The latest flaming idiot quote to come from NASCAR

[birdymaker]

http://detnews.com/articl...-rips-Michigan--MIS-races

Just to be clear, even given our local economy problems 200,000 people attended the races last season. Both Roush and Penske are huge local employers. I'm pretty sure at this point NASCAR can't afford to lose a state full of fan's. 

Felix Sabates, minority owner of the Chip Ganassi Racing NASCAR team, says Michigan International Speedway should be eliminated from the Sprint Cup schedule.

"I mean, there's nobody left in Detroit other than the police and the unemployed," Sabates told the Charlotte Observer. "I'd cut Michigan off the schedule altogether. Michigan -- I'm talking about the state -- is never coming back to what it used to be, so why go there and throw good money after bad money?"

There are traditionally two summer races at MIS in Brooklyn. This year's events are June 13 and Aug. 15.


In Sabates' version of reality, both MIS races should be eliminated, along with one from each of the following tracks: Pocono, Atlanta, Phoenix and Fontana, Calif. That would take the schedule from 36 to 30 races.

"I think we grew too fast," Sabates said about NASCAR. "Some of these race tracks put in 140,000 seats, 120,000. That's crazy."

[gleek]

"I mean, there's nobody left in Detroit other than the police and the unemployed," Sabates told the Charlotte Observer. "I'd cut Michigan off the schedule altogether. Michigan -- I'm talking about the state -- is never coming back to what it used to be, so why go there and throw good money after bad money?"

That statement probably applies to the Wolverines too, if that's the distinction that he was trying to make. 

[birdymaker]

"I mean, there's nobody left in Detroit other than the police and the unemployed," Sabates told the Charlotte Observer. "I'd cut Michigan off the schedule altogether. Michigan -- I'm talking about the state -- is never coming back to what it used to be, so why go there and throw good money after bad money?"

That statement probably applies to the Wolverines too, if that's the distinction that he was trying to make. 

  

[MFAWG]

200,000 total is still a 30 pct drop in attendance from 2008, right?

Meanwhile, 2 tracks in Tennessee sit virtually idle with a hardcore fanbase built right in. As an added bonus, all the fans are related.

The truth is that Sabates is right: The schedule is too long, and the sport suffers from a severe case of overexposure, as well as unrealistic expectations on the business side.

[birdymaker]

200,000 total is still a 30 pct drop in attendance from 2008, right?

Meanwhile, 2 tracks in Tennessee sit virtually idle with a hardcore fanbase built right in. As an added bonus, all the fans are related.

The truth is that Sabates is right: The schedule is too long, and the sport suffers from a severe case of overexposure, as well as unrealistic expectations on the business side.

NASCAR attendance has been waning for 3 years and it has nothing to do with Michigan and everything to do with NASCAR the business and their constant tinkering. If you keep changing something to the point where it no longer resembles what made you popular the you deserve what you get.

[MFAWG]

Attendance IS down at all the tracks, but it's nowhere near the precipitous drop at MIS.


I really came back to say that Felix has a long history of giving 'LOLWUT?' quotes to the media and others, which is one of the things that's missing from KorPrit NASCAR these days.