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In The Pits: Selfies can’t fix attendance woes

By WTOP Staff

JENNA FRYER
AP Auto Racing Writer

CONCORD, N.C. (AP) — Kyle Larson lingered near his car waiting for the race to begin at Dover International Speedway when British television presenter Cherry Healey joined him on the concrete. Kneeling next to a rear tire, Healey snapped a selfie with NASCAR’s newest star.

Selfies are all the rage in every age group, and in NASCAR, where fans can rub elbows with their favorite driver minutes before the start of the race, the ability to snap a shot with the stars is just another perk in the fan-friendly sport.

A snapshot of attendance shows a wider problem that social media can’t fix.

Dover had swaths of empty seats on Sunday, continuing the trend of declining attendance at the Delaware race track that primarily serves Baltimore, Philadelphia, Richmond, Virginia, and Washington. Longtime observers said the crowd was the smallest in years, something CEO Denis McGlynn seemed to hint was coming in the pre-race driver meeting.

McGlynn told the drivers that fans simply can’t afford to attend races at Dover, and warned “you’re going to see some holes in the grandstands.”

McGlynn and his staff are targeting a younger audience, trying to build a new generation of race fans, and offered kids 14 and under a $10 ticket on Sunday. In an effort to appeal to those kids, who love Facebook and Instagram and Twitter and Snapchat, McGlynn urged drivers to take a moment and pose for selfies with the new fans. Autographs mean little to anyone but collectors and the guy trying to make a buck, so the selfie goes a long way.

Far enough to fix attendance woes?

Hardly.

It still costs roughly $65 to get in the gate at Dover, and all those kids targeted with the $10 seats can’t get them without the purchase of an adult ticket, too. Throw in parking, food and drink — even if you bring your own — and it’s a big spend.

At least half of Dover’s targeted audience could have attended the race at Richmond in April. A huge portion of the fans can go to Pocono Raceway in Pennsylvania this Sunday. And the luckiest fans at Pocono can skip the drivers and aim for selfies with the grand marshals, actors Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum.

NASCAR desperately wants to appeal to East Coast fans, but it’s a bloated market. There are too many entertainment options already, and NASCAR is cramming in four Sprint Cup races from April 26 through Aug. 3 in one region.

Some will argue attendance doesn’t matter because the tracks don’t need attendance revenue like they did years ago. All tracks receive a cut of the television package, and the deal that begins next year is worth $8.2 billion, so there’s plenty of wealth to trickle down to every facility.

“It’s a media-based revenue now, that’s a fact,” said McGlynn. “But I’m not sure that’s a desire for us. We still want those people in the grandstands.”

Dover seats 113,000. Maybe it will hit that number this year if it combines attendance from Sunday’s race with its September race.

Empty seats are ugly. They look bad for the race track, bad to the sponsors and are bad for the health of NASCAR, regardless of the TV deal.

Could tracks fill the seats by lowering ticket prices? Probably. But hotel prices remain an issue in many markets, and the lodging costs are simply too high for fans even if the tickets are free.

So, aside from giving each driver a daily selfie minimum to meet, what’s the solution?

There’s only one answer: blowing up the schedule.

Iowa Speedway desperately wants a Sprint Cup race and seems to have the fan base to deserve consideration, but it can’t get on the 38-race schedule. Las Vegas Motor Speedway wants a second date, but can’t have one unless track owner Bruton Smith is willing to move a race at one of his other tracks.

This isn’t pick-on-Dover day, but when a track is struggling to fill half the grandstands, it shouldn’t get two races a year. Atlanta is a big market and a storied race track, but when attendance dwindled, it lost one of its two races.

There’s no logic at all in having Dover and Pocono back-to-back unless the marketing priority is the RV crowd that has the free time to travel to consecutive events.

NASCAR wants every race to matter, for every win to be a huge event. But there’s a winner every week and if you missed it this Sunday, you can catch it next Sunday or the one after that.

Selfies can’t fix this. Something far more drastic has to be done.

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Don’t Settle for Student Loans to Pay for Online Education

By WTOP Staff
Online college programs are becoming a more popular choice for prospective students, with one study finding that more than 6 million students enrolled in at least one online course in fall 2015. The popularity of these courses can be attributed in part to their flexibility with working adults' schedules, students' ability to progress more quickly through online programs and, oftentimes, cheaper tuition. [See 10 low-cost online bachelor's programs for out-of-state students.]Online degrees can be beneficial to many college students, but some studies have shown online learners complete their programs at lower rates than students at traditional brick-and-mortar campuses. Individuals with student loans but no degree comprise two-thirds of defaulted borrowers. Though these numbers are not encouraging, just like for traditional programs, there are ways to reduce how much you'll need to borrow for an online program to ensure you won't become one of these statistics. Don't just settle on borrowing student loans to cover the whole cost of your program and living expenses. Instead, start thinking about how to cut costs and cover your balance in different ways, such as the following. -- Grants and scholarships: Even though you are taking an online course, you can still apply and receive grants and scholarships. But your first step should be to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, commonly referred to as the FAFSA, which will allow you to receive a Pell Grant if your expected family contribution is low enough. The EFC criteria and award amounts are adjusted annually, but the 2017-2018 academic year awards range from $606 to $5,920, which could significantly lower the amount you borrow annually. Your next step is to apply for scholarships. You can start by checking online scholarship search engines, such as the Salt Scholarship Search, College Board's BigFuture and Peterson's. But don't forget to take advantage of local organizations and your school's financial aid office. Both may offer scholarships that you can't find with a national scholarship search. [Review these 10 sites to kick off your scholarship search.]For instance, organizations like the Elks Club, Knights of Columbus or the Rotary Club typically offer scholarships annually to local students. Just because you're going to school online doesn't mean you're ineligible. Visit your local library for scholarship listings, and ask around town. You might be surprised how many local organizations offer scholarships. While these scholarships typically aren't large, every little bit counts. Each dollar you receive in a scholarship is a dollar you don't have to borrow and pay interest on. -- Work-study: Another option for online students may be work-study awards. Not all students enrolled in online programs are eligible, but students at some schools -- including, for example, SUNY Empire State College and Liberty University -- are. Work-study awards are not given upfront like scholarships and grants. In most cases, they are an offer to earn up to the awarded amount if you secure an eligible work-study job. While there is a misconception that all work-study jobs must be on campus, students can work for off-campus, nonprofit or public employers as long as the work is in the public's interest. You may be able to work for a for-profit employer if the job is relevant to your course of study. No matter who the outside employer is, it will need to have an established agreement with your college for you to receive work-study funds. Remember, to be eligible for federal financial aid, you must be enrolled and pursuing a degree or certificate. If you're not working toward a credential, Pell Grants and work-study won't be option, but you may still be able to take advantage of private scholarships -- just be sure to read the eligibility criteria carefully. [Explore what to know about financial aid in online programs.]-- Pay as you go: One of the great benefits to enrolling online is the flexible schedule, which can allow you to complete your college coursework around your responsibilities. But prospective students often overlook using their part- or full-time job earnings as an option for paying for college. Almost 80 percent of college students in 2015 worked at least part time while attending classes, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. By budgeting and thinking strategically about your college costs, you can likely reduce your dependence on student loans by paying a portion out of pocket. Many -- but not all -- online programs are less expensive than traditional programs and often have shorter payment periods. Six, eight or 10 weeks are common course durations. Because of the frequency of payments in an online setting, you may be well-placed to pay as you go and possibly avoid borrowing altogether. Attending college online and avoiding student loans may be challenging, but if you are willing to put in the effort, you can limit the amount you need to borrow. More from U.S. News Q&A: Understanding Student Loan Discharge Eligibility Student Loan Refinancing Isn't Right for All Borrowers
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