NASCAR--and Fans--Affected by Gas Prices

Many of the die-hard NASCAR racing fans find RVing to view their favorite sport is just the way to do it. But high gas prices have been chiseling into racing event attendance figures.

Jim Hunter, longtime NASCAR vice-president says, "Some of our hard-core old-line fans used to go to 6-8 races a year, but back then hotels didn't charge seven-day minimums, track prices were half of what they are now, and gas was a lot cheaper. Now I hear those same people say, 'I'll just go to my favorite few races, and I'll watch the rest on television.' "

But not just the spectators are feeling the fuel price pinch, so are the racers. While at Daytona race teams get free fuel to run their racers in a fuel-company sponsorship deal, they still have to drag their racers and gear from track to track. That amount can certainly add up.

But some RVers at Dayton say fuel prices aren't the concern their looking at: It's the new pet policy. Referring to a "no pets" rule going into place on the speedway's 'second turn' camping area, "The price of gas won't keep us from coming to the races, but we're not coming back next year if we can't bring our dog," says George, Kamansky who is here for the 15th consecutive year. "That's serious. Sure, everyone talks about the price of fuel, but that's not what will keep us away."

Kamansky should know. His dog has his own chrome plated Dale Earnhardt, Jr. doggy dish. Don't diss the fans, Daytona.

For more information, check out the Orlando Sentinel.

Photo pocketwiley on flickr.com

Park Service Visits Beat Major Sports Attendance

The National Park Service says last year's visitation to the nation's parks and other recreational properties beat out, "Major League Baseball, the National Football League, professional basketball, soccer and NASCAR combined," in terms of attendance. More than 275 millions folks came through the gates of NPS managed properties in 2007. Service officials are holding their collective breath, hoping the numbers hold up, as with the exception of 2004, visitation has been sliding since 1999.

The National Park Service is looking to a major influx of visitors when its centennial celebration rolls around--but that's still several years off--the big anniversary isn't until 2016. Nevertheless, park officials say they've been trying hard to drum up more interest among the masses, luring them away from video games and computers and out into the fresh air.

The biggest "winners" in terms of visitation? The Blue Ridge Parkway, followed by the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. While it may be 'the world's largest ditch,' the Grand Canyon National Park turned up Number Nine on the list of the most visited park "units" last year. That figure could be somewhat deceptive, as the park system includes more than just parks: The service manages a vast array of real estate aside from officially designated parks. There are seashores, battlefields, monuments, and scenic rivers to name just a few. So if you're interested in "National Parks" proper, then last year the Great Smokey Mountains and the Grand Canyon were the top two, respectively.

Photo: Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah copyright R & T DeMaris

Indiana RVers May Get Tax Relief

Indiana ranks among the top producing states of recreational vehicles, but don't think residents are getting a break from what the RV industry brings to the economy. In a quirky twist of the law, knowing how much it'll cost to license your RV in the Hoosier state is just about unpredictable. Why so? Because RV license rates are based on a "personal property tax" system, rather than through an excise tax system, as autos and trucks are.

As a result, county officials are charged with determining the "assessed value" of an RV, then the local tax rate is applied to that value. As a result there isn't a great deal of consistency across the state. Under a proposed law, RVs would be taken off the personal property tax rolls and onto the state's excise tax system.

If the law passes it will go into effect in 2010. Check out more information in the South Bend Tribune.

Household Word Celebrates 50 Years of RV Building

They've been building motorhomes for so long, some non-RV folks call every motorhome, "a Winnebago." It's hard to believe the Iowa RV builder has been around for 50 years. For some of us, that may be the age of a spring chicken, but in this volatile industry, 50 is a pretty ripe age.

Those early Winnebago motorhomes certainly don't have the aerodynamic "feel" of what we've come to expect today. In fact, the accompanying photo shows the 1967 D-22 model. Winnebago refers to them as their "Eyebrow" units, but hey, somehow they remind one of a character out of a Star Wars episode.

Here's some interesting Winnebago factoids:

While Winnebago is well known for its motorhome line, the company actually started building a different kind of RV: Travel trailers.

The first Winnebago motorhome came off the production line in 1966.

About 10,000 'whinnies' are built every year. That's over 27 per day, or more than one an hour. Production line folks must not be horsing around to make that quota.

Photo courtesy Winnebago Industries

FEMA Swears Off RVs

The Federal Emergency Management Agency is finally calling it quits with recreational vehicles. In the continuing saga of formaldehyde in emergency housing, FEMA has made the decision that apparently the troubles are more than they're worth.

After the Centers for Disease Control revealed they found toxic fume levels in FEMA provided trailers at rates five times the level normally found in stick-built homes, the health agency recommended hurricane survivors move out of their reeking residences.

Swamped in controversy, FEMA says it will never use trailers again as emergency housing shelters. Just where masses of homeless folks will go in another "Katrina"-like disaster is unclear. For more information, visit news station KATC's website.

Unc' Says Diesel Prices Will Sink--Gas, Too

If you can believe the predictions, Uncle Sam says diesel prices won't float nearly has high as expected, and will actually sink before the year winds up.

The DOE (Department of Energy) says we should expect a peak of diesel fuel prices in April or May, somewhere near $3.30 per gallon. By year's end, 128 ounces of the precious fluid will have dropped to near $3.00. Last month the DOE projected that prices would be considerably higher, but production has increased, while demand has fallen.

What about an annual prediction? DOE says the average annual diesel price for 2008 will be around $3.21, while 2009 shows a whopping drop, with projected petrol prices at just (just?) $3.08.

You gasoline burners should see some relief too: The expected peak of gas is in May near $3.38, dropping to $3.00 in September, and bottoming out the year in December at $2.75. Can you believe it?