A Wet, Dreary Day at the Races
There is something particularly forlorn about a wet race track. It is astonishingly dead.
Those huge grandstands empty. Cars parked in the garages or covered with plastic.
People sitting around twiddling their thumbs on the off chance that somehow the track can be dried out and cars can start circling it. Well-bundled people, hoping to fend off the wet and cold.
Fontana's track (now known as Auto Club Speedway) didn't need this.
The track already is something of a joke on the NASCAR circuit. Everyone has noticed they haven't sold out the 92,000-capacity grandstand for eight consecutive races and suggest at least one of its two Sprint Cup dates ought to be taken from it.
There is some animus toward the track, too. Hardcore fans hold it responsible for taking Darlington's Labor Day date, killing the hugely popular Southern 500 ... and for stripping a race from Rockingham, which is now closed.
One of the biggest laughs in the media room today went up with word came through that track officials estimated today's attendance at 37,000.
"Maybe 37,000 drove by on the freeway," someone said.
The weather sites I'm looking at has the rain going right through tomorrow night, which means the Auto Club 500 won't happen until Monday morning, at earliest. Probably at about 11. Unless this rain front blows through much faster than expected.
And that will make for thousands of unhappy consumers who had tickets to Sunday's event and can't go to a race on Monday ... and another publicity black eye for the track and one of its two NASCAR races.
Anyway, this place is depressing. Hard to imagine anyone staying here who isn't getting paid to do so.