Speedway Motorsports Incorporated (http://www.speedwaymotorsports.com)read the writing on the wall and decided to do something about it. The prospect of lower revenues and recognition of the long-term erosion that has occurred between the fans and their desire to connect with their NASCAR heroes have led to the formation of fan forums at each of the seven SMI tracks in 2009. These forums are a joint cooperative venture with the SPEED CHANNEL (http://speedtv.com) and will be called; “PRN Up to Speed Sessions”. The format is simple: round up a number of NASCAR luminaries during a Sprint Cup weekend, put them on the SPEED Stage and have them interact with the fans.

This publication has championed the need for the establishment of a closer relationship between the drivers, their teams and the fans, the paying customers, who have been squeezed out of the race experience equation for years because it was believed by some that just allowing the people to watch the race was enough for them. The difference between the “haves” and the “have nots” was glaring and there was discontent amongst the masses that took the form of decreased ticket sales coupled with a general lack of interest.

Marcus Smith, president and chief operating officer of SMI said: “This might be the biggest “no-brainer” that we’ve ever put into motion.” The timing in all of this couldn’t be better and the brain trust at SMI is to be commended for their willingness to confront and address an issue that has been festering under the rug for too long.

One can only hope that the folks over at the International Speedway Corporation pick up on this concept and decide to follow SMI’s lead.