2009: The Year of the Fan; How did NASCAR do for you?

You may recall that before the beginning of the season, we declared this "The Year of the Fan'' in NASCAR, noting the slumping economy and how you the fan had tougher decisions ahead of you on what to do with your shrinking income. Would you keep going to Cup races? Would you go to less? With tracks discounting thousands of tickets, would you go to more? Would NASCAR, tracks and others listen to your suggestions?

We also put together a Fans' Bill of Rights based on your suggestions.

Among the 10 things listed in the Bill of Rights, one was "Late starting times shall be considered cruel and unusual punishmnet.'' You were heard. Twenty-eight Cup races will start earlier next year. NASCAR has worked at standardizing race starting times. Races in the East and Central Time Zones will start at 1 p.m. Eastern time (meaning green flag typically will drop about 15-20 minutes later). West Coast Time Zone races will start at 3 p.m. Eastern and night races will start at 7:30 p.m. with the exception of the Coca-Cola 600, which lists 5:45 p.m. as a start time. Just as in the East Coast races, all green flags are tentatively scheduled for about 15-20 minutes after the listed start time. Still, with the change a lot more races will be starting earlier so there is one area from the Bill of Rights NASCAR heard you.

Other areas among the Bill of Rights is more subjective. Fans wanted easier ways out of the track and cheaper parking. They wanted hotels not to double or triple their regular room rate for race weekends. Fans also wanted TV networks to show more than just the leaders during the race.

A change made this season -- not listed in the Bill of Rights but mainly because it's so basic -- was with the racing. Double-file restarts helped add drama for some fans with the leaders at the front beside each other instead of nose-to-tail. Even with the double-file restarts, it was interesting to note that this year featured the fewest lead changes since the 2003 season.

Another change was how tracks discounted tickets to the races. You could get to some races for as little as $25. Even the Daytona 500 lowered tickets to $55, the lowest ticket price for seats to that event since the mid 1990s. That ticket price remains available for next season's race.

So, how did things go for you the fan? What changes took place that you approve? What changes still need to be  made?

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