Didn't Nationwide Races Used To Have...

[Panther_99FS]

more people in attendance?

[stansdds]

Yes, but never was attendance anywhere near what it is for Sprint Cup Series races. Attendance for nearly all NASCAR events has been way down since the market crash of 2008.

[Panther_99FS]

Truck racing still the best! (IMHO)....

[srgalahad]

In a lot of ways you're right P. The trucks are still a bit "wild" and erratic but they sure do some nice racing.

As far as the crowds are concerned, I think it is less about the economy ( buy a weekend ticket and see all) and more to do with the general attitude of "only wanting to see the best" ( in this case Sprint Cup cars with all the big names). Notice how the camera angles are carefully selected to show the most minute views of the stands in Nationwide and truck races? I watched last week and with wider views probably could have counted the people in the stands - and Bristol wasn't any better.
It's not just NASCAR that suffers from people's desire to only associate with the top tier... NBC's golf coverage - you can watch 2 hours of a 5 hour broadcast and barely once will they show more than the top 14 names on the leaderboard, leaving the other 50+ players invisible. Why? because 'who cares about the also-rans'?

I actually feel sorry for the Nationwide, NTS and Indy drivers who go out racing to smaller crowds than the local high school team draws on a rainy Friday night. I know they love what they do and have hopes for greater things, but the fan support is pathetic. Then again, it was always the quarterback that got the girls, the interviews and the press...