They always talk about the fans.

Lately, promoters and sanctioning bodies have been talking a lot about race fans. Fans are the foundation and barometer of any sport’s importance. The more fans, the more media attention, financial stability and the higher up the food chain the sport becomes.

NASCAR is an exciting sport for sure, but its relevance comes from the size of its fan base. Without the emotion and loyalty of its race fans, NASCAR would be just another struggling racing sanctioning body in the U.S.

So, when I hear anyone talking about “it’s about the fans”, I often take a minute to see if they are really serious. Knowing that fans are the life-blood of the financial success of the industry, let’s make sure they are getting treated with respect and provided significant value.

For promoters, it’s offering a heightened experience during the race weekend. It is not continuing a PSL (personal seat license) program to force a multiple race purchase (many of the races fans could care less about), rather it is about providing more access, better food options, reasonable prices, adequate and improved restroom facilities, and the list goes on.

Bruton Smith and the SMI properties seemed to be focused in these areas. With choices and limited income to spend this year, fans will be very choosy on what they will spend their money on. Those businesses that provide value, such as the Neon Garage as Las Vegas Motor Speedway, should weather this financial storm quite well. Those that don’t are in for a tough season.

And then there are the sponsors, teams and support agencies that should be valued as well. That’s a topic for another day…