There was an article published in the Rochester newspaper this morning, authored by sports writer Jenna Fryer, regarding the lack of fans at Bristol. In the article, she said that she spoke with driver Clint Bower, who said that after seeing the dismal attendance, he did a little research of his own. His conclusion was that the fans are finally tired of the "price gouging" of the area's hotels/motels, and although he didn't mention it, most likely restaurants, too.
I recently became acquainted with an older gentleman who is a racing enthusiast, and he was telling me that he and his adult sons used to attend 2-3 NASCAR races a year, but the overall costs, especially the out of town lodging, has driven them away.
On a personal level, one of my former work colleagues used to own a condo unit in Myrtle Beach, SC, and would rent it to friends/family. I rented it several times, over the years, beginning in 1980, right after he purchased it. The first time you go someplace, you're a little unfamiliar with the most efficient way to do things, and while in MB, I picked up a hotel list/price schedule from one of the "chain" hotels, in preparation for making a room reservation for the trip home. This flyer included several of the southern states, and one of my "non-racing" friends, who was with us, commented about how there seemed to be "random weekends" with unusually high rates. All I could say was, "race weekend".
Apparently, the hotel owners have "jumped the shark".....