NASCAR faces longer seasons and tougher schedules
The NASCAR Winston Cup season echoed by Mark Martin ends in Homestead with a record 41 weeks of racing, 20 straight weeks, and rising costs. Track expansions into Chicago, Kansas, Texas and Las Vegas push schedules, sponsor obligations grow, and access in the garage tightens with a new Daytona testing plan and stricter security.
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West Palm Beach
Fla
Mark Martin
Homestead
Martin
Nascar
New York
Daytona
Chicago
Kansas
Texas
Las Vegas
Jim Hunter
Jeff Gordon
Dale Earnhardt Jr
Earnhardt
Hunter
Richmond
Dale Jarrett
Racing schedule tests drivers amid rising demands
Martin notes 38 races including the Bud Shootout and The Winston. He says the number isn’t the hard part but the workload and preparation needed are dramatically increasing, making the sport tougher as schedules tighten and expectations rise.
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Martin
Kyle Petty
Petty
Cheerios
Georgia-Pacific
Sprint
Coca-Cola
Wal-Marts
Targets
General Mills
Wal-Mart
Sam’s Club
CITGO
How Big Is NASCAR Its Growing Popularity and Reach
NASCAR draws large crowds and high ratings with the Daytona 500 attracting an estimated 190000 spectators. In 2001 the fan base reached 75 million, up 19 percent from 63 million in 2000, with hardcore fans numbering 40 million. About 5.051 million households watched each broadcast, up 36 percent from 2000.
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Nascar
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Cox News Service
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