NASCAR in Richmond

By: Times-Dispatch Staff | Times-Dispatch
Published: December 16, 2010

For many years Sprint Cup races at the Richmond International Raceway have drawn more fans than any other sporting event in the commonwealth. Until recently most of RIR's 100,000-plus places were filled. Races at RIR no longer automatically go SRO.

Richmond is not unique. NASCAR attendance has dropped nationally; several tracks have lost racing dates. The factors are various. Perhaps more than other sports, NASCAR and other forms of motor sports have been hurt by the recession and by the rise in gasoline prices. The fans who drive long distances to cheer their favorite drivers are sensitive to prices at the pump. Gasoline is down from its $4-per-gallon peak, but the price remains far higher than during the period NASCAR became the talk of the sports world. The circuit also overextended itself. The apparent national boom in NASCAR enthusiasm may have been a fad.

The situation at RIR is not dire. The track ranks among NASCAR's strongest. It sits among stock car racing's heartland and offers easy access to a vast fan base in the I-95 and I-64 corridors. Nevertheless, a letter from local promotional leaders urges members of the business community to buy tickets to racing events to ensure RIR's continued vitality. The races pump money into the local economy as out-of-town fans stay in Central Virginia's hotels and eat at its restaurants. We reserve a healthy skepticism of economic impact studies regarding all sorts of activity, yet those out-of-state plates in RIR's parking lots translate into dollars that otherwise would not be spent here.

Athletic events of all varieties have come under stress. Teams that routinely played to capacity crowds now play before stretches of empty seats. Families compelled to cut back often drop their tickets first. Corporations may become less eager to lease sky boxes. Some of the excitement has rubbed off NASCAR as well. The "welcome race fans" banners that greet visitors during race weekends do not seem so numerous.

RIR anticipates a robust future. The region's fans can do their part by firing their engines and buying tickets so they, too, can join record crowds.