1997 Goodyear Racing Attendance Report Statistics Compiled by The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company
15 January 1998
1997 Goodyear Racing Attendance Report Statistics Compiled by The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company
AKRON, Ohio, Jan. 15 -_ Auto racing attendance in North
America continued its meteoric rise in 1997, soaring beyond the 16-million
mark for the first time, according to annual figures released today by The
Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company.
The 1997 spectator attendance grew 9.3 percent compared to the 1996 figure
of 3.7 percent, as an astounding 16,861,291 fans filled race track grandstands
across the country to watch the action in 12 North American racing series in
which Goodyear competes and monitors competition. Attendance was 15,430,637
in 1996.
Goodyear's attendance report has been published annually as a barometer of
motorsport's popularity in North America for 26 years. The figures are
compiled from official sanctioning body statistics, track numbers, Goodyear
racing reports and other sources. All figures represent weekend totals, with
the dates from multi-race events counted only once in grand totals.
"The year 1997 was without a doubt one of the most exciting in recent
American motorsports history," said Stu Grant, general manager of worldwide
racing for Goodyear. "Several multi-million dollar tracks opened their gates
to enormous crowds, television audiences watched in growing numbers, racing-
related stocks intrigued Wall Street and previously disinterested major
business and financial publications followed the action with numerous features
on the growing business of auto racing."
Once again, NASCAR's Winston Cup series drew the largest audience, up 9.0
percent, with 6,091,356 fans attending the 32 points events. They watched
legend-in-the-making Jeff Gordon capture his second Winston Cup Championship
in three years after battling bumper to bumper with Dale Jarrett and Mark
Martin to the final checkered flag. Average attendance was a record-breaking
190,355 per event, up from 180,260 in 1996.
With 12 of the 19 tracks on the Winston Cup circuit building thousands of
additional seats and corporate suites, record crowds became the norm on the
circuit.
The PPG CART World Series (now CART FedEx Championship Series) also
experienced record attendance in 1997, as it crowned its new champion Alex
Zanardi. Including debut races at California Speedway and Gateway
International Raceway, a record 2,491,050 spectators filled the stands at the
17 events, an increase of 5.3 percent over 1996. With additional races in
Houston and Japan planned for 1998 and a new title sponsor in FedEx, the
series is in position to continue with strong growth.
An estimated 2,168,481 National Hot Rod Racing Association fans,
representing a 16 percent increase and 299,044 spectators more than in 1996,
attended the 22 NHRA-sanctioned events in 1997. Three well attended new
events in St. Louis, Dallas and Houston contributed greatly to the impressive
increase.
With four additional races at Texas, Fontana, St. Louis and Las Vegas in
1997, the NASCAR Busch Series Grand National Division showed one of the
largest hikes in spectators in 1997. A total of 1,942,750 fans, up from
1,665,700 in 1996, watched as Randy LaJoie captured the title and became the
first Busch Series driver to earn more than one million dollars in prize money
in a season.
The ever-popular World of Outlaws sprint series held three new races in
1997 to bring the series total to an incredible 73 events. An estimated
1,602,300 fans, a 0.5 percent increase over 1996's total, watched Sammy
Swindell capture the 1997 title.
The 1997 Indy Racing League season featured eight races, up from five in
1996, with close competition and only one repeat-winner -- Arie Luyendyk, who
captured both the Indy 500 and the Texas races. New races in Texas and in the
traditional stock car market arena at Charlotte, both produced very credible
results. A total of 1,347,000 fans attended the IRL's eight events, including
the Indianapolis 500, for an increase of 17.7 percent over 1996.
The Sports Car Club of America's Trans-Am series attendance was down 29.2
percent in 1997, with the loss of one race on the schedule and a transition in
the sanctioning body organization. A total of 924,417 fans attended the
season's 13 races. In addition to having a new title sponsorship in 1998, the
series will also add new races at Homestead, Laguna Seca and Grand Rapids,
Mich.
Growth continued for the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series in 1997 with
920,367 fans attending the season's 26 races, up from 24 events in 1996. The
1997 season featured two new races at the Texas Motor Speedway and the
California Speedway, while the 1998 schedule includes an event at Gateway
International Raceway.
The American Speed Association showed a slight increase in 1997, up
0.4 percent from 1996, without adding any additional dates. The series drew
580,000 fans to its 20-race season.
The IMSA GT and IMSA World Sports Cars (now Professional Sports Car
Racing) added an additional race in 1997 and increased attendance by 18.8
percent, as 517,251 fans attended the 11-race season.
With one less race in 1997, the International Hot Rod Association's
attendance figures were down 10 percent, with 387,164 spectators.
The International Race of Champions' four-race schedule showed a dramatic
increase with 327,000 spectators, up from 284,447 in 1997. With an appearance
scheduled at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 1998, replacing Talladega,
spectator numbers should continue to grow considerably.
"The exceptional growth of auto racing in North America this past year can
be attributed to a number of factors including an expanded television
audience, new race track construction and increased corporate sponsorship,"
said Grant. "But race car drivers themselves play a major role in the growth
of the sport via their accessability and credibility to the fans -- they have
become heroes and role models for thousands of high-performance enthusiasts."
Goodyear's commitment to auto racing and its number of championships is
unequaled by any other tire company in the world. On any given weekend, at
any number of places, Goodyear Eagle racing tires are competing, from Formula
1, stock cars, Indy cars and drag racing to trucks, sports cars, sprints and
off-road.
1996-1997 GOODYEAR AUTO RACING ATTENDANCE REPORT
SANCTIONING BODY RACE DATES TOTAL ATTENDANCE AVERAGE ATTENDANCE
AND CAR TYPE 1997 1997* 1997
NASCAR WINSTON CUP
STOCK CARS 32 6,091,356 190,355
CART CHAMP CARS 17 2,491,050 146,532
NHRA DRAG CARS 22 2,168,481 98,567
NASCAR GRAND NATIONAL
STOCK CARS 30 1,942,750 64,758
WOO SPRINT CARS 73 1,602,300 21,949
IRL INDY CARS 8 1,347,000 168,375
SCCA TRANS-AM SPORTS CARS 13 924,417 71,109
NASCAR TRUCKS 26 920,367 35,399
ASA STOCK CARS 20 580,800 29,040
PSR GT/WORLD SPORTS CARS 11 517,251 47,022
IHRA DRAG CARS 9 387,164 43,018
IROC STOCK CARS 4 327,000 81,750
GRAND TOTALS FOR
NORTH AMERICA** 230 16,861,291 73,310
1996-1997 GOODYEAR AUTO RACING ATTENDANCE REPORT
SANCTIONING BODY RACE TOTAL AVG. ATTENDANCE
AND CAR TYPE DATES ATTENDANCE ATTENDANCE GAIN/LOSS
1996 1996* 1996 1996-1997
NASCAR WINSTON CUP
STOCK CARS 31 5,588,069 180,260 9.0%
CART CHAMP CARS 16 2,366,440 147,902 5.3%
NHRA DRAG CARS 19 1,869,437 98,391 16.0%
NASCAR GRAND NATIONAL
STOCK CARS 26 1,665,700 64,065 16.6%
WOO SPRINT CARS 70 1,594,100 22,773 0.5%
IRL INDY CARS 5 1,144,002 228,800 17.7%
SCCA TRANS-AM SPORTS CARS 14 1,305,571 93,255 (29.2%)
NASCAR TRUCKS 24 811,050 33,794 13.5%
ASA STOCK CARS 20 578,740 28,937 0.4%
PSR GT/WORLD SPORTS CARS 10 435,301 43,530 18.8%
IHRA DRAG CARS 10 430,227 43,023 (10.0%)
IROC STOCK CARS 4 284,447 71,112 15.0%
GRAND TOTALS FOR
NORTH AMERICA** 215 15,430,637 71,770 9.3%
* Figures compiled from Goodyear Racing Division race reports, event
promoters, official sanctioning body statistics and other sources.
Total event attendance includes practice and qualifying days.
** Attendance and dates for multi-race events counted only once in grand
totals.
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
PSR = PROFESSIONAL SPORTS CAR RACING
IRL = INDY RACING LEAGUE
SCCA = SPORTS CAR CLUB OF AMERICA
IROC = INTERNATIONAL RACE OF CHAMPIONS
WOO = WORLD OF OUTLAWS
Figures are not released for individual tracks. No other race
demographics or television ratings are available.
SOURCE Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company
