So maybe the lesson from the Bay Area's Summer of Speed is this: If you race, they will come.
The green flag was waved in June when the annual NASCAR trip to Infineon Raceway drew more than 100,000 spectators on race weekend to watch Dale Jr., Rusty, Jimmie and the rest of the stock-car gang trade paint.
Lap Two was surprisingly strong. Last month's inaugural Taylor Woodrow Grand Prix of San Jose stunned even its organizers by getting an announced crowd of 153,767 over the three-day event.
Now, at the finish line, Danica Patrick is ready for her Northern California close-up. Infineon officials won't talk numbers, but they predict a good turnout Sunday in Sonoma for their debut Indy Racing League race, which features Patrick -- racing's new glamour girl -- as its main attraction.
Perhaps the Bay Area can't be declared a motor sports mecca, but clearly the region has a soft spot for auto racing.
Who knew?
Steve Page, for one.
``There isn't some sudden new awareness of motor sports here,'' said Page, Infineon's president and general manager. ``This always has been a very strong racing market, from stock cars to sports cars to drag racing. This is just a year where open-wheel racing'' -- IRL and Champ Car -- ``has reappeared in the immediate Bay Area.''
This year marks the first time all three major U.S. racing series made local pit stops. Throw in the NHRA drag racers, who were at Infineon in July, and there has been a whole lot of pedals pushed to the metal this summer.
``Racing is redefining how we slice the Bay Area sports pie,'' said Matt Levine, a sports and entertainment consultant based in Los Altos. ``It's attracting fans who don't find what they're looking for in traditional sports.''
California has long had a love affair with fast cars -- immortalized in film (``American Graffiti'') and by breezy radio tunes (``Little Old Lady From Pasadena'' and ``Little Deuce Coupe'').
But as smaller local tracks -- like the San Jose Speedway -- have closed in recent years, the Bay Area scene for the more community-based racing, such as sprint cars, has waned.
``This always was a big motor sports area, especially years ago,'' said Brent Kaeding, whose family has been involved in local racing for decades. ``It's a good thing to see these major races doing well, but I don't know if they will do much for those of us at the grass-roots level.''
Meanwhile, it was hardly a sure thing that events like Champ Car would find an audience.
Who's watching?
When it comes to cars, Bay Area residents are passionate about soaring gas prices and freeway traffic. But race cars? A high level of interest hasn't always been clear.
Local TV ratings for motor sports events traditionally are lower than they are nationally.
For instance, June's NASCAR race drew a 5.7 national rating but only 3.2 locally.
But Page said he thinks in broader terms than just ``Bay Area'' when he tries to attract fans to his Sonoma track. Upward of 30 percent of his audience comes from the Central Valley.
``On the surface it is surprising to think of Bay Area fans as racing fans,'' said Dan Rascher, associate professor of sports management at USF. ``But I think it's a factor of population. There's enough people living within three hours of here who are race fans and can support these events.
``At the same time,'' Rascher added, ``you could make the argument that something interesting is going on.''
Infineon, more than anything, has created regional buzz. Speedway MotorSports Inc., which owns tracks throughout the country, bought Sears Point Raceway in 1996 and has pumped in excess of $75 million into track renovations. The facility was rechristened Infineon Raceway in 2002.
NASCAR is the track's centerpiece event. It started in 1989 and has mushroomed as stock car racing has become a national force.
``It's one of the most popular sports out there, and we've ridden that wave very happily,'' Page said.
Infineon was growing in stature just as Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, on the Monterey Peninsula, was drawing fewer and fewer spectators for its annual open-wheel race. Laguna Seca was dropped from the Champ Car schedule after an estimated 20,000 people attended last year.
S.J. success
Added was the race through the streets of downtown San Jose -- fitting Champ Car's new model of creating urban festivals. The turnout gave new meaning to the phrase ``street cred.'' Organizers say 62,371 attended on race day.
Crowd figures provided by racing officials are notoriously unreliable. But there's no denying that the Grand Prix drew so many people that basic services -- such as temporary bridges for people to get around -- were overwhelmed.
Bob Singleton, general manager of the San Jose race, said he believed the Bay Area would be intrigued by the race's novelty factor, but was ``blown away'' by the 11,000 walk-up fans who appeared Sunday.
``I knew that people were sophisticated,'' Singleton said. ``You've had Laguna around here for a long time. You've got Infineon. I knew there were race fans here.''
Comparison shopping
Page said he was pleased with the success of the San Jose race because it's an indicator of local interest. But he's also quick to point out that the IRL Argent Mortgage Indy Grand Prix this weekend will be a much different event.
``Comparing a street race that's really a downtown festival to one at a facility like this is a little bit of an apples and oranges discussion,'' he said. ``Here, the racing itself will be the focus and it will be more competitive.''
It also will have the hottest name in racing. Patrick, 23, finished fourth at the Indy 500, proving that she's much more than just a pretty face. Patrick is not the best driver in the IRL series, but she is bringing new interest to open-wheel racing.
``I subscribe to the notion that it's better to be lucky than to be real smart,'' Page said. ``She has come along at a very good time for us.''
And it's not a bad time for Bay Area motor sports.
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