Economy Causes Tough Decisions For Camping Race Fans

By Gary Gray
Reporter / Bristol Herald Courier
Published: August 17, 2008

BRISTOL, Tenn. – Recreational vehicles have long represented a type of emancipation for NASCAR fans.

The giant cruisers are expensive, but cheaper than a home. They help travelers save money on motel rooms, and they’re built for comfort, not speed.

Careful, though. We’re talking about discretionary spending here. And with the economy slumping, race fans into the vacation-on-wheels deal are now thinking about cutting back on their pilgrimages.

Bristol Motor Speedway, however, appears to be the last speed cathedral on the cut list. The sanctioning body and fans nationwide may be thinking the same thing. Take a gander at http://www.nascarcamping.com and see if you recognize the backdrop.

It’s Bristol, baby!

The speedway is doing what it can to keep its already grand profile – and bottom line – on an even keel by holding the line on race tickets and BMS-owned campground prices – at least so far.

Some fans cutting back

James and Barbara Veal have “been there and done that” when it comes to making long hauls to be as near as possible to their first love – NASCAR racing.

The Kyle Busch fans traveled 315 miles one way from their Milledgeville, Ga., home to Bristol for this year’s races. And they’ve done it twice a year for 35 straight years now.

But as the economy worsens and retirement savings take on added importance, the two are thinking about hanging up all of it. 

“Last year we went to seven NASCAR races, but next year we’re going to drop Daytona,” James Veal said as he relaxed inside the couples’ RV in the Blue Ox Campground staging area.

“We figure it would cost us $2,000 just to get there, for tickets and a parking space. That doesn’t even include food.”

The two have plenty of tales to tell.

James, 77, and Barbara, 75, sat with legendary NASCAR driver and then car owner Junior Johnson as he waited to sign a contract with Bill Elliott in 1992.

Not far enough back in racing history?

They also attended the first race ever at what was then the new Daytona International Speedway – in 1959. 

“We also went to their 50th anniversary race, but we had to pay $800 for a space, and we got that on eBay,” Barbara Veal said. “We used to go to so many races. Used to be, you could show up on a Friday before the race and there was no problem getting tickets and a parking space.”

Barbara Veal says she wouldn’t trade the memories for anything.

“When they fire those engines – I don’t know what it is,” she said. “Something just comes over me.”

They’ve made friends from virtually every state and from Canada. They’ve witnessed racing history, including the rise in costs to travel to and attend the events.

“Every year the tracks are raising rates for camping spots five to 10 dollars a year,” James Veal said as he slowly eased down in his seat. “We’re retired, and it kind of hurts. We came this close to not coming up here this year,” he added while holding his thumb and forefinger about an inch apart.

Bill Havens and Jim Teske may be from different states, but they’ve been meeting up at various NASCAR races, including Bristol, for years.

They share not only memories of big-time NASCAR duels gone by, but also the times they faced off against each other in modifieds racers throughout the Midwest in the 1970s.

Havens, 72, is from Millersburg, Ind. He travels to about 70 races each year – most of them at Eldora, a famous high-banked Ohio dirt track where sprint cars and late models toss clay at high speeds.
He also has been a stalwart at Bristol races, but he’s beginning to toss around the idea of cutting NASCAR from his schedule.

“The cost of these races is starting to hurt us,” he said while relaxing in a folding chair outside his RV in the Earhart Campground staging area last week. “We used to go to a lot more NASCAR events, but I decided this year that Bristol is the only one me and my wife would go to. We spend a lot of money while we’re here, but most of that is spent around the region going out for dinner or shopping.”

Teske, 65, who hails from Edwardsburg, Mich., said he’s noticed that more and more people drop their trailers off near BMS and return to their homes.

“They used to come and stay the whole time, but it’s getting expensive,” he said while relaxing next to his friend. “Frankly, both of us are really losing interest in NASCAR. I think they want the drivers and mechanics to be little puppets. It used to be drivers weren’t these tiny little guys. And anymore, NASCAR rules don’t allow a mechanic or an engineer to be creative.

“So our losing interest is partly about rising gas and campground costs, but it’s also that the sport has changed. You’re basically watching cars that are the same except for whatever the sponsors decide to paint on them. It’s about advertising dollars.”
BMS relies on campers

One of the best-known, private campground operators in the area is Charles Earhart, who runs Earhart Campground’s three sites that cover more than 100 acres.

Perhaps the best selling point for Earhart is that his RV hook-ups and camp sites are just a short walk from the famous speedway.

Earhart charges $200 a week for recreational vehicles and trailers and $150 a week for campers using tents.

“The last time we raised our rates was a few years ago when the city imposed a 5 percent tax on camping,” he said. “It’s like a hotel-motel tax.”

Earhart sounded optimistic about filling his campgrounds in the future, but he did point out some negative economic trends he’s noticed in the past two years. 

“I’ve started noticing that a lot of people are coming in, dropping off their RVs and campers, and going back home for a few days so they don’t miss as much work,” he said. “I’m also noticing that families are pooling their money and traveling together and staying together in motorhomes to save money. Most of those things only get from 7 to 9 miles per gallon, so I can’t blame them.”

Earhart also said competition has “caused our numbers to drop off a little bit.” To keep up, he has used his land for other events, such as monster truck and fireworks shows, to supplement campground revenues. And he plans to do more in the future.

“As the economy goes, I can see the corporate dollar tightening up,” he said. “I lease spots to vendors, and some are beginning to only go to the biggest NASCAR races.”

Earhart also leases spots to companies such as Pennzoil, Home Depot, Shell, AT&T and Toyota.

“Most of these vendors come here and just give stuff away – it’s about public exposure,” he said. “I can sense that they’re not coming in the numbers they used to.”

Meanwhile, new campgrounds continue to pop up each year, and that detracts from business, Earhart said.

City officials say the total number of campgrounds and lots – some no more than a square plot on a private front or back yard – currently stands at 199. 

“Some people are deciding to save money and go to a site that either has no hook-ups or is much further away from the track,” Earhart added. 

BMS owns three campgrounds near the track: Blue Ox, Medallion and The Landing. The facilities costs about that same or less than most other NASCAR tracks.

In June, BMS officials announced at a news conference that they would not be raising ticket or camping costs despite the shaky economy.

But it was at that news conference that Jeff Byrd, BMS president and general manager, hinted at possible chinks in the armor of one of the circuit’s most resilient vanguards.

Byrd dubbed the current situation “uncertain” and confirmed the gas crunch was affecting “our industry.”

Kevin Triplett, BMS vice president of public affairs, also noted that the speedway was not immune to the economic fallout. 

“Knowing the economic environment is on a downturn, we spent quite a lot of time trying to figure out how to help,” Triplett said. “Obviously, these folks [RVers/campers] are a vital part off our business. There are only 6,000 hotel rooms in the area, and more than half of BMS ticket-holders use surrounding campgrounds.”

BMS officials acknowledge the current economic situation is not good, but they also understand that the economy traditionally runs in cycles.

“We don’t plan to raise our rates for next year,” Triplett said. “And that 5 percent tax the city imposed a few years ago – we ate that so we didn’t have to pass the cost along to our customers.” 
Triplett said the speedway is like any other business, family or individual when it comes to dealing with high fuel costs.

“Costs to run these events continue to go up,” he said. “Are we going to make as much [money] this season? No. But we’re looking at the big picture, and that includes an economic rebound and a continued allegiance to the people that travel here.” 

RV rentals on the rise

Despite high fuel prices and race fans’ complaints of increased lot costs to park their vehicles, summer RV rentals and campground reservations are on the rise, said Kevin Broom, Reston, Va.-based Recreation Vehicle Industry Association spokesman.

Broom’s observations fly in the face of not only race fans’ opinions, but the general public, which is suffering economically from high fuel and other costs.

But most fans who’ve been forced to cut back their trips to NASCAR tracks do not rent; they own. So, perhaps renting is one solution that would allow fans to at least attend a few races in style.

“With renting, one of the benefits is that you can try it first and see if you like it,” Broom said. “Also, it’s tougher to buy right now. From 2000 to 2006, both sales and rentals were going up, but sales starting dropping off last year. So far this year, sales are down 18 percent, but rentals have risen by 17 percent.”

Despite low mileage and high gas rates, a study by PKF Consulting, posted on RVIA’s Web site, notes that “typical RV family vacations are on average 26 to 74 percent less expensive than other types of vacations studied.”

Families can expect to pay about $1,500 a week to rent an RV, according to the study.

In addition, based on a 700 mile trip – the average for an RV rental – at about 10 miles per gallon, fuel will cost about $315 based on a cost of $4.50 a gallon. Finally, on average, a campground reservation for six nights will cost about $195, according to the study.

“RVers are still out there, they’re just staying closer to home, especially those who own,” Broom added. 

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YOU SHOULD KNOW

RV update

* RV sales are down 18 percent in 2008.
* RV rentals are up by 17 percent in 2008.
* RVs vary in cost, from $4,000 to $13,000 for a new fifth-wheel type camper, to $58,000 to $400,000 for a new motor home.
* More expensive motor homes make up about one-third of the total number RVs on the road.
* Three-quarters of the nation’s market are towable trailers.
* The largest RVs on the market get 6 to 12 miles per gallon.
Source: Recreation Vehicle Industry Association

NASCAR track-owned camping sample

* Bristol Motor Speedway: Blue Ox Campground at Bristol Dragway charges $170 per event week for 16-by-40-foot spots with no hook-ups. They also offer slightly larger spaces with hook-ups for $860 a season.
* Atlanta Motor Speedway: RV sites outside the speedway go for $150, for three days. Deluxe accommodations for RVs are $8,000 a year.
* Kansas Speedway: $210 camping (tents) for season; $950 for RV infield parking with hook-ups for season.
* Phoenix International Speedway: $150 for tow vehicles for Wednesday-Saturday events; $3,000 for RVs with exclusive view of track and all hook-ups for the four days.
* Michigan International Speedway: $130 for basic weekend camping; $200 for 15-by-40-foot RV in infield.

Source: http://www.nascarcamping.com