CHICAGOLAND Speedway Sucks
Bubba
The folks running the Chicagoland Speedway screwed the daylights out
of the folks around Chicago.
1. Making everyone pay $175 to $400 to buy tickets to 4 races. If
you can only attend one race, then it cost a fortuen to take your date
or kid.
2. NO COOLERS Allowed. One would only guess that was so drunks
wouldn't be throwing beer cans around. Well they would come up the
stands and sell you a beer for $6 and toss you the can. They were
charging $3.50 for pop and water.
3. While the track is surrounded by I80, I55, and I57 they still
couldn't get traffic in and out very well. If this were a Bears game
they would have gotten screamed at in the Tribune and Suntimes for
weeks.
4. Long lines at the bathroom. Although the longest lines were for
the ATM. That really tells you how you were screwed.
5. Charged $10 to park, unless you parked 2 miles from the track.
I have never spent so much money just to see one race. I don't earn
alot, but it cost me around $500 just for this one race. It's awful
to have grown up down south and now live in Chicago and see how the
folks here got screwed compared to Atlanta, Charlotte, or Richmond.
If you agree, go to www.chicagolandspeedway.com and let them know what
you thought. It is only through our comments that any changes will be
made.
Regards, Bubba
racefan
race for next year. I think I'll stick to Michigan. Free parking & coolers
allowed. It's the little things that add up pretty quick at an event like
that.
"Bubba" <kudz...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:jql9lt43ef6c1s2ft...@4ax.com...
Jeep2150
This part I agree with.
>3. While the track is surrounded by I80, I55, and I57 they still
>couldn't get traffic in and out very well.
I "camped out" in the lot for an hour and a half after the race, and had very
little problem getting out. Slow but not bad.
>4. Long lines at the bathroom.
I never saw any lines there.
>5. Charged $10 to park, unless you parked 2 miles from the track.
Parking on the racetrack property was free. If you paid, you parked on the
local farmers property. They mentioned this on their website, I think.
Redge Scalneretti
WOOHOO
You are just dumb or something.
"Jeep2150" <jeep...@aol.com> wrote in message
news:20010717234013...@ng-ca1.aol.com...
-v-
> 5. Charged $10 to park, unless you parked 2 miles from the track.
That is cheap. I usually pay $30 to $50 to park at Daytona.
--
-v-
Go #8 #20 #29
Beaner
"-v-" <vxmNOvxSPA-2M*@altara.cominvalid> wrote in message
news:kr857.12399$uo3.1...@typhoon.tampabay.rr.com...
Dwayne White
every year and the longest that it ever took me to get to I-4 was 45 minutes.
So, to me, $30 is a bargain.
Mike Marlow
"Dwayne White" <d.w...@fuse.net> wrote in message
news:3B556F4A...@fuse.net...
> I agree. I pay $30 to park at the Hooters right across the street from
Daytona
> every year and the longest that it ever took me to get to I-4 was 45
minutes.
> So, to me, $30 is a bargain.
>
I'll bet the parking lot attendants aren't bad for the eyes either...
-Mike-
mike....@usa.net
r a p p y
> every year and the longest that it ever took me to get to I-4 was 45 minutes.
> So, to me, $30 is a bargain.
Sounds like the world center of racig sucks to me.
Robert Soliday
>
> 1. Making everyone pay $175 to $400 to buy tickets to 4 races.
You are correct.
> 2. NO COOLERS Allowed. One would only guess that was so drunks
> wouldn't be throwing beer cans around. Well they would come up the
> stands and sell you a beer for $6 and toss you the can. They were
> charging $3.50 for pop and water.
Beer was $5.25 and water was $3. But this is still too much.
> 3. While the track is surrounded by I80, I55, and I57 they still
> couldn't get traffic in and out very well.
I went to both races and had no problem getting in and out.
> 4. Long lines at the bathroom. Although the longest lines were for
> the ATM. That really tells you how you were screwed.
This is correct.
> 5. Charged $10 to park, unless you parked 2 miles from the track.
Parking was free.
Phantom Lord
That's actually not bad for events these days. OZZFEST 2001 was even worse than
that. Beer was $7.00 and water or Pepsi cost $4.50!
If you are going to a race like that - never expect water to be 2.50 or
something. You should come to expect stuff like this now. Just buy one water
and when finished just keep filling it by the water fountain... if money is
that much of an issue..
Crusader
Read what a Catchfence Writer sez:
Bubba <kudz...@hotmail.com> wrote in message news:jql9lt43ef6c1s2ft...@4ax.com...
Was Chicago a Success? By Kyle Anderson
CATCHFENCE is Featured
by Kyle Anderson- Staff Writer
07/17/2001
I attended every event NASCAR debuted in the new Chicagoland
Speedway this past week. I talked to more fans disgusted with ticket
prices, than fans that were actually enjoying themselves. We'll
start our journey in the parking lot (or should I Say corn field
parking). Enduring bumps you have to ride over,that will easily
damage any vehicle, we are finally flagged into a parking space. It
was perfectly clear that the parking structure was not prepared for
an event of this scale.
We walk toward the gate, being stopped to test some *NEW* Tropicana
products, and then off to start our money fest day. We get our
tickets, paying a pretty penny just for the weekend, yet we paid one
day at a time. No way am I paying $175 on Sunday when the BGN and
Qualifying were already ran!
Finally, we enter this new structure. Quite impressive I'd say, for
taking over a lonely field of grass with flying beetles, which any
fan that was in attendance can probably attest to. Our first journey
was to the soda and food vendors. Hmmmm. Gourmet Hamburger $6.00,
Pepsi $3.00, Bottled Water #3.25. What a surprise! Like I didn't
know that was coming! And remember, not one cooler is allowed in the grandstands.
Meanwhile, (back at the ranch) there were many people ripping the
Tropicana 400 banners off the garbage cans in all the parking lots.
We walked 14 flights of stairs to get to our seats, because you had
to show proof you were handicapped to use the elevator. Here, I
witnessed several people exhausted from having to walk up so many stairs.
As we watched qualifying, I had an end seat. And, I can't tell you
how many people I saw slip and fall on the small, thin stairs. Many
people with bruised knees walked out of there that day, and all weekend.
I also felt very sad for the fan haulers with their own souvenir
tents. They were forced by the track to park their tents about 1
mile down the road, in the middle of no man's land. One visitor said
they needed to have a Tropicana Banner attached to their tent, in
order to keep their spot during the race weekend. Unbelievable!
Race day came for NASCAR Winston Cup Series, and I refuse to pay the
ticket prices for what they are worth today. The general admission
seats in the lowest price range were more bench-like, and did not
give the fans much space to move. About 2,000 upset fans stood and
watched the race from turn one grounds, a view that paralleled what
you got with the weekend pass valued at $175 and higher! But yet,
this view was FREE.
Every fan I talked to out there was disgusted with the toll of
rising ticket prices. It seems as though one would need to become a
millionaire and beyond to have to pay for a ticket. As in my last
article, is it NASCAR or NA$CAR folks?
Across the way, in Turn 4 sat RV parking only. RV parking, ladies
and gentlemen, was only $1500 plus $200 a head. Only that much? Only
enough to say RIP OFF? I couldn't believe the prices these NASCAR
fans had to pay for this weekend.
Jimmy Spencer commented on the track, "You have to be careful how
you race in the grooves at this new track, if you get out of the
groove, the track will come back and kick you in the butt." Well,
the same goes for race fans. This track is going to come back with
the same vision, and keep their current pricing packages, which they
feel are "very reasonable."
So I go back to my Title Question: Was Chicago a Success? If you are
reading this article, and didn't attend the race, you might be
surprised at what occurred behind the NBC "Happy people" coverage.
Behind that coverage is angered fans that want ticket prices to be
dropped, and most fans want coolers to be allowed inside the track.
I can not tell you how many signs were posted. It was sure funny to
drive into the track with all Tropicana banners all over, and
leaving the track with about 400 bare black garbage cans. Fans want
what ever they can get their hands on for FREE, and I don't blame
them after what they had to pay to watch a 3-hour race.
If I had to rate this weekend, I wouldn't give it a success rate,
nor would I give it thumbs down. In fact, I'll break Mr. Ebert's
heart and give it 2 thumbs down. But, then again, that is only my rating.
You can reach Kyle Anderson at: DodgeS...@aol.com
Sonny Rebozo
>5. Charged $10 to park, unless you parked 2 miles from the track.
Not true! We went to both races and parked VERY close to the track
for free! AND the attendants accommodated tailgaters by asking you if
you were tailgating -- they would then give you EXTRA ROOM to put up
your portable shade, etc...
As for no coolers being allowed and the $5.00 beer --
We loaded up on fluids while tailgating and visiting the expo area and
once we got inside we bought two each of our favorite beverage ($5.00
each for a 16 ounce beer and $3.50 each for a 20 ounce Pepsi - ech!)
and took them to our seats and enjoied the races.
We left with 50 laps to go for the BGN race so traffic wasn't an issue
there. For the Cup race we stayed all the way to the interviews after
the race. Traffic on Sunday was not that bad at all from Lot B. We
did have to sit motionless for 35 minutes but after that traffic FLEW!
We go to both Michigan races each year and traffic has NEVER been this
FAST leaving the track.
So all-in-all, I will be going back to Chicagoland. Mostly because I
live an hour and a half from there and there is not a bad seat in the
house!
SR
Bubba
On 18 Jul 2001 15:46:36 GMT, phantom...@cs.com (Phantom Lord)
wrote:
David L. Cook
to any of the races. Now Homestead is calling everyone on their mailing
list up until race time for Winston Cup to try to fill all the seats. Don't
play their games. They will suffer and eventually come around like
Homestead.
"Bubba" <kudz...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:jql9lt43ef6c1s2ft...@4ax.com...
Bubba
driving distance of the track in Joliet, IL. They did not sell out
the place until late on Friday before the race despite both Chicago
papers carrying lots of NASCAR info and stories the previous week.
This was for only 75000 seats.
There are plenty of race fans in this area to fill a much bigger
venue, but not if folks have to buy tickets for 4 races at one time.
bubba
On Thu, 19 Jul 2001 07:36:16 -0400, "David L. Cook" <dlc...@pobox.com>
wrote:
Phantom Lord
:) HELL no! $35.25. heh
tjmc
wrote:
>>5. Charged $10 to park, unless you parked 2 miles from the track.
>
>Not true!
Practically nothing in that article quoted by Crusader had anything to
do with reality.
1...@1.com
add a link to, also gave very specific driving directions. You didn't
follow them, and ended up paying $10.00 somewhere. I was there Fri, Sat and
Sun and didn't pay anything. You must have parked "outside".
No coolers did suck.
Traffic getting out was real bad, but not as bad as Michigan or Pocono.
Bathrooms weren't too bad, but I was high in turn 4. Plus my well-trained
bloated blatter seems to be "trained" to hold more.....but then again, I'll
probably pay for it later in life..
Spending that much money on "1" race is only because that's the way racing
is these days. I'd would have gone to 3 of the 4 races, Busch, Cup, and
IRL, but I'll just go to the ARCA race anyway. Heck, the ARCA boys are as
fast as the Cup guys...OK, ALMOST as fast, but a it's still a good race.....
I'll be back....the sight lines are fantastic. Hope a 2nd groove matures
(2-or-3-years from what some of the drivers were saying), and hopefully,
traffic flow OUT improves....
"Bubba" <kudz...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
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