With a tear in my eye, I read in this morning's Richmond paper that International Speedway Corporation is "tearing down" over 10,000 seats at Richmond International Raceway. That sound you hear is the late Richmond promoter, Paul Sawyer turning over in his grave.
According to the story, the Henrico Tower and seating in the Old Dominion grandstand will be removed.
I guess RIR won't look nearly as empty on television with all those seats removed.
I watched every single day of an extremely hot Richmond summer as every one of those seats was constructed by E & D Steel Erection Company of Buffalo, New York. Early in the morning and each day at lunch between our spring (winter/February) and September race, I walked the perimeter of the track as the Henrico Tower was first added and then expanded in the 1990s.
The "new" 3/4-mile Richmond track opened in 1988 with 50,000 seats and the late Paul Sawyer never stopped building seats and restrooms. By 2007, the track was surrounded by 112,000 seats - all still filled.
When I left the Richmond track in 1999, we had over 10,000 names on the waiting list for permanent seating reservations entitling the holder to purchase tickets to both annual Winston Cup races.
Paul always said he liked sponsors and he liked television, but that he could pay big purses without either because he always sold out and that ticket sales should always be the track promoter's prime focus. Unlike Charlotte and other tracks, Paul never once blacked out the local television market, not even for support races. He figured if the fans liked what they saw on television, they'd come out and buy a ticket.
In the 1990s, we drew between 60,000 - 70,000 fans to each of our two NASCAR Busch Series races. When I watch Richmond Nationwide races today, the fans hardly fill the main front grandstand.
I guess ISC figures if television viewers and sponsors don't see all the empty seats, there won't be visual proof that our beloved sport of NASCAR stock car racing has spiraled completely down the toilet and is now playing to empty arenas. They put a very different spin on the tear down, but I'm not buying it.
I watched every single one of those seats go up. I'm sure glad I don't have to be there to watch them come down. It breaks my heart to know how hard we used to work to fill them and did.
Sunday, Oct. 6, 2013
RIR to reduce capacity by about 10,000
Fan survey deemed them expendable
Upper seating on the backstretch at Richmond International Raceway is in the process of being removed. The tracks overall seating will be reduced.
When people arrive for the Toyota Owners 400 at Richmond International Raceway in 2014, the track will have a slightly different look.
Track president Dennis Bickmeier said on Friday that RIR will remove the Henrico Tower and there will be additional seating along the backstretch. He estimated that the tracks capacity will drop about 10,000 seats.
Were taking down parts of Henrico grandstands (along the backstretch), he said. The lower part of the backstretch as you come toward turn three as well as some sections of the Old Dominion grandstands in Turn 3.
Bickmeier said that the plan to remove some seating has been formulating for over a year. These sections have been on the low satisfactory end of post-race fan survey data.
Henrico Tower, in particular, is an arduous journey for fans. Bickmeier said spectators need to climb 72 steps to the lower portion of the tower, where there are few, if any, amenities such as concessions and restrooms.
So, its not where we get some of the best feedback from our fans, he said. And, during the race, if you wanted to something to drink or go to the restroom, you have to come all the way down and climb all the way back up.
Bickmeier said that reducing seating isnt a bad thing and referenced venues such as The Diamond and the University of Richmonds Robins Center that have lowered capacity.
He said that this was not a sky is falling moment for the track.
This is not a new phenomenon by any means, he said. Its happened at other motorsports facilities and other facilities in general.
International Speedway Corporation, RIRs parent company, announced in June that it would make sweeping changes to the stands at Daytona International Speedway, which included moving all the seating along the front stretch of the 2.5-mile superspeedway.
Bickmeier said that some of ideas used in what is called the Daytona Rising project can be utilized when thinking about making the experience better at RIR.
Overall, the changes are part of a long-term improvement process for RIR. Bickmeier said they have short-term ideas and long-term strategies for how to repurpose those areas. He said that the best data for the long-term improvement comes from fans.
When you look at the amount of survey data we get back after an event, we use that, he said. We use that to map out our capital project strategy. There isnt any better feedback than that.
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updated by @dave-fulton: 12/05/16 04:04:08PM
