Where did all the fans go?

By Monte Dutton

NASCAR This Week

When I first began writing about NASCAR, the track in North Wilkesboro had 60,000 seats. Then Bruton Smith and Bob Bahre carved it up as if they were diplomats playing Monopoly with conquered land, and the capacity was revealed to be 37,000. Same when International Speedway Corporation got its hands on Martinsville and alleged attendance dropped by a third even though the grandstands remained the same.

Old newsreels of Darlington in the 1960s claim 80,000 fans. Now the track has three times as many seats and draws 20,000 fewer fans. I know people have gotten larger, myself notably included, but not that much.

Forgive me if I don't take what NASCAR types tell me at face value.

Bristol once allowed as how it had a six-year waiting list for tickets. Fontana blamed the Academy Awards for falling attendance. NASCAR itself claims it's going to put carburetor restrictor plates on engines that don't have carburetors next year.

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