Backseat Blonde - Champ Cars Steal NASCAR’s Thunder in the Bay Area

August 2, 2005

Champ Cars Steal NASCAR’s Thunder in the Bay Area
By Allison Wagda

The course wasn’t perfect. Logistics for the fans were
horrific. And you could spend hours walking around trying
to find driver gear and never, ever find so much as a
t-shirt.

But in one weekend the inaugural San Jose Grand Prix
accomplished what NASCAR has dreamed about for years. It captured the
imagination of everyday people in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Over 62,000 people from near and far descended upon the oft-underestimated city of
San Jose this past Sunday, ready for a sun-drenched day of open-wheel racing. It
was an event many scoffed at when it was first announced. After all, if NASCAR’s
Sonoma race could barely register a blip on the local radar, how in the world could
Champ Cars succeed?

As the race day drew near, Champ’s advocates did things right. They focused on
introducing racing to a populace that loves football, baseball and hockey. It wasn’t
about Hollywood celebrities or manufactured championships or even sexy rock-star
drivers. It was about racing pure and simple. Speed. Cool cars. And they never
wavered from that theme.

Also, rather than expect Bay Area locals to venture to a track, the Champ Car series
delivered the action right to their front door. It was a stroke of genius. Never has the
region seen one of its cities transformed into playground for race cars. The race
could not be ignored, or relegated to the back page of the sports section. It was in
your face. Bold. It was exactly what was needed to make people listen and watch and
even attend.

Even me. When I first heard about the race, I kind of shrugged. I’m a stock car racing
fan, and never watch open wheel racing. I think I’ve watched part of the Indy 500 a few
times, and maybe allowed a Champ Car rerun to stay on the TV while I worked on
something else. I didn’t plan on attending the race until about a week ago, but I
couldn’t ignore the excitement the pre-race publicity was generating.

Especially once the drivers got into the fun. A few days before the race, a press
conference was televised introducing the drivers. A friendly competition broke out
among the group with each claiming hometown advantage. Eventually one Spanish
driver stumped the rest by claiming he was from the same small town in Spain as
the original founder of the city. It was all very casual and lighthearted, and for the first
time I was intrigued by more than just the idea of racing on the city streets.

So Sunday morning, I stuffed my backpack with a few essentials and hopped on the
local commuter train for a 30-minute trip down to San Jose. I had no ticket, no plans,
just a desire to see what all the fuss was about. Although early, the train was packed
with like-minded souls. The atmosphere was electric. People were really excited,
much more so than many of the bus rides I’ve taken to Sears Point. There was a
much greater sense of adventure and discovery, as if few had ever attended any sort
of racing event (and based upon my ad hoc interviews, few had).

As I entered the main gate, I overheard one man already making plans for future SJ
Grand Prixes, telling one of his friends, “Next year, we’ll just score a room at the
Hilton and party here all weekend.” He was already sold.

But I still had to buy my ticket, and my procrastination didn’t pay as I got stuck with
general admission. Without a seat to find, I decided to wander around and check out
the crowds. After all, open wheel racing is supposed to be for the wine-and-cheese
set and I was eager to see just how fashionable Champ car fans would be.

Well, they looked like NASCAR fans to me. Frankly, the fans at the race this weekend
resembled NASCAR fans more than some of those who go to Sonoma. It was a very
down-to-earth group of people just out for a good time.

And as I wandered about, another NASCAR-esque feature jumped out…the music.
Rather than rap or pop music, there were good ol’ Country-rock bands greeting race
goers. I swear they even played Sweet Home Alabama.

Wait, could Champ Series actually be out-NASCARing NASCAR in a major media
market?

Granted, things weren’t perfect. While everywhere you looked beer was available, it
took me two hours of aimless wandering to find a desperately needed hat to protect
my sunburned nose from the relentless sun. The few bridges connecting major
sections of fan areas were grossly managed and hardly adequate to handle such
large crowds, and the track offered racers more bumps and bruises from flying over
train tracks than acceptable. It was also virtually impossible for general admission
fans to get a decent view of the action, with fences lined at least 5 deep with people
straining for a glimpse. Many chose to watch the TVs in the air-conditioned
convention center.

But overall, the event could be called no less than a major coup for the Champ Car
series. They offered up a story bought hook, line and sinker by the local media,
generated unheard-of anticipation among a very jaded and sports-savvy Bay Area,
gave the city of San Jose an entirely new identity, revived a sagging downtown
economy, and even sold this stock car fan a ticket to next year’s spectacle.

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