Richmond Raceway offered a lot of fans, but could it have done more? Read on for our key takeaways. (Photo Credit: Tiffany Faw | Pit Pass Network)
Fans in the stands and watching on TV from home saw two solid races from Richmond Raceway this past weekend. Richmond has received flack in the past few years for the less-than-stellar racing product on track. I do not believe that the sole problem with the racing is due to the track. In its history, Richmond has produced numerous exciting race moments and finishes. For a short time, the track was a driver and fan favorite. With rumors of the track being cut to only one race weekend in 2025, the racing had to be better with more fans in the stands.
The Crowd
The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race had a less than impressive crowd on Saturday night. I wouldn’t call that a Richmond problem exclusively. The Truck Series has historically had low crowd turnouts at tracks where the NASCAR Xfinity Series and NASCAR Cup Series also run. When the trucks turn out for stand alone races, in what I would consider more local and shorts tracks, they have great fan reception and ticket sales.
The crowd in the stands for the Cup race Sunday night looked dismal pre-race. Once the race started, the stands filled in pretty good from what I could see from pit road. The number of fans in attendance will always look skewed a bit due to the fangrounds inside in the infield. Often, those watching on TV forget to take that into account. There are plenty of fans that never go sit in their seats because they choose to stay in the fangrounds area to catch a glimpse of pit stops from afar or want to be near Victory Lane for after the race.
(Photo Credit: Tiffany Faw | Pit Pass Network)
Marketing
With the addition of the fangrounds area in the infield a couple years ago, Richmond Raceway has tried to make themselves more fan friendly and tout upgrades that fans can pay for to make their race weekend special. They even came out with a new logo earlier this season.
The problem I see with the racetrack is that they do not market themselves very well. I live in Virginia and have heard more about the IMSA race weekend at VIR later this month, the Martinsville race weekend in November, and Bristol next month (which is actually in Tennessee).
Driving into Richmond this weekend, I heard no advertisement on any radio station. Nor did I see any signage along the major roads into the city. I would have never known there was a race other than two things: VDOT signage on the interstate saying which exit for race traffic and two miles from the track, you started seeing welcome race fans signs.
If you want to fill the stands, you have to market yourself. What you have done in the past is not working. It’s time for the track and NASCAR to spend some money to put more butts in the seats. Why spend millions of dollars revamping the fan experience but not actively try to fill the area with more fans?
Tire Choice
NASCAR worked with Goodyear to try to spice up the on-track action for Richmond with the Prime and Option tires. It proved to be a good addition with the added strategy for teams, and it did make a difference with comers and goers within in the field.
However, it did not go far enough. I applaud the effort made by all involved, but more needs to be done tire wise in regards to tire fall off. Sunday was a start though and I hope to see more done in the future for racing at Richmond as well as other tracks.
(Photo Credit: Tiffany Faw | Pit Pass Network)
From what I heard, NBC did a pretty decent job explaining the tire strategy and letting fans watching on TV know which teams were on Prime and Option tires. Fans at the racetrack did not have that, not that it really changes how you view the racing in person. I only knew who was putting what tires on by walking up and down pit road and seeing the yellow or red colored tires laid out.
Don’t Count Out Majeski
The Truck Series has been dominated by Corey Heim and Christian Eckes this season. Ty Majeski could easily be called the best of the rest. Bad luck on track and mishaps on pit road have plagued his Thorsport team this season. That wasn’t the case at Richmond where the team pulled out the win Saturday night. Majeski could easily have four wins under his belt this year instead of just two if luck had gone his way this year.
(Photo Credit: Andy Coffey | Pit Pass Network)
With the Truck Series Playoffs starting, keep an eye on Majeski. A handful of the tracks coming up on the schedule fit in his wheelhouse. I wouldn’t be surprised to see him win his way through the playoffs en route to a final four start at Phoenix in November. Sometimes you don’t have to be the best all season, you just need to be the best when the right time comes. Right now, Majeski and his team have all the momentum rolling in their favor. Don’t be shocked if he makes a huge splash in the 2024 Playoffs.
