Personally, I've never felt that live streaming should EVER be an alternative to actually going to an event. I hope that my fellow race fans were never to say to themselves, "Ya know, I'm just going to stay home tonight, save my money and drink a beer in my easy chair while I watch the races on my computer." That should never be the case. It simply cannot hold a candle to actually being there. However, if a person simply cannot make it, or lives in another part of the country (or another country altogether), then I think it's cool that we can bring some events to them. Maybe it will inspire them to visit a racetrack, region, or possibly become a fan of a racer they might not normally be exposed to. That, in my mind, is the benefit of live streaming.

Unfortunately, I think it's the future of the sport. In time, it will be harder to get people to come out as gas prices continue to rise and traveling becomes more costly. I think you will see a more concerted effort in moving toward live pay-per-view streaming. And while it's not the same as actually being there, it's better than nothing.

That said, I still would encourage everyone to go to as many races as they possibly can get to.

DM