Questions for the NASCAR Fans

[Pennyman]

Just wondering what ticket prices are like for the various races / series. I was watching a truck series race earlier today - well, not that we were actively watching it, it just happened to be on the TV in the place where we were... anyway.


I was sitting with a New Zealander co-worker of mine and he asked me what the ticket prices would be for such a NASCAR race. So, I started to explain my limited knowledge of the whole thing, how there are different series for different levels of drivers (well, sort of...), and how a track might get used multiple times by the different series over a season... you know how it goes. Anyhow, the short answer I gave him was, "I have no freaking idea."


So. Today's race was a truck series race (250 miles) on the Daytona Speedway. What would a typical grandstand ticket cost for a race like that?


What about getting tickets for a Nationwide Series race, or a Sprint Cup event? (Let's throw in a Daytona 250 & 500 mile event for kicks.) What if you wanted a pass that let you get down to pit lane and so forth?


Do different tracks charge different prices, or does NASCAR set the prices equally? Just wondering.


(And yes, I know I could probably look on NASCAR's website and find this all out for myself. But I know there are some die-hard NASCAR fans out there, which makes this more fun~)

 

[Thunder Dump]

If you were watching a Truck Series race from Daytona, that actually happened back in the second week of February of this year. Being the season opener (and being at Daytona), tickets for those races are a little higher than normal. Truck series and Nationwide Series tickets are *much* cheaper than the comparable Sprint Cup series tickets. When I go to the Daytona 500 (I've been seven times), our Sprint Cup tickets are $155 each, which is for seats in the front stretch tri-oval about halfway up. The same tickets for that Truck race would be about $55, give or take.

Seating position is a HUGE factor in determining price and every track is free to charge their own prices. In NASCAR, unlike most sports, the higher up you are the more expensive the tickets, since it's easier to see the entire track and all the action. Also, seats on the front stretch near the start/finish line are always more expensive than those in the turns or on the backstretch (for tracks that have seats there). Front row seats, as it were, are usually the least desirable seats in this sport. I have season tickets to the Loudon, NH track. If you want a seat down low and in one of the turns, you can get tickets for $40 each. Mine are on the frontstretch near the start finish line, five rows from the top under the overhang (the only shade at the place) in the VIP section for $110 each.

Some tracks that are (or were) in high demand charge you tickets for the whole weekend--even if you only want tickets for one race. Bristol (TN) does this. A so-so seat in the turns halfway up is $300 each, but that gives you tickets to the Truck race (or ASA race, depending on who's running), the Nationwide race, and the Sprint Cup race.

Pit passes also vary widely by track and by access. Cold (limited access, usually not during the race) pit passes are cheaper--some as low as $20. Hot pit passes are very desirable but can be very expensive ($200+), but allows you close-up action during the race. Most often, hot pit passes are available only to sponsors and teams to give away as promos.

Daytona International Speedway has one of the best fan-friendly garage/pit areas and you can get right up behind any garage stall you want and watch them work on a car 5 feet away through a giant window. During the Daytona 500, if you go on any other day but Sat or Sun of the race, you can wander around freely for $20 each. Cold pit passes day of the race are about $100 each. That gets you down on the track itself and in the tri-oval grass during the pre-race.

Now in the 2000s, NASCAR's popularity was booming and every Sprint Cup race was sold out so you had to pay top dollar for tickets. As popularity wanes (and with the flat economy), very few tracks are selling out anymore. So what most people are doing is waiting until the last minute, buying one of those $40 tickets (that gets you into the track), taking your seat there and then 20 laps into the race look around for better seats that are still empty and go sit there. Most tracks don't police the seats unless there is a conflict between patrons arguing over whose seat it is. So you can end up sitting in some $100 seats for $40.

 

[Bigfoot410]

What Thunder Poo said
...and look here. NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Schedule, Results & Tickets on NASCAR.COM

 

[Caleb]

There's a lot of good guys on this site who dig NASCAR, Colchar being an example. I'm sure these fellas can steer you right.

 

[cherokee]

They have been running ads like crazy here (Kansas City) prices for tickets still under $100 you can bring in a cooler with your own beer......tickets still available.

Not sure if they are nose bleed seats or not....KS speedway is a pretty nice place to watch a race....as long as it is not in the dead of summer. Got to watch an Indy car race there and it was pretty nice....but then I watched from a box.

 

[Thunder Dump]

They have been running ads like crazy here (Kansas City) prices for tickets still under $100 you can bring in a cooler with your own beer......tickets still available.

I will have to say, this is one very unique feature about NASCAR racing. It is one of the only massive public sporting events I can think of that allows you to bring your own beer. Most places make a lot of revenue by selling it to the patrons. NASCAR will sell you beer at the track, but you're welcome to bring your own--even up in the stands.

 

[Northwinds]

I used to go to races a lot back in the 90s. I never hit the shorter tracks but we always got into the infield which is the best. Way more partying too! At Watkins Glen, I used to be right on the last turn before they head by the pitting area. I remember some slob stuck up in a tree drunk off his ass crying like a baby across from me (you can cross the track at that point via an overhead covered walkway)

At Michigan, we know the people that have the little store right outside the track entrance so we always have free parking and instant access to the track (and cheaper beer)

Pocono I was always parked in the field where the vendors setup (I was a vendor of memorabilia). Always freaked me out waking up at 3am foggy as hell and my car surrounded by deer

 

[Olds442]

what thunder said.

and for example we go to the "nationwide" series race every year in chicago. tix the past couple years have run us between $25 and $40 per seat depending on where we buy.

we've used stub hub and local ticket brokers in the past. stub hub worked well last year and was pretty cheap. about the cheapest we've ever paid.

 

[Pennyman]

Thanks for the replies, guys. I'm not much of a NASCAR fan, but I still think it would be cool to take in a race. If I'm ever in a position to do so, I'll let y'all know, and we'll make a hell of a weekend out of it~