NASCAR fans get in the 'zone' at Daytona International Speedway

It is said that Walt Disney World is the happiest place on Earth. On the morning of the Daytona 500, however, the happiest place on Earth is 75 miles northeast of Mickey Mouse, and the absolute headquarters of happy is the Fanzone in the Daytona International Speedway infield.

Thousands of fans wander happily and with grand anticipation, like mall shoppers on the first day of Christmas season. The start of the Daytona 500 is hours away, but, for now, this is Playland. A cover band shouts out rock tunes, strolling jugglers juggle, soft drinks and beer are flowing freely – although not free – from the Bistro restaurant and kids are wide-eyed, having seen guys walk by in driver suits.

It’s all good, this free-range area of fandom, where the entertainment level is ratcheted up a level or two and where access to food and beverage is improved over the relative hovels in the grandstands. The best thing about the Fanzone, however – and almost every fan who wanders by will attest to this - is the access.

Access to drivers. Access to cars. Access to the Real World.

Access.

“I stood right over there,” Marshall Clark of Bainbridge, Ga., is saying, “and I watched Jeff Gordon walk from the garage to talk with somebody, and he passed within a few feet of me. That was worth it for me.”

The fanzone concept is racing’s answer to this question: How can we get fans very close to the sport’s personalities in a safe and practical way? And, perhaps, make some money along the way.

Fanzone areas are located at Daytona International Speedway, Las Vegas Motor Speedway and Kansas Speedway. Each gives fans improved access to areas very close to NASCAR garages, the ability to see drivers and teams at work and extra dollops of entertainment, such as musical acts and celebrity appearances.

There is an additional cost – beyond the track admission ticket – for admission to the fanzones on most days. For most of those who join the crowds, however, it seems to be worth the cost.

“It’s something else to do at the track while you wait for the racing,” said Dale Justin of Atlanta, pausing between bites of salad in the Daytona fanzone. “It seems like there’s always something going on in here. It’s like a carnival. And we got to see Ryan Newman.”

Fanzone admission on the day of the Daytona 500 was $90.

Was there a question about the likelihood that fans would pay a premium for better access?

“We were a little edgy about it, but we felt good about it,” said Robin Braig, Daytona International Speedway president. “When I stood in front of the [International Speedway Corp.] board of directors and asked them for $60 million and tried to show them a return on investment, it has to match up, or they’re not going to give me the money.”

In 2004, Daytona began a massive renovation project that changed the face of its huge infield. New garages were built, the fanzone was added and a $9 million tunnel was constructed under the first turn. The fanzone opened for 2005 SpeedWeeks and was an immediate hit.

Las Vegas Motor Speedway debuted its huge Neon Garage fanzone to much acclaim as part of an infield renovation in 2007. Kansas Speedway’s FanWalk was part of its original construction.

Each of the fan areas has generated enough response to encourage other tracks to consider such additions when they launch new projects. With the poor economy impacting ticket sales at many tracks, major projects have been red-flagged, but other track promoters look with envy at the fanzones in place.

“If you’re going to redo your garages and things like that, it’s definitely a model you need to follow,” said Chris Browning, president of Darlington Raceway, the circuit’s oldest superspeedway. “It’s what the fans want. One of the cool things about our sport is that we have the opportunity to let the fans get that close. It certainly is on the drawing board at Darlington.”

Browning said the track has design drawings that include a fanzone area, but he has no timeline on when construction might begin. Because Darlington has a relatively small infield, it’s likely that any fanzone-type space would be added as part of an overall infield renovation.

“Everything overlaps here, so it’s hard to do it in phases,” Browning said. “We’d almost have to do it all at one time, but that also adds to the financial commitment.”

Phoenix International Raceway president Bryan Sperber said the attraction of fanzones is proven.

“My experience has been that when you provide something of high quality that people are happy to pay for it,” Sperber said. “Whether that’s a midway experience, a grandstand seat, a fanzone, whatever. If it’s of high quality, there’s an interest in that.”

The Phoenix track is high on the list of speedways needing significant renovation. Its infield facilities, including garages and buildings, are in dire need of replacement or renovation. When a construction plan is put in place, Sperber said, it’s likely that some sort of special fan element will be included.

“When we start to work on our plans out in the future that’s one of the areas I’d like to develop,” he said. “We don’t have specific plans, but conceptually that’s definitely on the drawing board. It’s something we’d like to have in place. What we want to do is create more opportunities for fans to interact with the sport, whether that’s in the garage area or out in a midway or any other place.

“We have several things on the drawing board for the next five years. Some of that will depend on the economy and what kind of capital is available in the out years. But the idea of having a showplace in Phoenix, a state of the art facility, is something we’re very interested in.”

International Speedway Corp. architect Doug Bolas, who has been very involved in the evolving fanzone concept, said the idea is to give fans “a peek into the locker room, to let them get close to the garages, to see the heroes of the sport. Our big goal has been to make the fans feel like they have a ‘hot pass’ [special garage access].

“It’s worked well so far. We’re looking at a number of other facilities on ways to enhance the fan experience. We’re looking at Richmond and Martinsville, but, of course, at the smaller tracks space is a problem. It’s already difficult for the competitors and media at those places as far as space goes.”