[DG]

I don't know if trying to get average fans to come out to a divisional race is going to work. I think focusing on making the event more attractive to the racers families and friends would be more effective. They are the low hanging fruit. We all have family and friends that want to support us, but don't come out very often because they spend a lot on money for a ticket/pass watch us go down the track for a 10 seconds a couple of times and then sit around bored for hours on end. If the track is a few hours drive away, hotel and other costs come into play. Heck, I kind of discourage people from coming out because I know they will just get bored and never come back. People want affordable and enjoyable experiences that they will look forward to coming back to the following year. Some ways to attract these people are:

>people like camping, provide space for them to bring their RV on site for a nominal fee, this will allow a group of buddies or a family an affordable option to stay over night, eat and drink
>allow friends and family to come and go all weekend so they can enjoy other nearby activities in the area like golfing, gambling, amusement parks etc in the hours between us going down the track. Let the event become a race-vacation.
>Include a free event tee shirt for the kids under 12 to show all their friends back at school
>kids under 18 get in free, heck they might bring their friends along
>host a racer BBQ with local cover band Saturday evening for us to all gather at
> provide a bounce house for kids which allows young moms a little break
>provide a shade/tent area to get out of the elements, just like NHRA provides for its VIP's at National events
< host a local car show