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Kansas Speedway is Still Plenty Big
Published: 9/30/2006 8:23 AM
Last Modified: 9/30/2006 8:23 AM

Kansas Speedway is one of only five NASCAR tracks I've visited and easily the smallest of the group.
That's not to say Kansas is small by any standards.
Yet, put up against Texas, Daytona, Talladega and Charlotte, this track, located 18 miles west of downtown Kansas City, is not one of the big ones.
In NASCAR terms, that means less than 200,000 people will be at Sunday's race.
It is estimated about 120,000 will watch Sunday's Banquet 400 at the track. The seats and all luxury suites are sold out.
Imagine a packed house at Owen Field in Norman. Now, add about 40,000 people. That's what you'll have here on Sunday.
So, calling this is a small track is relative. NASCAR, the biggest spectator sport in the U.S., averages almost 190,000 per race, a spectacular number by all standards.
The television ratings, although flat in recent years, still trails only the NFL.
NASCAR is a huge business. It takes over any market when it comes to town.
Kansas City officials say there is not an empty hotel or motel room in their city this weekend. And, that's at rates that soar well over $200 per night.
People who have never been to a NASCAR Nextel Cup race have a hard time understanding why this happens.
However, as my wife can tell you, try it once. You'll be hooked.
I'm not a big race fan but I am a fan of the entire event of a NASCAR race weekend. You put a couple hundred thousand people in one spot and throw a big party.
You may not like racing but it is hard not to be awed by a NASCAR race weekend.
Imagine if you will mardi gras and the state fair put into one spot with race cars and 200,000 people.
If nothing else, it makes for an interesting couple of days.




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Klein's Korner

Tulsa World senior sports columnist John Klein is in his fourth decade of covering sports. He started his newspaper career at The Daily Ardmoreite in 1977 and moved to the Tulsa World in 1978. He served 10 years as sports editor for the Tulsa World before being named to his current position in 2005. He also spent five years as the Southwest Conference beat writer for the Houston Post. He has won many writing awards and is a former Oklahoma Sports Writer of the Year.

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