Can Formula 1 and NASCAR Coexist in the United States?

By
at Internationaled.org

Published: March 1, 2014

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The 2014 Formula One U.S. Grand Prix is scheduled for November 2, 2014 in Austin, Texas. Some 350 kilometres to the north, in Fort Worth, the Texas 500 NASCAR race will take place on the same day.

Despite the apparent shock and indignation of Texas Motor Speedway president Eddie Gossage, this conflict is not the first time two large sporting events have taken place on the same day, even—GASP—in the same state.

Last Tuesday at a fan meet-and-greet with NASCAR star Dale Earnhardt Jr., Gossage said, per the Associated Press: 

I absolutely think it's foolish. It's a shot fired by Formula One at NASCAR. ... It's just not smart. There's 52 weeks in the year. But that was the only weekend that Formula One could make it work in Austin, Texas. Give me a break.

Gossage, however, is creating a problem out of nothing. Or maybe he just subscribes to the "no publicity is bad publicity" school of public relations as he tries to rejuvenate NASCAR's sagging attendance figures. According to USA Today, NASCAR stopped publishing race attendance figures for the 2013 season after 2012 saw the lowest average attendance in at least 10 years.



Surely, though, in a state with over 26 million people—larger than Australia's population—two sporting events which may draw 300,000 fans between them can coexist.

Bobby Epstein, chairman of the Circuit of the Americas (COTA) which hosts the F1 race, certainly thinks so.

When I asked for a comment on Gossage's remarks, COTA replied with an emailed statement from Epstein, saying, "I'm not sure why Eddie is so upset. He is in a huge metropolitan area, has a fine product, and our events are incredibly different. Although there is very, very little overlap, I do feel for the fans who have to make a choice. The reality is there are more than 30 NASCAR races in the US and only one Formula One race. It's impossible not...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Formula 1

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