Stewart dealing right now, but oh how things change (cont'd)

3. Bristol has announced that its night race next weekend is a sellout. Is this a harbinger of good news for a sport hit hard by the recession?

David Caraviello: Let's hope so. The stock market has inched back up, the real estate market is showing signs of turning around, and Bristol announces a sellout a week early. Now, this race has always been the more popular one, and track president Jeff Byrd said in the spring that some people bought season tickets to Bristol just to attend the night race. But still, it's a good sign.

Joe Menzer: It's a sign of the times that they were even sweating it a little bit for the night race at Bristol. Wasn't it only a couple of years ago that they claimed to have a massive waiting list for folks who wanted to attend that race?

Dave Rodman: Totally, Joe. It's Bristol, and it's August, so I don't think it really relates to anything. Let's go to Atlanta the week after and if they reach two-thirds full, we'll consider that a victory.

David Caraviello: Yes, Joe, they did have a waiting list. They also sold out every race for more than a decade. The recession changed all that. Bristol relies on a lot of fans from like Indiana and Ohio, states that have been hit hard.

Joe Menzer: I think Atlanta is counting on more than two-thirds full for this first Labor Day race. They've made a huge publicity push for it -- for some time. It was almost like they wrote off the spring race in anticipation of filling the place for Labor Day.

Dave Rodman: Well, God bless 'em -- they did a good job of that in the spring. They out-California'ed California with that one. I guess I'm out of touch with the fandom, because Atlanta has great racing, the access is much improved and the stadium appears to offer great views. And yet on the attendance front they continue to suffer.

David Caraviello: The races that bookend Bristol -- Michigan this weekend, and Atlanta on Labor Day -- will be more of a barometer in my mind. Good crowds in those places might convince me that this attendance issue is turning around.

Joe Menzer: Actually running the race on the day it is scheduled might help, too!

David Caraviello: Are you talking about Michigan? That was two years ago, man. And our own Rain Man, Mark Aumann, will be nowhere near the Irish Hills this weekend. So bring the sunscreen and the golf clubs!

Joe Menzer: Man, I'm just really happy that I'm working this weekend's race with Roadman -- and not Rain Man Aumann. I half expected a torrential downpour to commence while he was filming his video blog for this week! (He drove the "old" Watkins Glen road course, if you haven't seen it).

David Caraviello: He did that on Saturday. We got the torrential downpour on Sunday!

Dave Rodman: Well, don't forget I started out the weekend at Pocono; and it seems I've been to a couple of other rainy weekends. But I'm not bringing the golf clubs this weekend, so that should guarantee sunshine.

Joe Menzer: Do whatever you have to do, my man. I want to get into the state of Michigan and get out, like any good Ohio native.

Dave Rodman: But to your point, DC, you're right about the bookend races. I'd like to see a good crowd at Michigan, but have my doubts, despite the great Race we're having to the Chase. This is some real drama going on. And again, I swear the guys out front should be thinking, "How outrageous can I get to try to win?" I know they're trying to win every week -- as hard as they think they can -- but someone has to think outside the box to come up with something different they can do, because this year more than any other, bonus points could matter. Though if Smoke has the Chase that he's having in the regular season, it could all be moot.

David Caraviello: Back to the attendance issue. We're hitting a stretch of tracks -- places like Bristol, Richmond, New Hampshire and Kansas -- that have traditionally drawn very, very well. So the potential is there, at least, for good crowds at many places down the stretch. The fact that this points situation is very interesting, and several guys are in the mix, and a popular driver is leading the standings, cannot hurt.

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Joe Menzer: What constitutes a "good crowd" at Michigan these days? I mean, we have to be realistic in this economy -- especially in that part of the country. The place seats 132,000. If they get 100,000, I think that'll be pretty darn good.

David Caraviello: Oh, they'd be ecstatic for 100,000. I think the box score in June showed 90,000, which still wasn't bad considering the economic conditions there. They're really working hard to bring in people from other places, to make up for those who have left metro Detroit.

Dave Rodman: With what's going to be on the line at Richmond, you'd have to think that place will sell out. And with Stewart being a Chase contender, and quite possibly the Chase leader if he can win one more of these next four, which I think is quite likely -- I'd be surprised if attendance was down at all at any of the next four races after Richmond. At these next four races, something disastrous is going to happen for at least one of these eight Chase contenders, and it depends if you want to see it in person or watch it on TV.

Joe Menzer: Or if you have the money to make that choice. That's the key here. But Richmond should sell out for sure. Then you've got New Hampshire, which should be at least close, Dover and Kansas. We shall see.

David Caraviello: Ultimately, though, this all comes down to how much cash people have in their wallets. A great advertising campaign or a popular driver leading the points cannot change that.

Dave Rodman: Guys, you're right on the disposable income. People are having to weigh spending money on entertainment versus eating better, or getting something they need for the house and homestead. You could easily argue that we've been lucky to have the crowds we have had, as "down" as they are.

David Caraviello: Oh, and then there's this little secret -- the racing the past few weeks has actually been pretty good. Don't tell the fans that, because they'll all get angry and start pining for the mythical days when Petty and Pearson ran side-by-side. But Pocono and Watkins were both good races.

Joe Menzer: The bad news for all of us is that Rain Main Aumann is working both the Bristol and Atlanta races, so it'll probably pour. I'm working Bristol with him -- and I'm already planning on bringing extra clothes.

Dave Rodman: Bring duck boots. Keeping feet dry in that situation is key.

David Caraviello: And a hot thermos of fine Colombian coffee!

Joe Menzer: Gimme a cooler of cold beer over the coffee every time.

David Caraviello: Won't have a tough time finding that at the race track.

The opinions expressed are those solely of the participants.