Motorsports look to interactivity to keep fans coming back

Friday, September 27th 2002, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) _ Stann Tate walked through the empty infield at Kansas Speedway, pointing to all the amenities that have been added since the track's inaugural season last year.

Behind the media center, fans will be able to listen to drivers' outdoor news conferences before Sunday's NASCAR Winston Cup race, the Protection One 400.

``We'll even let them ask a few questions,'' Tate said. ``It'll help them get a feel for what a news conference is like.''

A few yards away, a moderator will explain NASCAR's inspection process to fans _ during the actual inspections. And just a few yards beyond that, fans can test their skills at changing a tire, using the same tools as pit crews use.

Behind the grandstands, there's a new paved area for merchandise haulers and a fan hospitality tent where _ for a price _ the average ticketholder can enjoy the same food and drink as corporate groups.

``This all comes from fan input,'' Tate said. ``We read every suggestion that people send to our Web site.''

That fan-driven strategy has worked not only for Kansas Speedway, but for all of auto racing.

For the past two years, Street & Smith's SportsBusiness Journal _ which named Kansas Speedway its Track of the Year in 2001 _ has ranked NASCAR as the most fan-friendly major sport.

``It's definitely the most fan-friendly,'' said Brian Crow, an assistant professor of sports management at Slippery Rock University and the editor of Sports Management Quarterly. ``It's an environment you don't get in the NBA or the NFL, for example.''

That's because NASCAR provides greater access to its stars _ and to the ins and outs of the competition itself. For example, fans can rent scanners and listen in on radio conversations between drivers and their crew chiefs.

``That would be like sitting on an NBA bench, listening to a coach and his team draw up last-second strategy,'' Tate said. ``You're just not going to get that kind of access.''

Promotions at team sporting events usually fall into the giveaway category _ with the first 10,000 people through the turnstiles at a baseball game being given souvenirs, for example, or some lucky fan being pulled from the stands at a basketball game to shoot baskets for money or other prizes.

Fan Walks, though, require separate tickets _ at an additional cost. Single-day Fan Walk tickets went for $15 this year at Kansas Speedway, and all of them sold out.

Race fans are more amenable to the extra charges, Crow said, because they have so few chances to see drivers in person.

``It's definitely an event when NASCAR comes to town, because they only come in once a year _ twice, at most,'' he said. ``With baseball, you've got 81 home games.''

NASCAR also takes a different approach to its fans than major-league team sports do, Crow said.

``NASCAR is built on the model of lifetime value,'' he said. ``It's much easier and cheaper to maintain a fan than to lose a fan and make a new one. A bobblehead doll might bring in an extra 5,000 fans for one game, but there's no guarantee they'll be back.''

Because NASCAR can deliver fans to the track year after year, Crow said, that makes the sport especially attractive to the corporate sponsors who underwrite racing teams.

``There's tremendous brand loyalty among race fans,'' Crow said. ``If there's a driver who's sponsored by Tide, the people who like that driver will only wash their clothes in Tide.''

Listening to fans can also help a track's local bottom line.

``One of the things we kept hearing was, 'We want to buy souvenirs. Why don't you have a souvenir shop?''' Tate said. ``So now we have a souvenir shop that's open year-round.

``That way people can come out and do their Christmas shopping, or buy Kansas Speedway souvenirs, and they don't have to come out during a race weekend.''