A couple of points about no prep kings. 1st, they lease the track, so limited income for track. 2nd accessibility, drivers and teams available to fans, kind of like NHRA use to be. NHRA now with all the haulers, cannot get close to cars and drivers. 3rd. No et or speed on scoreboards. Who cares about et, reaction time, only thing that matters is who gets to finish line 1st.
That may be true at most tracks.... but BIR makes PLENTY of money off this type of event with thousands of spectators. The campground at BIR probably takes in more cash from spectators who camp, than the front gate take in from event ticket sales.
I tried to look up prices on BIR's site but since the NPK event is over that page is gone. But these are roughly the charges if you want to camp at BIR for a major event like this.
1) First, you must also have a event ticket in order to camp on BIR property
2) Depending which package you buy and how many nights you stay, "open camping" can cost roughly $75 - $150 bucks
3) If you want a basic reserved camp site, that will also cost extra, not sure of that price but probably $100-500 bucks. Sites with FULL hookups cost more. (BIR has 164 of these sites)
4) If you happen to camp near an electrical outlet and you want to plug into the track's electrical system, that is $75.00
5) If you want to ride around on a ZOO cruiser/ATV/auxiliary vehicle that is $90 bucks
6) If you camp in anything other than a tent or your car, you also need to pay extra for your RV/motor home which is also $90 bucks
And considering BIR has roughly 500 acres of campground, and it's usually packed to capacity at this type of event, you can easily see where this IS a big deal for the owners of THIS track.
I watched several youtube videos from the NPK event at BIR and from what I could see, the campground (The ZOO) looked like it was just as full as it is when the NHRA big show is in town.
BIR made plenty of money with this event.