Just outside the Turn 4 grandstands, in one of the track's motor home lots, Pat Blackstock and her h

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If tonight's travelocity coupons Federated Auto Parts 400 doesn't sell out, the event will be the ninth-straight Cup race for which fans have not packed the seats, even though capacity has been cut to 94,063 and ticket prices have been shaved.
The end of the sellout streak was a meteorological phenomenon. Ticket sales were on pace to make it 34 in a row until Tropical Storm Hanna prompted a state-of-emergency declaration. The race was postponed for a day, and walk-up sales for the delayed event weren't enough to fill the seats.
RIR doesn't release crowd figures, but according to NASCAR's travelocity coupons estimates, attendance has dropped to 88,000 for RIR's last two Cup races and some longtime observers say NASCAR is generous with its crowd estimates.
Daryl Q. Wolfe is senior vice president and chief marketing officer for International Speedway Corp., RIR's parent company. He has watched NASCAR's tracks around the country suffer through travelocity coupons an attendance slump.
For five seasons, NASCAR rules have mandated a cookie-cutter car that doesn't reflect the different body styles of manufacturers. Next year, that will change. The new cars will have more than decals making it clear they are Fords, travelocity coupons Chevrolets or Toyotas. (Dodge is dropping out of the series at the end of this season.)
Also, Wolfe said, technological advances have made it easier for fans to enjoy races without coming to the track. Television's coverage is more sophisticated, he pointed out, and applications for mobile devices give fans options they didn't have before.
"It starts and ends with the customer," he said. "We have to make sure we build the fan base and enhance the experience. We want both our avid fans and our casual fans to have a positive experience highlighted by guest services."
RIR has a year-round staff of 34, but for race weekends the workforce expands to 1,500 ushers, ticket-takers, police and fire officers, VIP escorts, medical personnel, cleanup crews and towing crews, among others.
Bickmeier also has taken pains to mend some fences. When races were selling out and fans were on a waiting list, some customers who bought big blocks of tickets for every race were asked to surrender some of those tickets.
Such requests were not always well-received. One car dealer, for example, regularly bought about 100 tickets to spread around to friends and customers. Asked to cut back to a handful of tickets, the dealer declined to buy any.
RIR also has trimmed ticket prices. When the sellout streak was intact, the price range for advance tickets travelocity coupons was $80 to $150. The high-end ticket included admission to the weekend's companion race. Now the advance price range is $45 to $105, with no second-race admission for the high-end ticket. The price goes up $5 during race week.
Still cheaper tickets are available through the track's corporate and institutional travelocity coupons partners. For example, members of the Retail Merchants Association could get tickets for tonight's race as low as $25.
"We want to give fans a chance to enjoy the races," Bickmeier said. "NASCAR is a social experience. Friendships are made here and get renewed here twice a year. There's travelocity coupons a whole tailgate lifestyle that goes with the races."
Just outside the Turn 4 grandstands, in one of the track's motor home lots, Pat Blackstock and her husband, D.W. Blackstock, and their friend Fred White were enjoying the camaraderie of the event. They paid $275 for the spot, which includes hookups for power, water and sewer.
"And we'll be here until this race is run," Pat Blackstock said, allowing for the possibility of a rain delay. "We're like a big family," she said. "When we leave here, we'll be on Facebook talking to each other."
For its two annual Cup events, RIR still draws the biggest paying sports crowds in Virginia. Martinsville travelocity coupons Speedway, Virginia Tech's Lane Stadium and the University of Virginia's Scott Stadium can all handle crowds in the 60,000s. No other venue comes close.
Factors were aligned to boost ticket sales for tonight's travelocity coupons race. Richmond's is the last event before NASCAR's travelocity coupons 10-race Chase to decide the championship, and several drivers are vying to be the last of 12 to qualify for the title run.
Moreover, NASCAR's hottest driver is Denny Hamlin of Chesterfield. The local favorite has won two straight races, a series-leading four this year, and he typically runs well at RIR. With a win tonight, he could give himself a points travelocity coupons cushion as the top seed in the Chase.
Tonight's race is set for a 7:30 p.m. start. Fans, those who aren't already on the site, will gather during most of the day. If the weather cooperates, and that's a big if, the crowd might top that 88,000 estimate for the past two events, and RIR might take a step toward once again being a very tough ticket.
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