Time was when getting a ticket to a NASCAR Sprint Cup event was a challenge. Some tracks had waiting lists and others pressured fans to buy their tickets almost a year in advance.

Scalpers offering tickets could be found at all Cup events, even where it was illegal. Often times it was a case of knowing someone that had a connection that was able to get tickets for a Cup race.

These days you can pretty much walk up to the ticket window, at most of the tracks, and buy tickets on race day.

The sluggish economy, the cost of gasoline (though it is going down these days) and, perhaps, the fact that the races with the new Cup car have not been too exciting, has kept a lot of fans home. However it has helped the television ratings.

The Cup cars are racing on Watkins Glen International’s road course this week and fans were offered the opportunity to purchase an $85 Turn 11 Grandstand ticket. A $20 gas card would go along with the ticket.

The news release pointed out that a family of four could buy the tickets and each would get a gas card as part of a Sunoco promotion. According to the release the deal for four was equivalent to one person almost getting a free ticket. ALMOST!!!

Sprint is offering Cup fans the opportunity to bring their ticket from a 2008 Sprint Cup event into one of their participating stores and they will get a $100 rewards card. Sounds good doesn’t it?

The catch is, and there always seems to be a catch, that you must bring the ticket in to the store and activate a new line of Sprint service or upgrade their existing handset to receive the rewards card.

“Switch to Sprint and the Race is on Us” program continues through the end of the year.

Out in Southern California the Auto Club Speedway in Fontana had a tough time selling tickets when the economy was good now they have to come up with some creative marketing to try to unload their tickets for the Labor Day weekend Cup race.

This is being called the deal of the century though I don’t know that I would go that far, it does sound like a good deal.

The ticket package for their August 31 Pepsi 500 will cost fans $99 and there will get the ticket to the race along with a ticket to the UCLA-Tennessee football game that takes place at the Rose Bowl the next day.

For good measure they will throw in a guided tour of the Rose Bowl on Saturday and VIP access to the track, and a meet and greet with driver Sterling Marlin. Though I am not real sure that Marlin has a ride for that race, he is a nice guy to meet.

Now I would really have to give this next one some serious thought. Talladega Superspeedway is offering a $45 gas card with the purchase of an “Individual Suite Package”.

The package includes a pass into the suite for the entire weekend, pre-race pit passes for Saturday and Sunday, souvenir program, a Saturday event souvenir, Friday event souvenir, and more.

In the suite there will be closed-circuit TV, private restroom, catered continental breakfast, buffet lunch, and beverages (soda, water and beer). Cash bar will be available.

That deal will cost someone $800. Keep in mind there is a $45 gas card included.

That suite deal is available for the AMP Energy 500 race weekend.

Lowe’s Motor Speedway, hosting the Bank of America 500 NASCAR Sprint Cup event on October 11th, has lowered the cost of tickets, souvenirs and concession items.

A lot of fans from the Keystone State do head to Charlotte for this event each year.

They are offering the Circle K Family Four-Pack for just $159 and that includes four Diamond Tower tickets, four hot dogs and four 20-ounce Coca-Colas. Each person also receives a coupon good for a free 12-pack of Coke-Zero.

There is a special souvenir package, hat and t-shirt, that normally would cost $48 and now is priced at $20. Are they’re saying that the items were over priced before? Concession prices are also being dropped by 10 to 15 percent.

There is free parking. And they have worked out a deal with 35 area hotels to lower rates 30 percent.

This is just a sample of what tracks are doing to try to get rid of their tickets and keep attendance up. No telling what will be offered in the future.