Only 38,000 at Bristol Sunday (Update)

Houston, we have a problem

UPDATE For whatever reason, only an estimated 38,000 fans showed up. The sky was overcast and the weather forecast did include rain, but the temperature was in the seventies. The forecast of some rain may have kept the walkup crowd down by perhaps 10,000.

Due to a decision by track officials months ago, no spectators were allowed in the turns either Sunday or Saturday. That sight of those empty sections compounded the rather shocking optics and the grandstands on the straights were not that full either.

Attendance is not just a BMS problem. Last week’s Cup race at Texas Motor Speedway also featured a crowd in the 40,000 range. Empty seats and lackluster television ratings have become the new normal in the sport over the past couple years.

Except for F1, NASCAR and most forms of motorsports remain on a gradual decline into niche status.

The millennials are more interested in snazzy phones, Instagram, Cyber-Bullying and craft brews than three-hour sporting events. They want have no desire to sit in the hot sun on aluminum bleachers for four hours.

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FORBES' Dave Caldwell writes when it "gets to the point where enough people don’t want to go to a race at Bristol that they have to shut half the seats, it is a sign that the decline in interest is virtually irreversible" FORBES.com,

Oh My. It's time for each NASCAR track to only host one NASCAR weekend a year

04/08/19 Bristol Motor Speedway can fit up to 146,000 people, according to Fox Sports. But, there was a large number of empty seats and the NASCAR Monster Cup Food City 400 race attracted only about 38,000, according to the Herald Courier.

The end zones were entirely empty at the Food City 500 because the track was “optimizing the stadium configuration for the spring race," it said in a statement.

“Our spring race seating arrangement is designed to allow us to use our resources to create a more energetic atmosphere," the statement read in part, via FOX Sports. “We believe that this change at the NASCAR spring race will enhance the overall experience of all who attend."

Editor's Note: Like other tracks, maybe it is time for Bristol to start removing seats to save face.