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NASCAR: A darling of the South |
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A University of South Carolina study measured the economic impact of the Darlington races at more than $46 million per occurrence. (Photo courtesy of Travis Bell Photography)
By Shelia Watson
Contributing Writer
Three years ago, Darlington and the surrounding area suffered a significant economic blow when NASCAR shifted its Southern 500 race to the California Speedway in Fontana.
Frank Willis, mayor of the nearby city of Florence, said the loss hit his town hard, to the tune of about $30 million.
“We were devastated when we lost the September 500 race,” he said. “But losing that race got our attention and let us know that we’d better do what we can to keep the track from going under.
South Carolina’s role in the NASCAR world is fairly significant as Darlington was the site of the inaugural 500-mile race in 1950. Today more than more than 70,000 fans make the pilgrimage to the town of 9,000, bringing with them their disposable income to buy food, lodging, gas and souvenirs.
A University of South Carolina study measured the economic impact of the Darlington races at more than $46 million per occurrence, with about $29 million of that in direct economic impact from such items as ticket and souvenir sales, and the remainder in indirect and induced impact from industries that support the weeklong events.
This impact prompted the state Legislature to adopt a resolution in 2005 declaring NASCAR racing as “an integral and vital part of the state of South Carolina and its economy.”
When Darlington lost the Southern 500, the track’s size was blamed for the loss. The track’s 60,000 seats in the rural area have been considered out of step with modern NASCAR’s model of a 100,000-seat track in an urban setting.
Chris Browning, Darlington’s track president, said the small seating capacity made the track “an easy target” for having its events cut. So he set about improving the track’s amenities and image.
Some of the track’s status was regained with the scheduling of its remaining race on Mother’s Day, the first to be held on that day since 1986. And the track has undergone a $10 million renovation project including a new in-field access tunnel and a new racing surface.
However, despite Browning’s initial assessment, seating capacity was not increased.
“I wouldn’t rule out a project to increase seating capacity, but if we do, it’ll happen over the next couple of years,” said Jake Harris, director of public relations at Darlington. “We’ll have to see how things go, as supply and demand fluctuates.”
Part of the supply and demand issue is the fact that not all of the fans go to the track.
“There are more ways to get information about racing these days,” Harris explained. “You can get it on your computer and even have updates sent to your cell phone or watch part of the race on your phone. And TV coverage is very good.”
Harris said for now, seating is not a major issue primarily because after the track was reduced to one race, business actually picked up.
“Back when one of our two races was cut, a lot of people wrote us off and said we’d go off into the sunset,” he said. “It’s interesting that when we had two races, there were empty seats, but we’re selling out at the track now, and the other, bigger tracks still have empty seats. So we feel like we’re in a good place right now.”
The sell-out crowd since the cut does not surprise Willis.
“The base of NASCAR has always been the South,” he said. “If you look at some of the metropolitan races, they’re not selling out any more. Darlington has the history, the tradition and the fans. California has ‘Johnny-come-lately’ fans, but the ones in Darlington are diehard fans. They come to Darlington because it’s Darlington.
“Atlanta doesn’t have that. Even Daytona doesn’t have that kind of loyalty. There’s something of a dichotomy with the race being televised too. Yes, it’s easy to sit at home and watch it, but nothing beats being there in person. And the Darlington fans know that.”
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