NASCAR HOF Attendance Continues Downward Spiral - Time for Management Shake-up?

Personally, I think it's well past time that some marketing and pr folks who know what they're doing are hired to try to save this NASCAR Hall of Fame fiasco, if it's not already too late. The current personnel crop obviously doesn't have a clue. There are many ways to promote, but Winston Kelley, Buzz McKim (who are fine folks) and crew don't seem to understand any. I see no ads or promotions for this venue and I live in Charlotte. A good publicist plants newspaper pieces and creates reasons for tv to come out and do stories. The only NASCAR HOF stories we have in Charlotte are those that describe it as a black money hole pit for Charlotte tax dollars. But then again, I don't see anybody on board Charlotte's white elephant that ever promoted or publicized anything in NASCAR racing anyway. Broadcasters and historians are not real well versed in how to create traffic and interest. Randy & Tim tell us this is a great attraction and I don't doubt their assessment. It's time to get some leadership there that knows what it's doing. This whole deal is an embarassment. How can you have a major NASCAR race weekend in town during October and only draw 19,000 people? It's past time to put a management crew at the NASCARHall of Fame that knows and understands how to publicize and promote. Heck, Humpy Wheeler could draw 20,000 folks to a snake race in downtown Charlotte any day of the week. These guys, with a multi-million dollar attraction don't know what to do with it.

NASCAR hall visits fall in October
By Steve Harrison
The Charlotte Observer
Wednesday, Dec. 14, 2011

Attendance at the NASCAR Hall of Fame fell in October by 30 percent compared with the same month in 2010.

Attendance in October was 19,340. A year ago it was 27,555.

Attractions like the NASCAR hall often see second-year attendance drops.

Due to cost-cutting measures, the hall made a small surplus for the month of $43,089. The hall also receives money from the city of Charlotte for some maintenance items on the hall, which raised its surplus for the month to $89,657.

For the first four months of the fiscal year, hall attendance is 71,007 compared with 100,991 through the first four months of last fiscal year.

For the first four months of the fiscal year, the hall lost $406,659. But the city's reimbursement for maintenance items closed that deficit to $202,495.

Copyright 2011 The Charlotte Observer. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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I don't think Humpy would take on the project and I don't advocate hiring him. My reference was strictly a comparison that a promoter can draw a crowd to anything and the HOF doesn't have a promoter. They need a Humpy/Paul Sawyer/Bob Colvin/PT Barnum type who could draw a crowd to anything by making it sound exciting. The HOF doesn't sound exciting. It doesn't sound anything.

I've waited a year to say it PK, but there's not one single person that was hired at the NASCAR Hall of Fame that knows one damned thing about promoting a crowd of people to attend an attraction.

About the only thing I know about marketing is that when I have on the cowboy hat and sunglasses I'm more popular than when I don't so I guess that's marketing. But the HOF experience is worth the time and effort to see that place. I will go again, someday. I still think the HOF needs to team up with Racers Reunion and let us promote them and they, us.

Tim one gentleman came up to me at Stocks for Tots and asked me who the guy in the hat and sunglasses was. I told him that was "The Legend" Tim Leeming. Now I bet if you had no hat and glasses he would not have asked so you are probably right.

You do know that Tommy and I were there for your security just to keep the fans from mobbing you don't you? LOL

Robin, my thanks to you and Tommy for the protection. I had wondered why I wasn't mobbed at the event. It was not until I was leaving, in fact, going out the door of the Institute that I was mobbed. It was quite a scene then. Too bad you weren't there then. I could have used the protection.

Jimmy, that is an EXCELLENT answer. Present it to the proper people.

A crackerjack promoter wouldn't hurt, but I think the HOF's problems are deeper, a symptom of a much greater disease. We've cussed and discussed this a million times, but when NASCAR, at the arm-twisting of marketeers, chose to abandon the traditional fan and their ownhistorical venues, the very fans that wouldhave been interested in the Hall, lost interest in the entire subject....lock, stock, and barrel. A NASCAR generation was lost, and, worse, an anything-but-NASCAR-attitude replaced it. The cultural damage was already donebeforethe first brick was ever laid. It will be years in the future, when the newNASCAR fan is interested in such things as the sport's history....if they hang around that long.

From today's Charlotte Observer Editorial Page - 12/16/2011

I could not agree more Bobby, and PLK also had it right about public funding. If the Hall had been placed between the speedway and the interstate it would get much more exposure just from location but when OPM (other peoples money) is used the rules that lead to good decisions are not.

Bobby Williamson hits nail on head!