Originally Posted on March 18, 2006 on Foxsports.com
Last year Daytona International Speedway debuts its new fan zone. The idea was to give fans a chance to see some of the behind the scenes action in the garages. The fan zone allows fans to see into the individual garage stalls, hand items into the stalls to be autographed, watch inspections, and hang out on top of the garages watching the action down below. Fans do not necessarily get to talk to drivers, owners, or team members.
The benefit to the track: the cost of admission to the fan zone is in addition to the race tickets. Kansas has a similar design to Daytona, and the plans for the Las Vegas track include a fan zone experience.
I've visited the fan zone at Daytona, and because I'm a people watcher, it was fun to stand and watch the goings-on before the 500. But, I'm not sure it was really worth $90 for the pleasure of doing so.
Dirt tracks have a similar program. After the race, fans are invited to go into the pits and talk to whomever they find there. Most drivers, owners and officials are delighted to talk to the fans who stay after to talk with them. The cost to fans: Nothing. And this is a fairly typical practice around the country for local tracks.
Nascar has taken an old idea and found a way to make money out of it.
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