Fans watch IndyCar's marquee event at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, Calif. (VT Photo)
REPORTING FROM FONTANA, CALIF. — Temperatures reached triple digits for MAVTV 500 IndyCar World Championship at Auto Club Speedway here Aug.30. It was the third year that the track hosted IndyCar’s marquee event, and the third month, as well. The championships ran in October in 2012, moving to September in 2013, finally settling on Labor Day weekend this year.
Though attendance was up year over year in 2013, the date changes and temperatures reaching into triple digits caused the crowd to diminish to a reported 20,000 this year.
“Year over year we were down a bit, attendance went up in 2013,” said Auto Club Speedway’s Dir. of Communications David Talley. “I think the last two years we’ve proven that the market here is interested in IndyCar.”
To combat the dip in attendance, Auto Club Speedway has requested that next year’s IndyCar date move off of Labor Day weekend, likely meaning the race hosted in Fontana would not be the finale.
“Labor Day weekend just doesn’t work for us and we’ve made that known to them,” said Talley.
Kids Club mascot Lefty (bottom left) supervises as driver Scott Dixon signs Auto Club Speedway caps for Kids Club members. (VT Photo)
Auto Club Speedways’ contract with IndyCar goes year by year, like the facility’s contract with Nascar and other motorsports entities. The 70,000-seat venue closes certain sections of the grandstands during the IndyCar events, trying to seat the crowd near the start-finish line. Also, only about one-third of the venue’s concessions stands were open, with 75 points of sale.
Tickets for the third annual event ranged from $30-$60, with kids 12 and under receiving free general admission if they become part of Lefty’s Kids Club with a free membership. Premium seats like the Budweiser Block Party package included a premium grandstand seat, pit and paddock pass and access to a Budweiser-sponsored area for $129, while the highest-priced ticket clocked in at $400 for Fuzzy’s Pit Box Lounge, including all-inclusive food and beverage, pit and paddock access, victory lane access and VIP infield parking.
Talley said that the track has asked for a June date when weather will be cooler, hopefully leading to a bump in attendance.
“This is open wheel country here in southern California. This track was built for open wheel racing by Roger Penske — it’s a perfect fit,” added Talley.
Fans who arrived early had several options to keep them busy before the race, including checking out classic racing cars. (VT Photo)
Another way the track staff worked to combat the heat was by opening doors at 4 p.m., after the worst of the heat had passed. There was also medical staff on site throughout the property, including an infield care center and an outside medical center in the fan zone, which also included water fountains, shade structures and misters.
Talley said that there were no incidents of overheating.
The MAV500 IndyCar Championship is much more than a race. As Talley put it, “it’s a lot of events wrapped around the major event.”
Leading up to race time, Lefty’s Fun Zone, the kids' section of the fan zone, had several events for children, hosted by mascot Lefty. Youth initiatives included bubble rollers, face painters and remote control cars. Driver Scott Dixon even hosted Kids Club Driver Storytime where he read a storybook to young fans at 5 p.m.
Food and beverage provider Americrown worked directly with drivers to create concessions items inspired by their favorite dishes, offered at Drivers Cuisine Cantina. (VT Photo)
The O’Reilly Fan Zone opened to ticket holders at 4 p.m., four hours after the parking lots opened. Live Music with bands like Cheaper Trick and American Hitmen played the main stage, while exhibitions including Freestyle MotoX and Lucha Libre occurred in the fan zone before the race officially began at 7:20 p.m.
Lucha Libre has been a component of the IndyCar prerace for the last two years, as well.
“About 36 percent of our ticketholders are Hispanic, so we make a direct marketing effort to do outreach for them,” said Talley, who added that the Lefty’s Fun Zone initiative appeals to the nearly 50-percent family crowd, with about 100,000 children in the Lefty’s Kids Club.
Another promotion the speedway does each event is in partnership with Americrown, the food and beverage provider also owned by parent company International Speedway Corporation.
Each event, Vice President of Americrown Rishi Nigam and his team work with drivers to create their favorite meals as options for fans to purchase. Previous items include Franchitti Ziti, a pasta dish inspired by Dario Franchitti, and Scott Dixon’s favorite Tater Tots, Scott’s Tots. The only other track where Americrown adds this personalized touch is Phoenix International Raceway.
“It’s just something fun that we do for the fans, and the drivers really get into it and want to participate,” said Nigam.
This year, driver-inspired items included Ed Carpenter’s Super Nachos for $9, $8 options such as Dario Franchitti’s Bacon Blue Burger, Charlie Kimball’s Chicken Sandwich, and Takuma Sato’s Pork Chop Sandwich, and Scott Dixon’s Tumbleweed Dog for $6.
Americrown also offers a spicy burger specific to Fontana, where fans seem to gravitate toward spicy meals. The $8 Hot Lap Burger is made with ground beef, but also includes chorizo, bacon and jalapeno ground into the patty itself. With the heat this year, the Hot Lap Burger wasn’t necessarily the hottest (selling) item on the menu.
“The most popular item was bottled water — shocker,” said Nigam, who added that Americrown sold more than 1,000 hot dogs, burgers and French fries during the race.
Between the IndyCar race, Nascar event, motorcycle groups, movie shoots, car clubs and companies that come in to test gear such as tires, the track is in use more than 330 days each year.
Interviewed for this story: Rishi Nigam, (386) 947-3800; David Talley, (909) 429-5000
Fans and drivers prepare for the race as the sun sets at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana. (VT Photo)