On Thursday, Tony Stewart was at the Bristol Motor Speedway ticket office promoting ticket sales for the August night race. Instead of him usually being on the track, he was behind the ticket window running a cash register. Stewart said Bristol is one of his favorite tracks and he wants to see the track sell out for the upcoming race like it has for many years in the past.
For the last year, Bristol has seen lost ticket sales with the economy failing and fans having a hard time finding money to spend on racing. Bristol enjoyed having bragging rights of ticket sellouts for many, many races. Some argue the COT has helped with the loss in interest for fans attending the race and others blame the progressive banking the track installed with their last upgrade of resurfacing of the track.
Stewart said, “This is a one of a kind race track, no one can ever duplicate it and we want to do anything possible to support it.” Fans lined up starting at 9:00 am and waited for over five hours to see the star of the Sprint Cup Series. “This is nothing new (drivers selling tickets at the track) and has nothing to do with the economy, drivers have been doing this since I can remember, they do it to support various tracks and I wanted to do my part.”
Stewart leads the point Standings in the Cup Series by 192 points and is happy with his success with his owner-driver status in the first year of competition. “We knew the equation for possible success was there but we didn’t know how soon it would come. We’re just happy with the success we’re having in the first year.”
The Sharpie 500 is August 22, 2009, and even with Stewart selling and even giving some tickets away today, ticket are still available by contacting the ticket office.
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I had season ticket to Bristol for 9 years, and won’t be renewing them this year. I could find the money to attend…if Bristol were still the same track that attracted me in the first place. The ‘Chase’ and the repaving of the track have turned the racing there in the fall to MIS with traffic. Not what made bristol the best track in Nascar.
I had season tickets in the past and gave them up,not
because of the economy but because racing stinks at Bristol now. They should never have changed the track.
I also Hate the “Chase”. They say Nascar is for the fans but it is not true. Nascar higher-ups are ruining
Nascar racing. Comments by JEH in Ohio 7/31,2009