Wow. Is there a story behind this, or is it simply economics?

I used to travel a lot more than these days; the last time I made it out to Perris was 2005. Back then, the Oval Nationals paid $30,000 to win with a $100,000 purse. And it was like that each of the 3 years I went. Also back then it was a major sprint car event with drivers coming from a myriad of series to compete- Jac Haudenschild, Brent Kaeding, Travis Rilat, Peter Murphy and many others shed the wing for this event. Now? It seems to be just another USAC race, although a prestigious one, and includes the CRA guys as well (although the left coasters just aren't very competitive as they once were).

So, what gives? Is racing dying in SoCal? Is extreme specialization within the sport of sprint car racing killing the event? Are the fans simply tired of being milked to the last drop by the fair board? I don't have a clue, but it's very sad to hear how things seem to be taking a bad turn. I'd love to hear anyone's input.