From the Marbles - NASCAR

If you're like me, you're swimming in cash with no clue of what to do with it. A million here, a million there, who can keep up? Well, friends, now there's an answer: gather all that loose change and bring NASCAR to your town! It's only $6 million a race!

Okay, it's not quite that simple. But as Scene Daily reports, a Dover International Speedway filing with the U.S. Securities & Exchange Commission has shed light on a whole host of agreements that exist between tracks and NASCAR. The contract stipulations aren't quite at the level of Van Halen's infamous "no brown M&M's" mandate, but there are still a whole host of mandates.

First, the numbers. Dover has to pay NASCAR a $6.055 million fee for its May race and $5.429 million for the September one. However, the track also gets $12.645 million in broadcast coin for its spring race and $10.473 for the fall one. The track has to contribute about 28 percent of that total to race purses. Dover has previously reported that about 70 percent of its revenues derive from its two Sprint Cup races.

As part of the filing, Dover disclosed the 2010 NASCAR Sprint Cup sanctioning agreements. Here are a few of the choice items, according to Scene:

• The track must carry $50 million in liability insurance and $1 million in medical malpractice liability insurance. NASCAR must be listed among the insured. NASCAR must require the TV partner to carry $2 million in general liability insurance ($1 million limit per occurrence) that includes the promoter in that policy.

• A track cannot alter the racing surface by painting, sealing or resurfacing without prior written consent of NASCAR.

• NASCAR can postpone or cancel an event if the promoter does not fix any unsatisfactory racing surface, barriers, fencing, retaining systems, SAFER barrier systems, garage area, pit area, race control area, timing and scoring areas or structures used for broadcast of the event.

• NASCAR gets 225 reserved choice grandstand tickets for the race and 200 for qualifying.

• The track must provide 325 parking passes/permits adjacent to or near the garage area for NASCAR and 50 in close proximity to the NASCAR track suite.

• The track must provide two pace vehicles. It also must provide 150 chairs in an enclosed, climate-controlled area for the drivers meeting. It must provide a control tower with air conditioning, heat, 14 chairs (with cushions), phone line and television monitors.

• The track must provide a television booth for at least five people, air-conditioned to 68 degrees. The TV partner also gets 300 tickets plus one luxury track suite. The track also must use "reasonable efforts to cause the title sponsor of the event to buy advertising in the telecasts." NASCAR requires its broadcast partner to say the name of the race at least once during the opening segment of the telecast and thereafter at least once during each hour of the telecast.

•  Track must provide foot rubs and back rubs for all NASCAR officials Said foot and back rubs must be of at least "super-duper" quality, though "awesome" is preferred. Foot and back rubs given in a grudging, "If I have to" manner will not be accepted.

Okay, I made that last one up.  But still, this is a pretty interesting list, and a pretty daunting one as well. Makes you wonder why anyone would want to bother with hosting a NASCAR event -- oh, wait, the millions. Right.

Financial filing offers rare glimpse into NASCAR sanctioning stipulations [Scene Daily]

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25 Comments

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  1. NewYork
    1. Posted by NewYork Fri Nov 13, 2009 4:39 pm EST

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    You damn rednecks couldn't scrape 6 pennies together, let alone million dollars.
    So just kick back on your front porch, chug some moonshine out of your little plastic cup, crank up the 'ol 19 inch black and white TV, have your sister rub your shoulders and keep dreamin'.
  2. brinirmess
    2. Posted by brinirmess Fri Nov 13, 2009 5:01 pm EST

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    He yall I just put a a hit on NY idget. I'm asking my mafia to attack now. OH sh1t, this is mh not mw.
  3. NewYork
    3. Posted by NewYork Fri Nov 13, 2009 5:14 pm EST

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    ?
  4. Empress
    4. Posted by Empress Fri Nov 13, 2009 6:34 pm EST

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    New York....Look at a map! Dover, Louden and Pocono are North of the Mason Dixon Line. If it wouldn't be for the Atlantic Ocean, NASCAR could almost surround you. Idiot!
  5. Kim
    5. Posted by Kim Fri Nov 13, 2009 7:59 pm EST

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    Ummm...New York, I don't know how to break this to you. Ever hear of a man named Sam Walton? Odds are your picture exists in a website specific to his business.
  6. Richard T
    6. Posted by Richard T Fri Nov 13, 2009 8:42 pm EST

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    Thanks NY, for reminding me why after living on the Jersey Shore for over 20 years, why I hated New Yorkers in the first place(and my parents were born there, go figure). Oh yeah, NYC's only about 120 miles from the Mason-Dixon Line since it's the Pennsylvania-Maryland state line.
  7. Matt
    7. Posted by Matt Sat Nov 14, 2009 12:13 am EST

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    Darn I was really thinking about becoming a Nascar official when I read that last one.
  8. Jessy S
    8. Posted by Jessy S Sat Nov 14, 2009 1:56 am EST

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    Too bad they had forgotten the buffets for Jay Hart and Busbee.
  9. Oliver Klosov
    9. Posted by Oliver Klosov Sat Nov 14, 2009 9:35 am EST

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    Another fantastic, riveting piece of literary genius!!! 2 races until the Champion is crowned and you get 8-hits, of which 6 are barbs, 1 is a hit on you and 1 is an actual reply to this "Pulitzer Piece" -
    ...say what you want, but this is nothing more than a waste of space on a server.... SAD....
  10. Rudy88
    10. Posted by Rudy88 Sat Nov 14, 2009 9:58 am EST

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    Well oliver - The rest of us like the "waste" Therefore you are mentally out of sinc with the rest of us. So why don't you go somewhere where you'll fit in? You're to educated for us rednecks.
  11. Rudy88
    11. Posted by Rudy88 Sat Nov 14, 2009 10:01 am EST

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    BTW Oliver - Jay has offered you the golden opportunity to post a blog on here. If you can do better, why don't you have THE GUTS to take him up on his offer? I know why! You don't feel you 2nd grade education would give you enough knowledge to compete with the "MASTER BLOGGER"!
  12. Willy Doer
    12. Posted by Willy Doer Sat Nov 14, 2009 11:24 am EST

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    I wish i could get my sister to rub New Yorks shoulders.
  13. brinirmess
    13. Posted by brinirmess Sat Nov 14, 2009 11:26 am EST

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    Oliver- must agree with the Old Man Rudy. Although you have ample oppurtunity to be negative you never seem to have the time to enlighten us with your prose.
  14. Dani
    14. Posted by Dani Sat Nov 14, 2009 12:10 pm EST

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    Oliver - What happened??? A while back you befriended Jay. You even invited him for dinner and a beer if he was ever in your area?
    .... We finally know... This is Nascar's Rule Book!!!
  15. Oliver Klosov
    15. Posted by Oliver Klosov Sat Nov 14, 2009 1:08 pm EST

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    A - Rudy - hobble over to the table and eat your oat-meal before it gets cold - if I need your .02, I'll ring Life-Alert and send the ambulance over to get it
    B - Brinia - I could care less about your opinion of me, NASCAR or Jay-bird... back to the kitchen with ya!
    C - CnD - this isn't personal - I'd sit down and have dinner and a beer with Jay - this is about content and effort...of which there is neither -
    I hear the "well, then you do better.." - WTF? this isn't my job - I'm the consumer... and this is NOT the best breakfast I've ever had... (let's see if anyone gets that)...
    So now we are at ~15 responses - still one on the "Master Blogger's" terrific tale - the rest... triffle banter (read BS)... as I said...
    SAD!
  16. Crane Poole and Schmidt
    16. Posted by Crane Poole and Schmidt Sat Nov 14, 2009 3:25 pm EST

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    Ding ding ding!!!!! rack "im!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
  17. RICK C
    17. Posted by RICK C Sat Nov 14, 2009 6:23 pm EST

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    Can you pick who you want in the TV booth?
  18. steve h
    18. Posted by steve h Sat Nov 14, 2009 11:15 pm EST

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    13. Posted by drapes46 Sat Nov 14 10:32pm EST Report Abuse
    The Devils are so boring to watch, they still play that trap hockey........
    And buy a World Series like the Yankees....
  19. Rudy88
    19. Posted by Rudy88 Sun Nov 15, 2009 6:41 am EST

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    Oliver Klosov - LMAO - At least you do have a sense of humor! :)
  20. Carol
    20. Posted by Carol Sun Nov 15, 2009 2:06 pm EST

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    That's interesting. It never occurred to me to wonder who provides the pace car.
  21. Oliver Klosov
    21. Posted by Oliver Klosov Sun Nov 15, 2009 9:16 pm EST

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    Rudy - it's not personal (and you get that)... I'm tired of a guy that's walking through this -
    if he wants to cover NASCAR - do it... if not.... step away and let someone that wants to do a good job, do a good job...
    I'm glad you have a sense of humor... refreshing...
  22. Jay Busbee
    22. Posted by Jay Busbee Sun Nov 15, 2009 10:20 pm EST

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    Tick-tock, Oliver. Seven days till you promised to leave. Tick-tock.
    (We had this same conversation months ago. You understood it then. Email me and I'll explain it to you again, this time in nice, simple language. Not going to clutter up the boards any more than they already are with this nonsense.)
  23. Stillmatic
    23. Posted by Stillmatic Mon Nov 16, 2009 9:04 am EST

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    Nice article, you got me with the foot & back rubs
  24. Doc Drazzy
    24. Posted by Doc Drazzy Mon Nov 16, 2009 9:11 am EST

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    Gang,
    Just a small footnote from someone who works every Cup race FEB through OCT ( I take the last four races off) on the engineering end of the broadcast.
    *"The track must provide a television booth for at least five people, air-conditioned to 68 degrees. The TV partner also gets 300 tickets plus one luxury track suite. The track also must use "reasonable efforts to cause the title sponsor of the event to buy advertising in the telecasts." NASCAR requires its broadcast partner to say the name of the race at least once during the opening segment of the telecast and thereafter at least once during each hour of the telecast."*
    I don't know the details of why these are in the contract. In fact, I don't know that they are. I can tell you that the amount of work and equipment that goes into the broadcast is comparable to the Super Bowl. We set up for this in about two days, 38 weeks a year. There are between 12 and 20 tractor trailers in the TV compound on any given week. The TV booth has various electronics that need to stay cool. The production trucks in the TV compound have even more, the next time you walk by the TV compound, notice that many of us are wearing sweaters when we step out of our "caves" !
    Point being, the 68 degree requirement sounds like spoiled TV Crew. Actually it is more of a necessity. I admit, it sure is nice during the summer!
    Have a nice week.
  25. Jay Busbee
    25. Posted by Jay Busbee Mon Nov 16, 2009 9:36 am EST

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    Doc, very cool. Drop me a line sometime--would love to talk more about what goes into the production end of things.

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