great article and the bit re attracting Hispanic audiences. Guess Montoya hasn't worked out as planned. I agree with the posters for the most part except when they start getting poliltical and blaming various parties. Great way to lose friends is talk religion, sex or politics.
I know I gave up my Atlanta tickets after it was rebuilt into another cookie cutter after having that original great design with the short straights and big corners. There are quite a few valid points that seemed to coincide with my thoughts: way too much coverage (two hr prerace shows, coverage of practice), over commerialism-(does every driver interviewed have to hold a Coke?), lucky dogs, phoney debris cautions, cot's spec racer design, bland drivers who seem to be there because of trust funds, horrible announcing yet the old boys club seems to keep them employed, the chase, and the newer audience that goes that is there for the tailgate party and to see who can get the most assinine at a public gathering. Expansion to the west coast never really worked. Older fans don't identify with drivers who look like jockeys.
One positive is that it might hopefully make the fan who would spend five grand a year attending Nascar races stick closer to home and see the product at the local short tracks. Don't have to buy a special pass to talk to the drivers and it doesn't take four hrs to get out of the parking lot either. Beer is cheaper and the hot dogs sure taste a hell of a lot better than those red things they sell in the South