California comeback

FONTANA, Calif. – Will the third time be the charm for California Speedway?

Will all the initiatives and improvements that track president Gillian Zucker has implemented in the last year, will Sunday's Auto Club 500 finally be the success NASCAR has hoped for since it began to stage races at the two-mile facility 50 miles east of downtown Los Angeles?

Or will Sunday be the final nail in the coffin, the event that leads to the suburban L.A. track no longer hosting two Nextel Cup races per year – especially with so many other tracks wanting their first Cup date (including Kentucky Speedway and Gateway International Raceway near St. Louis) and existing Cup tracks seeking a second annual race date (including Las Vegas, Chicagoland and Kansas)?

Last February's Auto Club 500 was a sad sight to see on TV and even worse in person. The grandstands, which hold 92,500 seats, were lucky if they were two-thirds full. Gaping holes along the front stretch and completely empty sections at both ends of the stands prompted lowly estimates of 60,000 attendees, tops.

At first, Zucker publicly tried to deny that estimate. But at the same time, it also spurred her to action. She began a major multimillion-dollar capital improvement program, with the first phase being completed just before last September's race here.

The spotlight of the expansion program was a Wolfgang Puck signature restaurant that provided chi-chi foods, but still at an affordable price. There also was more live entertainment, more amenities like extra bathrooms, greater shade and leisure areas, and even live zoo animals on display.

The track also worked extensively with local and state law enforcement agencies to improve traffic flow to and from the track – which had been a significant problem since it first opened in 1997 – and to improve parking availability on track grounds.

Zucker wanted to give fans their money's worth with a well-rounded experience and she succeeded. Not only did attendance jump up markedly to roughly 85,000, the on-track race action left fans entertained and satisfied for the most part.

"We're not going to rest on our laurels or our achievements," Zucker said in an interview prior to last fall's Sony HD 500.

Indeed, Zucker and her staff have lived up to those words. While the wholesale changes have slowed down somewhat, progress continues. For example, a large section previously used by motor homes has been relocated to dramatically improve sightlines for fans in the stands along the front and back stretch.

In perhaps one of the most unique moves by any track president in NASCAR, Zucker made increasing diversity at the speedway one of her top priorities since first arriving there as president back in mid-2005.

To that end, she enrolled last fall in an intensive two-week program that saw Zucker travel to central Mexico to live with a native family and learn more about the Latino culture, and also spend 10 hours per day in a classroom in an intensive Spanish language learning program.

Zucker enjoyed the experience so much that she returned south of the border for another week last Thanksgiving. She has also made significant outreach efforts to members of other minority communities in Southern California, including blacks and Asian-Americans.

She said Saturday that ticket sales for Sunday's race are above the pace set for last fall's race. If that is the case, the track will come even closer to Zucker's No. 1 goal: selling out for the first time in its 10-year history.

While her efforts to improve the race experience for fans, sell more tickets and make California Speedway one of the best stops on the circuit have definitely helped the track move beyond last February's embarrassment, Zucker isn't all button-down and corporate-minded.

She also likes to have a little fun. That's why she had Sake the sea lion zip through 43 balls emblazoned with each driver's car number to "scientifically" make her top three picks for Sunday's race: Tony Raines, Dale Jarrett and Scott Riggs (actually, Kenny Wallace was the third pick, but since he failed to qualify for Sunday's race, Sake had to go back into the water to make an alternate pick).

Riggs starts 30th, Raines 41st and Jarrett 43rd. Hey, it's as good as any other system to pick race winners out there.

On the same day as the Academy Awards, Zucker has dug deep to bring some big-name talent for Sunday's main event. Prior to the green flag, ex-Van Halen frontman Sammy Hagar will have a 25-minute mini-concert on the frontstretch, followed by official duties as "honorary race official."

Actor Rick ("NYPD Blue") Schroeder will serve as honorary starter, fellow actor Kevin Costner, who performed with his band in the midway on Saturday, will serve as grand marshal, and soul singer Brian McKnight will sing the national anthem.

One year ago, NASCAR looked like it had made a huge mistake when it awarded the second race weekend of the year to California. Since then, things here have gotten much better. That's why success in Sunday's Auto Club 500 could go a long way toward assuring that California Speedway will continue to be a two-time stop on the Cup circuit each season.