France not worrying over ratings drop
By Bob Pockrass
Friday, October 13, 2006
MARK SLUDER / NASCAR SCENE /
CONCORD, N.C. - NASCAR Chairman Brian France said he doesn't envision California Speedway losing a race and isn't too concerned over dips in attendance and TV ratings throughout the Nextel Cup circuit.
California Speedway has not sold out both Nextel Cup events in a year since it has added a second race there in 2004.
"They're making a lot of progress with the facility, and it's showing up," France said in a conference call Wednesday with reporters from the West Coast. "So, attendance is on the rise.
"Obviously, we would like to see all of the seats sold out all the time for every event, and I'm real happy with the progress they're making and need
to be in that market twice, and that's where we'll be."
Attendance at many tracks this year have been below expectations, International Speedway Corp. officials said in a recent financial statements.
"Fuel prices obviously have the most impact on us in the short term, and that's no secret," France said. "Fortunately, they're going the right way, and we're seeing an almost immediate direct benefit. If you saw Talladega was way up. Texas is way up, Charlotte's doing well, Phoenix doing well.
"So you're sort of seeing some of that is the economy and energy prices. Some of it is, you know, they build a lot of seats, and they're trying to manage. ... We're very pleased with where attendance is and where that's going [and] not concerned at all about it."
Television ratings are down for virtually all events this year, which France blamed mostly on a lack of promotion from NBC, which is in its last year of its contract.
"That's kind of par for the course when you change TV partners and you have a final year in the situation that we're in ... but we'll bounce back with a tremendous partner in ESPN/ABC and TNT in the mid summer of '07, so we're not too concerned about it and frankly expected it," France said.
