FROM THE FIELD : L.A. COULD LEARN FROM NASCAR.Byline: BILL SCHLOTTER NASCAR NASCAR (National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing), organization that sanctions American stock-car races, est. 1948. It held its first race in Daytona Beach, Fla. auto racing, the fastest growing sport in the United States United States, officially United States of America, republic (2005 est. pop. 295,734,000), 3,539,227 sq mi (9,166,598 sq km), North America. The United States is the world's third largest country in population and the fourth largest country in area. by most accounts, makes its return to Southern California Southern California, also colloquially known as SoCal, is the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. Centered on the cities of Los Angeles and San Diego, Southern California is home to nearly 24 million people and is the nation's second most populated region, June 22. And while the good ol' boys of the Winston Cup series - missing locally since the closure of the Riverside Raceway in 1988 - take part in the inauguration of Fontana's California Speedway The California Speedway is a two-mile, low-banked, D-shaped oval superspeedway in Fontana, California, similar to that of "sister track" Michigan International Speedway. It is located approximately 40 miles east of Los Angeles on the site of the former Kaiser Steel mill. , the principals of Southern California's other major sports enterprises might want to stop by and take notes. Any sport that could increase its fan base by 47 percent between 1990 and 1994 obviously is doing something right. This is how success is achieved in the highly competitive 1990s. More than 5.5 million fans turned out for 31 Winston Cup races in 1996, an average of almost 177,500 per event. NASCAR officials offer several explanations for the whirling whirl v. whirled, whirl·ing, whirls v.intr. 1. To revolve rapidly about a center or an axis. See Synonyms at turn. 2. turnstiles. Auto racing is a sport with which any fan can identify, they say. Not many know what it is like or what it takes to run a football through the line of scrimmage line of scrimmage n. pl. lines of scrimmage Football Either of two imaginary lines extending across the field parallel to the goal line at the ends of the ball as it rests prior to being snapped and at which each team lines up for , turn up field and outsprint an opponent to the end zone. Fewer still have a sense of what it takes to hit a fastball 420 feet. But almost everybody knows how to drive a car. NASCAR officials say their drivers are even easier to relate to than their race machines. NASCAR racers NASCAR Racers is an animated television series about two rival NASCAR racing teams, Team Fastex and Team Rexcor, competing against each other in the futuristic NASCAR Unlimited Division. are coached to be so-called regular guys, not the prima donna millionaires fans are tiring of in other sports. Instead of alienating their fans by being aloof or boorish boor·ish adj. Resembling or characteristic of a boor; rude and clumsy in behavior. boor  ish·ly adv. , race
drivers shake hands, sign autographs, answer questions, rub elbows. They
treat fans with respect and appreciation.
Fans with passes to the garage areas at the races At The Races is a British television channel, originally co-founded with Channel 4, but now owned by a partnership between British Sky Broadcasting, Arena Leisure PLC and 28 (out of the 59) UK racecourses. can chat with drivers and mechanics and watch the race teams prepare for the race. When was the last time the Lakers invited their fans to the locker room for the pregame strategy session? Race fans eat it up. They feel a kinship with the drivers and a part of the sport. And they are responding by showing up at tracks in record numbers, buying millions of dollars in souvenirs ($400 million worth in 1994) and heavily patronizing the companies whose sponsorships fees help keep the whole thing in tune. And there is little evidence they plan to change their ways anytime soon. That's why the Penske Motorsports Corporation has sunk $110 million into the construction of California Speedway, which sold out its almost 71,000 grandstand seats for the NASCAR California 500 several weeks ago. Plans call for the speedway to expand to some 100,000 seats next year. And it expects to sell them out as well. What did the Clippers draw this season? How about the Kings? Maybe the braintrusts of those organizations should stop by next week and take a few pointers from the wave of the future. Of course, they might have trouble getting tickets. |
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