1998 Goodyear Racing Attendance Report Statistics
21 January 1999
1998 Goodyear Racing Attendance Report Statistics Compiled by The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company
(see comparison chart that follows text)
AKRON, Ohio, Jan. 20 -- Auto racing attendance in North
America again demonstrated overall growth in 1998, The Goodyear Tire & Rubber
Company announced today. Despite the inclement weather that negatively
impacted racing across the country, the sport still broke its 1997 attendance
record by surpassing the 17 million spectator mark and increasing 1.3 percent
over 1997, according to estimated figures compiled annually by the company.
In 1998, 17,079,004 fans filled race track grandstands, suites and
infields to watch racing action in the 12 North American racing series that
Goodyear monitors. The figure is up from 16,861,291 in 1997.
For nearly three decades, Goodyear has published its Annual Racing
Attendance Report as a barometer of motorsports' growing popularity. Over the
course of 27 years of compiling, analyzing and distributing this information,
Goodyear's report has grown with racing in popularity and today is viewed by
nearly all audiences, including the media, sanctioning bodies and fans, as the
credible source of estimated attendance figures for the racing industry.
Given the continually increasing complexity of measuring individual race
attendance and obtaining consistent attendance figures from sanctioning
bodies, race promoters, race tracks and the media, this year's report is the
last attendance report Goodyear will publish.
"The decision to cease publication of this report was certainly not an
easy one to make," said Stu Grant, Goodyear's general manager of worldwide
racing. "As a result of racing's steadily increasing profile in the business
world, attendance estimates have a significant impact on race teams,
motorsports corporations, tracks, sanctioning bodies, drivers, sponsors and
countless other audiences involved in the sport and business of racing.
"While Goodyear will remain the number one supplier of race tires in the
U.S., we believe the sanctioning bodies themselves are in the best position to
provide future attendance estimates," Grant said.
Attendance figures are compiled from official sanctioning body statistics,
track numbers, Goodyear racing reports and other sources. The attendance
figures serve only as estimates, as it is very difficult to gather exact
numbers, given the complexity of measuring individual race attendance. All
figures represent weekend totals.
"Despite extreme wet weather conditions causing some race cancellations
and affecting practice and qualifying day attendance, racing continued to grow
steadily overall in 1998," Grant said. "In 1997 we saw an exceptional rise in
overall attendance due to the significant increase in tracks and event dates.
The 1998 increase is more conservative, due to minimal changes in track venues
and event dates as well as inclement weather."
Once again, the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR)
Winston Cup series drew the largest audience, up 3.4 percent from 1997. Jeff
Gordon, the youngest-ever, three-time NASCAR Winston Cup champion, dominated
NASCAR's 50th anniversary season before a record 6,301,027 fans, pushing
capacity at 33 points events. Gordon captured his third NASCAR Winston Cup
championship in four years, thwarting a valiant effort by Mark Martin. Track
seating expansion and renovation enabled NASCAR's loyal fans to attend events
in record numbers.
The Championship Auto Racing Team's (CART) Fedex Championship Series saw a
season of attendance growth in 1998, even though rain impacted 37 percent of
its events on the four continents the series visited. The addition of two
races, in Motegi, Japan, and in Houston, helped propel weekend attendance
estimates to 2,529,995, an increase of 1.6 percent over 1997. CART will
continue to expand its reach and exposure in 1999 when its Champ Cars race at
the newly constructed Chicago Motor Speedway in the third largest metropolitan
statistical area in the United States.
The National Hot Rod Association's (NHRA) 22 sanctioned events drew
2,204,194 drag racing fans who witnessed a 1998 season decorated with records
and milestones. This represents a 1.6 percent increase in total attendance,
while averaging 100,191 fans per race. Gary Scelzi broke the elapsed time and
speed quarter-mile records, with 4.525 seconds and 326.44 mph respectively, en
route to defending his Top Fuel title. John Force captured the Funny Car
title for the sixth straight year, while breaking the quarter-mile speed
record with a 323.89 mph run.
The NASCAR Busch Series, Grand National Division, showed one of the most
significant attendance increases over 1997, growing 8.2 percent. The series
expanded its schedule by one race in 1998, adding Pike's Peak International
Raceway to the schedule. A total of 2,102,000 fans watched in a historic
season that saw Dale Earnhardt, Jr. capture the title in his inaugural NASCAR
Busch Series campaign. NASCAR's enhanced commitment to growth and expansion
for the series positions it for increased success.
The World of Outlaws Series (WoO) was forced to cancel seven races due to
rain in 1998, dropping its event completion total from a planned 72 to
65 races. However, the series still experienced a strong following, averaging
2,284 more spectators per event than in 1997, while the rain-shortened
season's attendance dropped 1.7% to 1,575,200. Fifteen-time series champion
Steve Kinser became the first to win both driver and owner titles in the same
season.
The Indy Racing League (IRL) expanded its schedule from eight to 11 races
in 1998, adding Charlotte, N.C., Dover, Del. and Texas. The expanded schedule
eased the reduction in days of the IRL's marquee event, the Indianapolis 500,
which was reduced from three to two weeks. The resulting overall attendance
of 1,291,653 dropped 4.1 percent from 1997. Series Champion Kenny Brack set
an IRL record by winning three consecutive events. The IRL will maintain its
11-race schedule in 1999 while adding a second date at Pikes Peak
International Raceway, and maintaining its strength at lucrative venues.
The Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) NTB Trans-Am Series increased its
attendance by 23 percent in 1998. The season included achievements such as:
Paul Gentilozzi's first Trans-Am Drivers' Championship, the record number of
drivers who contested the entire 13-race championship, as well as modern-era
marks in narrowest margin of victory and single-event entries among the 20 new
on-track performance records.
The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series continued to grow its fan base in 1998
with 938,775 fans attending the season's 27 races, up 2.0 percent over 1997.
The series provided one of the closest championship battles in racing as Ron
Hornaday edged Jack Sprague by a mere three points. Its mid-season switch,
incorporating pit stops and eliminating half-time during races, enhanced race
action and drew widespread approval from fans and broadcasters.
In its 30th anniversary season, the American Speed Association (ASA)
continued its consistent growth, with attendance up 2.8 percent from 1997,
while maintaining its 20-race schedule. The average attendance was up by
813 spectators. Gary St. Amant captured the championship before a record
597,062 total fans throughout the 1998 season.
The Professional Sports Car Racing's (SPORTS CAR) GT and World Sports Cars
series reduced the 1998 schedule from 11 to eight events, decreasing overall
attendance by 43.1 percent. Undeterred by 1998's extreme weather and shifted
race dates which hampered attendance, SPORTS CAR is poised to grow its premier
World Sports Car and GT series as they fold into the American Le Mans Series
for an eight-race schedule in 1999. Television rights deals with NBC and
CNBC, as well as major market promotional efforts held in conjunction with
each event, will enhance the series' long-term growth and stability.
The International Hot Rod Association (IHRA), under new ownership and
management, targeted 1998 as a rebuilding year to enhance its relations with
fans, sponsors and tracks. The IHRA grew significantly with regard to
membership, contingency dollars and sanctioned tracks, setting the stage for
growth. In an effort to achieve accuracy in attendance compilation, the IHRA
revised its procedures for 1998. For comparison purposes, had the new
procedure been utilized in 1997, the attendance grid would show an increase of
22.1% over 1997's actual attendance.
The International Race of Champions' (IROC) four-race schedule showed a
dramatic increase with 401,802 spectators, up from 327,000 in 1997, due
largely to running a race for the first time at the Indianapolis Motor
Speedway during NASCAR Winston Cup's Brickyard 400 weekend.
"Increased television coverage for all racing series continues to elevate
racing's status and drive its growth. Racing has become one of the most
formidable sports in the world, as witnessed by its presence on television, in
print, on radio, on the Internet, on Wall Street and by the continued
escalation of sponsor dollars and fans that help boost the sport. Goodyear is
proud to be a part of that growth from the beginning and through its evolution
as a premier sport worldwide," concluded Grant.
Goodyear's commitment to auto racing is unequaled by any other tire
company in the world. On any given weekend, at any number of places, Goodyear
Eagle racing tires compete in stock cars, open wheel cars and drag racing,
trucks, sports cars, sprints and off-road venues. No other tire company in
the world competes in as many races as Goodyear -- or wins as many
championships.
1997-1998 MAJOR AUTO RACING SERIES ATTENDANCE COMPARISON ESTIMATES
RACE TOTAL AVG. RACE TOTAL AVG. ATTENDANCE
DATES ATTENDANCE ATTENDANCE DATES ATTENDANCE ATTENDANCE GAIN/LOSS
1998 1998* 1998 1997 1997* 1997 1997-1998
SANCTIONING
BODY AND
CAR TYPE
NASCAR
WINSTON
CUP STOCK
CARS 33 6,301,027 190,940 32 6,091,356 190,355 3.4%
CART CHAMP
CARS 19 2,529,995 133,157 17 2,491,050 146,532 1.6%
NHRA DRAG
CARS 22 2,204,194 100,191 22 2,168,481 98,567 1.6%
NASCAR GRAND
NATIONAL
STOCK
CARS 31 2,102,000 67,807 30 1,942,750 64,758 8.2%
WoO SPRINT
CARS 65 1,575,200 24,233 73 1,602,300 21,949 (1.7%)
IRL INDY
CARS**** 11 1,291,653 117,423 8 1,347,000 168,375 (4.1%)
SCCA TRANS-
AM CARS 13 1,136,834 87,449 13 924,417 71,109 23%
NASCAR
TRUCKS 27 938,775 34,769 26 920,367 35,399 2%
ASA STOCK
CARS 20 597,062 29,853 20 580,800 29,040 2.8%
IROC STOCK
CARS 4 401,802 100,451 4 327,000 81,750 22.9%
SPORTS CAR 8 293,969 36,746 11 517,251 47,022 (43.1%)
IHRA DRAG
CARS*** 10 227,873 22,787 9 387,164 43,018 (41.1%)
GRAND TOTALS
FOR NORTH
AMERICA** 235 17,079,004 70,825 230 16,861,291 73,310 1.3%
* Figures are estimates compiled from Goodyear Racing Division race
reports, event promoters, official sanctioning body statistics and other
sources. Total event attendance includes practice and qualifying days.
Overall, totals were hampered by the uncharacteristically high incidence
of rain throughout the 1998 season.
** Attendance and dates for multi-race events counted only once in grand
totals.
*** The IHRA's new ownership revised its procedures for attendance
tabulation in 1998.
**** The Indianapolis 500 was reduced from three to two weeks in 1998.
ASA = AMERICAN SPEED ASSOCIATION NASCAR = NATIONAL ASSOCIATION
FOR STOCK CAR AUTO RACING
CART = CHAMPIONSHIP AUTO RACING TEAMS NHRA = NATIONAL HOT ROD
ASSOCIATION
IHRA = INTERNATIONAL HOT ROD ASSOCIATION SPORTS CAR = PROFESSIONAL
SPORTS CAR RACING, INC.
IRL = INDY RACING LEAGUE WOO = WORLD OF OUTLAWS
IROC = INTERNATIONAL RACE OF CHAMPIONS SCCA = SPORTS CAR CLUB OF
AMERICA
Figures are not released for individual tracks. Race demographics and
television ratings are not available from Goodyear. This chart and its
explanation release are available online at: http://www.goodyear.com