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NASCAR insiders speak out about poor fan attendance at Homestead-Miami playoff race

Brian Jones Profile Picby:Brian Jones•10/28/24•

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NASCAR Homestead
Oct 27, 2024; Homestead, Florida, USA; NASCAR Cup Series driver Tyler Reddick (45) leads NASCAR Cup Series driver Kyle Larson (5) and NASCAR Cup Series driver Chase Elliot (9) during the Straight Talk Wireless 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-Imagn Images

The 2024 Straight Talk Wireless 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway had one big issue despite the race being memorable. On The Teardown podcast, NASCAR insiders Jordan Bianchi and Jeff Gluck of The Athletic discussed the poor fan attendance for the race.

“I really can’t say on what I saw with my own eyes, but the conversation I’ve had with people it did not sound good today,” Bianchi said. “I knew going in it wasn’t going to be great. There was actually more walk-up today than they anticipated, so that’s encouraging. It sounded like there’s more people here than they thought it was going to be.”

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Bianchi added, “That’s the conundrum with this racetrack. As great as it is, it’s the epitome of what NASCAR on an intermediate track should be. The drivers love it, fans watching love it, why in the hell does no one come out and watch this race? I don’t know, and it’s really frustrating when you talk to people. This should be one of the most hyped, exciting races of the year. …People should be flocking here to see NASCAR at its bet on a mile-and-a-half racetrack, and that just doesn’t happen.”

Why are fans not attending the NASCAR Homestead race?

Gluck replied to Bianchi’s comments by explaining why the turnout at Homestead is low. “First of all, you’re in Miami or you’re 45 minutes or 40 minutes South of Miami, whatever it is,” Gluck began. “You’re just not going to get a bunch of NASCAR fans coming down from Miami. It’s almost like Fontana was a little bit with trying to draw people from L.A. Proper, you’re not getting a ton of the city people out.

“The other problem is it’s almost down in the corner of Florida. It’s almost to the Florida Keys. You’ve got the Everglades on one side, you’ve got the Florida Keys… There’s not a lot of population down there. It’s not like you can just drive there easily from a lot of places in the country.”

The official attendance of the Homestead race wasn’t announced, but the track has a capacity of 55,000 grandstand seats. NASCAR fans who didn’t attend the Straight Talk Wireless 400 missed Tyler Reddick earn the victory and clinch a spot in the NASCAR Cup Series Championship race.