[hurryinhoosier62]

It's called a 25% increase in viewership and a 17% increase in ticket sales. Get used to it, gentlemen. Danica is here to stay with numbers like that. NASCAR is all about marketing these days.

[The Champ]

Originally Posted by hurryinhoosier62

It's called a 25% increase in viewership and a 17% increase in ticket sales. Get used to it, gentlemen. Danica is here to stay with numbers like that. NASCAR is all about marketing these days.

I seriously doubt that Danica's popularity has increased the numbers to that extent.

It may be that her unpopularity is helping increase the numbers - people watching to confirm that she hasn't enough talent to compete at this level.

The economy is improving - a NASCAR race is a vacation for most people. Need to be able to fly/drive to another part of the country, car rental, stay in a hotel for multiple days, eat out and check out other things in the area.

For my wife and I, a NASCAR race is about a $2,000 trip or more.

[Blued and Painted]

I think she's running in the back beacuse she's scared of one of those Rusty Wallace type crashes.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FOHGibsrdmo

[The Champ]

Originally Posted by Blued and Painted

I think she's running in the back beacuse she's scared of one of those Rusty Wallace type crashes.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FOHGibsrdmo

That same year - our first NASCAR race (as Rusty Wallace fans when he was driving the Pontiac GP) - Daytona 500 crash down coming out of 2 and ending up near turn 3...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7g5rJN3eSaY

We were in the turn 1 tower.

[MikeNoun]

Yeah baby! Gotta love the hype!

(05/17/13) NBC SPORTS - Danica’s in the NASCAR Hall of Fame – sort of

Time will tell if Danica Patrick‘s career in stock car racing will be worthy enough to make her a NASCAR Hall of Fame driver. But the popular Sprint Cup rookie has already made her way into the Charlotte, N.C. museum as part of an exhibit that honors her for being the first woman to win a Cup pole.

According to USA Today’s Nate Ryan, Patrick, who earned the pole for the season-opening Daytona 500 and nearly converted it into a win, was asked for some mementos from the occasion by Winston Kelley, the NASCAR HoF’s executive director. The Stewart-Haas Racing driver responded by donating the trophy for her pole position and some hats from the celebration at Daytona International Speedway’s Victory Lane.

Per Ryan’s story, Patrick’s exhibit is positioned inside the main entrance to the building, which will surely see an uptick in traffic over the next week or so as fans converge for tomorrow’s NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race and the Coca-Cola 600 on Memorial Day weekend at Charlotte Motor Speedway. It’s part of a bigger effort by the Hall to emphasize more recent accomplishments within the sport.

[The Champ]

According to USA Today’s Nate Ryan, Patrick, who earned the pole for the season-opening Daytona 500 and nearly converted it into a win

Since when is 8th place "nearly a win"?

She was never really in contention to win because she wouldn't "go".

Jr. got fed up waiting for "Panica" to "go" and went around by himself and finished 2nd.

If he would have dumped her earlier, he might have had a chance at the win - and Panica would have probably finished 15th or worse.

[ho428]

Originally Posted by The Champ

For my wife and I, a NASCAR race is about a $2,000 trip or more.

I'm sure Brian France appreciates those like you, but from the looks of the stands the numbers are still down, and it's not all the economy.

Personally, I wouldn't spend $20, to go to a NASCAR race, $20 probably wouldn't cover parking, but to each their own.

[The Champ]

Originally Posted by ho428

Personally, I wouldn't spend $20, to go to a NASCAR race, $20 probably wouldn't cover parking, but to each their own.

If you've never been to a race in person, you don't know what you're missing...

Parking is free, unlike the stick and ball sports that charge as much or more for tickets...