NASCAR announced on Monday, for the first time ever, fans would have the opportunity to attend NASCAR’s end of season banquet at the Wynn Las Vegas. The idea will give the top-12 teams access to about 300 tickets, what NASCAR says is about one-quarter of the audience, to use for fan promotions/contests/sweepstakes.
In the press release announcing the program NASCAR Chief Marketing Officer Steve Phelps said, “Making tickets available provides the teams, tracks and partners a truly unique opportunity to reach out to the fans like never before…We’re looking forward to seeing creative promotions for the limited number of tickets.”
Unlike my friends at NASCAR I’m not really excited to see what creative ways the teams come up with to give away these tickets. In fact I don’t think tickets should be given away. I don’t think they should be sold. As vitally important as I know fans are, I don’t think the banquet is an event fans should attend.
Here is what I’m picturing: 300 fans trying to get autographs from drivers and crew members who shouldn’t be obligated to treat this event like a sponsor appearance; and fans booing drivers they don’t like or drivers who beat out their favorite. It makes my stomach turn.
I’ve heard the arguments against my above worries. People can buy tickets to award shows and performers don’t get hassled and they don’t get booed when they win. Let’s be honest though, not too many people feel the passion against actors and actresses as they do athletes and teams.
For the sake of argument though, let’s say none of the above does happen. I still don’t think it’s a fan event.
And anyway if you’re a fan is this really something you want to go? I have no idea how the seating arrangement is going to work, but they’re presumably sitting among 900 people (if 300 is 25% of the total audience) who live and work together for 36+ weekends a year. It’s like going to a banquet at the Lions Club and not being a member of the Lions Club, or knowing anyone at the Lions Club.
Blast me if you want, but outside of airing it on television the banquet isn’t for the fans. As I have said here before the banquet is a time for the teams and their industry partners to get together and celebrate the successes of the prior season.
I always thought New York was a great place for that celebration, so I haven’t really been a fan of this move. Part of that too, I knew with the natural evolution, eventually NASCAR would turn this into a spectacle (I guess maybe they’ve already done that). And as great as fan involvement is, and as great as NASCAR’s fans are (none of us would have a job without them), there are some things they really don’t need to be involved with. The banquet, in my opinion, is one of those things.
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on Sep 14th, 2009 at 11:50 pm
Journo – I guess the question I have is will it be setup like other awards shows….the lower level is the industry folks and the upper level are the fans. If so, ok fine for the tv broadcast version of the banquet. But do NOT let the fans in for the party. The party is one of the very rare places that the drivers, owners, crew guys, etc get to relax. Not worry about the cameras or tape recorders rolling. No fans to upset. They can actually relac and have a good time. They cannot go to the bathroom at the racetrack without being asked for an autograph. At least let them celebrate the year, championship etc.
on Sep 15th, 2009 at 1:22 am
I have a picture in my mind of the drivers and everyone else in formal attire and fans attending the banquet in full out driver merchandise.
At least the banquet will bring some desperately needed tourist to Las Vegas for the weekend. That is one bright spot.
on Sep 15th, 2009 at 5:25 am
knobcreekfan makes a valid point, with all the social websites out there you know if a driver or crew chief or a crew member does something and there are fans there, it could very well end up on youtube, myspace, facebook, they don’t need that. This is their time to do what they please without fearing of that. Also, the boos. Yeah that could be a problem. Especially when it comes to certain drivers. And I’ve seen pictures of people that have posted where they watch drivers or crew members to the bathrooms and they’re photos are posted. I don’t know about this now that you’ve made all these valid points. I certainly want my driver to be booed when he’s up there accepting his award, or the trophy. If I was there I wouldn’t do that to those that I didn’t like, like I would at a race track. But come on, they are up there, speaking for a reason. THEY EARNED IT!! But most fans wouldn’t care less. And in all honesty, let’s see how many people actually give those tickets to the fans. Let them go to the ceremony, but the after party is a no-go. Though I don’t think fans should be able to go. This is top 10 driver’s and the champions team night to shine, they don’t need the boos. That would totally ruin the show/celebration. No matter who that champion is.
on Sep 15th, 2009 at 6:04 am
“And anyway if your a fan is this really something you want to go?”
No.
…and would you please stay away from my industry’s private awards banquets also, we dont want outsiders there either, it is a private affair.
on Sep 15th, 2009 at 6:55 am
It’s bad enough they moved the banquet from NYC (which is only a 30 minute drive from my house). I enjoyed going in to the city that day…but NASCAR is fast be coming a gaudy spectacle, so moving it to Las Vegas makes sense. You can not compare actor award shows with this. You are right, this is a competetive sport that fans feel strongly about. No one needs to get booed during their speech or other bad behavior. As much as I dislike the 48 team, I would hate to see Jimmie get hit in the head with a can of beer during his speech. I could care less about the drivers enjoying a private moment…lack of privacy is part of living a fantasy life which most of us just dream about..but don’t degrade the affair. Pretty soon, the only difference between NASCAR and the WWE is going to be the cars.
on Sep 15th, 2009 at 7:10 am
I’ve never been a fan of this event. I always felt it was more a party for the drivers, their families and their teams than a fan event. I don’t watch it and scratch my heads about people who get excited about this tedious affair. For me, the only point of interest was to see everyone all dressed up and functioning in a context completely alien to what they’re accustomed to. That goal has long been satisfied.
So, bottom line, I don’t care. If some fans are dying to attend this event, good for them. Having fans there will change the nature of the occasion, which was never before conceived as a fan event.
on Sep 15th, 2009 at 8:18 am
Wow.
It’s a formal event. Wouldn’t the fans be expected to dress in formal attire? And given the nature of the event, you really think fans would be so rude as to boo a driver or throw a beer at his head as they sit there in suits and elegant dresses?
I think I would know the difference between a race and a formal dinner. I don’t wear silk to the track and I wouldn’t wear a Bud T-shirt to a formal dinner.
I can see the point about the drivers and crew not feeling pressured to perform like it’s a sponsor event. That is a good point and I can respect that.
Just a bit surprised at the opinion that a fan would not know how to behave in a formal situation. Ouch.
on Sep 15th, 2009 at 8:32 am
I agree. This is like a company’s end of year dinner. The fans have 36 races to get “up close and personal” For goodness sake let the teams enjoy a dinner and drink without being on parade.
I can see there being a number of “off-site” party’s taking place that then reduces the attendance at this event. The TV is enough.
“What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas” should be the mantra for this event. Another example of ISC milking something for profit?
on Sep 15th, 2009 at 8:33 am
“performers don’t get hassled … when they win.”
Ask Taylor Swift about that….
on Sep 15th, 2009 at 9:12 am
I respectfully disagree. I’ve attended awards banquets that seat hundreds (and one that allows around 900 attendees, including one year having the event in Las Vegas) where fans are invited (and encouraged) to attend, and nothing untoward has materialized. As a person in the industry being feted, I’ve never seen fans dressed at these events in inappropriate attire, and never, never heard any boos. Are you implying that Nascar fans have no experience with formal affairs of this magnitude, thus no ability to behave and dress properly?
In my industry, an afternoon before the banquet is arranged for the “stars” to sign autographs for those who make a donation to the chosen charity. It never fails to please the fans, who line up for hours to participate. The “stars” like the controlled setting, and the fans are invariably polite.
As to drivers being allowed to “let down their hair,” so to speak, at the awards, have you actually listened to the top ten givng their sponsor-driven, boring speeches? I’ve never heard anything so politcally correct in my life. Nowhere in public is any driver going to tick off a sponsor by saying/acting stupidly, especially at the awards banquet. (Now Kyle Busch didn’t do well with the girlfriend he called by his brother’s wife’s name…but that’s another story.) If there’s any hair-letting-down to be done, it’ll be in private, I’m sure.
It’s about time Nascar recognized that fans drive this industry and allow them to celebrate the final event. For those who don’t get tickets, how about more events where fans get to celebrate the winners? Make it one giant party. In this economy, it’s rare to find something to celebrate, and this is a special moment for many fans.
on Sep 15th, 2009 at 9:33 am
i agree with you, journo, completely. in my mind, this is a recognition banquet for the top participants in the sport and as a fan, i don’t feel this is a place for my presence. teams should be permitted this ONE event without a fan presence (except tv, which does such a miserable job broadcasting it, but that’s an entirely different column!) in fact, i want to see the ENTIRE team be on the banquet floor, not up in the balcony: i still have that unpleasant image of smoke’s crew being “upstairs” when he was recognized as sprint cup champion the second time — not a good image for me.
regardless of how fans might behave or dress, this moment is NOT for us: it’s for the top 12 teams in our sport and i feel we should let them enjoy this time without having to share the ballroom with the fans.
on Sep 15th, 2009 at 9:50 am
Kim – “I think I would know the difference between a race and a formal dinner. I don’t wear silk to the track and I wouldn’t wear a Bud T-shirt to a formal dinner.”
While security at the Waldorf does a good job of keeping the fans out, there are still a few that get in and are walking around the main lobby in full-on driver apparel looking for autographs and pictures. You might know the difference and know how to handle yourself, but some people do not.
As somebody else mentioned, I can see very few of these actually going to fans. Every year there is the scramble to find more tickets to the banquet for this sponsor and that. So, I could see a bunch of these going to just more sponsors. But somebody is going to look at it as a way to make a buck and open it up to fans.
on Sep 15th, 2009 at 9:50 am
Kim & riterchick: We aren’t trying to come down on fans here, and for every bad fan there are probably 100 or 1,000 good ones, but this is a group that has been known to throw full beer cans onto the race track when somebody they don’t like wins a race. Do you really think booing during the banquet is unrealistic to expect? I certainly don’t. Fans boo at other award shows, and if you’ve ever watched an NFL Draft in Radio City Music Hall you have definitely seen booing…
on Sep 15th, 2009 at 11:16 am
I would’nt waste my time going to somebody else’s award ceremony, unless it was a relation or etc.
Never even watch the NASCAR banquet on TV. The races are the only exciting thing about NASCAR, not the usual bs that accompanies it.
on Sep 15th, 2009 at 11:42 am
Zieke – I agree completely – BORING! I do nto even go to the banquet. I go to the parties before & after. A bunch of us would go a get a nice dinner in the city, relax and wait by the clock in the Waldorf for it to be over. Then head upstairs for more parties.
on Sep 15th, 2009 at 12:28 pm
Who is the MC? I may, or may not, watch based soley on that alone.
on Sep 15th, 2009 at 2:54 pm
Who has a banquet anyway?? Sounds like something my Grandma would attend back in the day. I don’t see the NBA, MLB, NHL or NFL holding a banquet. Why can’t we just crown the winner at Homestead and then maybe have a ticker tape parade in Charlotte or something. Banquets are boring and the people who attend are boring – just ask anybody who has attended or watched on TV.
on Sep 15th, 2009 at 4:41 pm
I think very few “actual” fans will make it in to this event. I believe of the tickets, many will go to driver’s charities and those who run the team fan clubs.
I do think that for those lucky to get in they will be expected to act with class. I belive folks conform with the suroundings. If you are at a race you can yell cheer, when you are in a library you whisper. I also think opening up this event like other awards shows will be a good thing for the fan’s and the sport. I live in Miami and our Miami Dolphins put on an awards event with sit down dinner and such and the fans that attend spend good money to be there and behave. The dress code is spelled out and you are turned away at the door for anything less than buisness/ cocktail attire. This event is a sell out every year. They introduce the rookies, honor the veterans, and give out the MVP, community service awards, along with many others.
I guess only time will tell if this will work, but if I could go…
sign me up, I got my heels and dress ready to pack!!
on Sep 16th, 2009 at 1:51 am
Actually,I could not think of a more dull place to be than to a banquet,any banquet! Well…maybe a wedding!
I had a tough enough time sitting thru My Boy scout banquets. I could not imagine having to put on a tux and attending one of these functions!
on Sep 16th, 2009 at 5:23 pm
Journo – “People can buy tickets to award shows and performers don’t get hassled and they don’t get booed when they win.”
Um, two words:
Kanye West.
That said, who cares regardless, the NASCAR Banquet isn’t any different than all the others, a made for TV spectacle.
on Dec 1st, 2009 at 3:12 pm
Hello. I came across this blog by accident, but I felt the need to post, considering my family owns a condo at the TMS and are pretty close friends with several drivers and even sponsored a few drivers.
Here is how this works. You get the tickets at the auction. These fans pay up for these tickets. You will not see the traditional “redneck” at this event, unless they sold their double wide in order to go. The people attending this event have paid good money (hints: having money in the first place) therefore, these men and women attending have been to many of these events and know how to behave themselves.
The drivers and owners do not have a problem with this, or they wouldn’t hold auctions for fans to buy the tickets in the first place. I know a couple that are going and they go to these galas and banquets all of the time. There is nothing new here.
Just letting you people know. I wouldn’t really see why anyone would have a big deal over this, it was a charitable thing to begin with, a good dead.
on Dec 2nd, 2009 at 4:44 pm
Christina – I appreciate your comment and I’m well aware of how this thing is working. I’ll be honest I’m a little insulted you would insinuate that people with money have more class. That’s beside the point though. I understand the money that’s being raised with these tickets is going to good causes, but this is not an event for the fans. It’s a times for teams and sponsors to celebrate the season they had. We are on a slippery slope that ends with anyone being able to buy tickets to this event and that in my opinion is wrong.