The Reason Atlanta Has Just One Date in 2011

-It's all about the market
by Rachel Trimm

I awoke this morning to find most of NASCAR Nation in an uproar over the plans for the 2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup Schedule. No one seemed all that thrilled with the idea of Kentucky getting a race date and Atlanta Motor Speedway losing one of it's dates. Fans were suggesting all kinds of other ideas of things that NASCAR should have done to keep to dares at Atlanta and give Kentucky it's date. This post is to explain the real reason NASCAR took Atlanta's date and didn't take a road course, Pocono, or some other location.


Road Course
All major motor sports series have a road course. In fact MOST major series have a schedule dominated by road racing. NASCAR is the exception to this. It's top tier series only has two road races in a 36 race schedule. In general the average NASCAR fan does not enjoy road racing, but in NASCAR's mind two races a year where the average fan isn't happy is an except-able casualty if it means bring new fans to the sport. Despite what you the fan might thing road racing is good for our sport and NASCAR doesn't want to lose the good thing they have going. Fans of other series often tune in or travel to road races just to see if "The NASCAR boys can do it right" and a lot of them see they can and dip their toes in the NASCAR's swimming pool a little deeper and start attending and watching other races. NASCAR has to keep reaching new fans otherwise when all of us die the sport is going to tank.  The race at Infineon Raceway in northern California is settled right smack in the middle of wine country and therefore brings a more high end crowd. I'm talking the ritsy-titsy, glit and glamor type. If you walk down pit lane at Infineon on arec day it's a whose who of Hollywood stars mixed with otherwell known people in business. NASCAR doesn't want to lose that market, even if they only show up once a year. Again, all about bringing new people into the sport.


Pocono has two dates and the racing stinks
That's true, but they still sell tickets!
take a look at this map

Where are most of the tracks located?
In the south. There are a few in the Midwest and three in the North East and that is one reason why NASCAR will not take a date from Pocono. It's all about expanding the market. The France family doesn't want NASCAR to just be a southern sport, they want it a part of American culture. They want is something as big as NFL football, which believe it or not also used to be just a southern sport.

from wikipedia

While some have called for NASCAR to take away one of the track's weekends, this is unlikely due to the Mattioli family's relationship with NASCAR and the track's proximity to both Philadelphia and New York City as well as the track's generally stronger ticket sales to most other speedways.

NASCAR wants to keep those races in the Northeast and Atlanta as they saw it was okay to lose a date because when you compare it to the nother southern dates it's spring event is the least profitable and provides the least chance of new fan involvement.

I'm not saying I agree with NASCAR (I'm a journalist in traing so I try hard to be objective.) I am just explaining why this decision was made. I don't think it was easy for NASCAR either. Atlanta has had two dates for over 50 years so I am sure they didn't make this decision lightly. It's just the way it is these days. I sure hope the racing at Kentucky is awesome because otherwise NASCAR is going to have a huge amount of grumpy people. . .  way more than they have right now.