ORLANDO, Fla. -- If there's a recurring theme to this week's Motor Sport Business Forum North America, it's about focusing on the things that make sense to the core fan base. And for International Speedway Corp. CEO Lesa France Kennedy, that means examining all aspects of the business -- from the price of the tickets to the size of the seats -- and making decisions that not only make business sense but provide value to the customer.

"There's no doubt all businesses -- and we're not immune to it -- have been challenged with the economy," Kennedy said during her keynote address on Wednesday at the Orlando Hilton. "But even when you have a situation like that, it's also provided an opportunity for us.

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There's no doubt all businesses -- and we're not immune to it -- have been challenged with the economy. But even when you have a situation like that, it's also provided an opportunity for us.

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-- LESA FRANCE KENNEDY

"We've taken over 500,000 of our tickets and repriced them. We've taken some of the tickets that were previously bundled and created new packages. In addition, we've taken the opportunity to widen some of the seats and make more luxury seats available. We're focused on value across the entire company."

And in making those changes, Kennedy said ISC has come across fans looking to experience NASCAR for the first time.

"We find that about two-thirds of the people buying restructured tickets are brand-new buyers," Kennedy said. "Our history also tells us that if we can get them to that one event, the product sells itself. So our challenge is getting them to that first event and it goes from there."

However, that also puts ISC's long-term expansion plans on hold. The company recently sold a parcel on Staten Island on which it had hoped to build a track, and proposals for track sites near Seattle and Denver have also been shelved. But Kennedy said those areas still hold long-term interest.

"New York, first of all, is the nation's No. 1 media market, so we're always going to have an interest in that area," Kennedy said. "It's tricky. It's very challenging. And yes, we did have property in Staten Island and pursued that but it didn't work out. The timing wasn't right, for whatever reason. I think if the opportunity came up again, most definitely we would take a look at it.

"The sport has, over the years, been shifting toward major market areas in some respects. The Pacific Northwest has also been geographically underserved, so that will always be, I think, of interest. The last couple of years, we've been really refocusing on tracks that we have and trying once again to provide the most value and really going back to basics and back to our core. That's where we need to be right now."

From an international perspective, Kennedy said she expects ISC to hold status quo for now.

"Without putting a specific timeframe on it, Montreal is doing well," Kennedy said. "We'll always be interested as well in Mexico and looking to explore the right opportunities there. But in the next couple of years, we're going to stay as close to home as possible. We'll always look at international opportunities but I think our resources really need to be spent right here domestically. It's going to be much more important for us."

On the other hand, Kennedy was thrilled by the news that open-wheel star Danica Patrick is planning on running at least a partial Nationwide Series schedule in 2010.

"I can tell you, Danica is huge," Kennedy said. "She is going to bring so much enthusiasm and excitement to our sport. Whenever she's doing well on the track, you've got viewers that are tuning in. She's going to be terrific. NASCAR is the most competitive form of motorsports in the world, and Danica is competitive. She's strong and I'm going to be excited to see her."