“Well, I think for starters, the short track and weekly racers—there’s certainly a renewed enthusiasm. We’ve seen over a couple of years that the number of tracks that are NASCAR-sanctioned tracks at the short-track level—the regional local level—has increased.

 

“I think they’re also healthier. Obviously, we’ve had some difficult times with some tracks closing, but by and large, the majority of the short tracks are getting healthier, which is obviously something that is very important for us.

 

“The short-track racing, the grassroots racing, is one of the ways our fans are born. It has been for many, many years. So it’s an important feeder system for us. Not just from a driver talent standpoint, but also from a fan standpoint.

 

“Broadly, fan interest levels increased from 2009 to 2010—almost a 10-percent increase in fan interest. That translates all the way down—not just the national level and the three national series, but all the way down to the local track level.”