. Many, many years ago my dad, me and a few friends would go to the drags in Epping once in a while. But, all of us were interesting in working on engines and cars in general so there was a appreciation for it. Plus, back then there was not much else to do.



Baseball is losing viewers too. The average age of the fans goes up every year.

Time marches on

It is my humble reply that this phenomenon is not only happening to motor sports. Many other sports as well either are suffering now, because of little emphasis of gym in elementary education or will suffer from changing demographics.

Even if the race moves to Las Vegas it is a thumb in the dike of changing attitudes and wants from the public. I do believe that like modern football stadiums which are used perhaps 20 times per year Louden is destined to close.

It is ironic that football team owners are demanding new stadiums and facilities or they will leave and relocate but will not own up to the elephant in the room that is concussions and how the players have, and will continue to, die from that. Even the Olympics is getting lost in their own scandals, be it doping, pay off to officials, or the lack of interest in bidding for the Olympics anymore due to the loss of money when hosting the event.

Guess what..................looks like thousands of empty seats in Vegas for todays race.......Maybe Brutons not as smart as he thinks