COLUMN: It's the economy, stupid

RICHMOND, Va. - Though track officials are pretty tight-lipped about it, the expectation here is that, after 32 straight Richmond International Raceway sellouts, the Dan Lowry 400 will be run with empty seats tonight.

As they tend to do, "spokespersons" have been instructed to accentuate the positive. They have spread the word that "tickets are still available," without being particularly forthcoming on the subject of how many.

Maybe there'll be lively walk-up sale tonight. It's been years since there was such a thing, other than those people parked along nearby road sides holding up "I Need Tickets" signs. With those signs, "I Need Tickets" is a synonym for "I Have Tickets, But It's Going to Cost You."

The scalpers may be cutting some deals today, though.

Some fans are alienated by a sport that seems to have abandoned its roots. Some don't like cars that look just alike. Some don't like the Chase. Some don't like the Toyotas. Some don't think dogs should be lucky.

But the biggest reason for this obvious malaise - only the Daytona 500 and the Food City 500 (at Bristol) have been sold out so far - is economic. Even ticked-off fans haven't abandoned NASCAR in large numbers. It's in their blood, and it's a tough habit to give up.

What fans have been forced to consider is the simple fact that the tank of gas that cost $30 last year costs $50 this year. That probably doesn't affect local fans that much, but every NASCAR race has fans who travel from great distances, many more than, say, the number who come from Montana to see a baseball game at Yankee Stadium. Those fans are feeling the economic noose being dropped over their necks.

Everything else is going up, too, just not as fast as the price of gasoline. For goodness sakes, Kyle Busch's No. 18 isn't going as fast as the price of gasoline.

"It's a real tough time economically," said Mark Martin. "Definitely, I know it's a tough economic time, and we feel it at our (car) dealerships. I see it when I roll up to any kind of fuel pump - gas or jet fuel, you name it - and it's putting a hurt on a lot of people."

Many fans bought tickets long before they realized how much more expensive their road trips were going to be. As such, the downturn in NASCAR attendance is probably going to get worse before it gets better. Fans are probably going to be more reluctant to buy tickets to future races six months in advance.

It's so easy just to watch on TV. It's not as good as being there, but it sure is less expensive.

You can reach Monte Dutton at

mduttongastongazette.com

.