Is the recession over? A panel of economic experts recently said it may not be over yet, but from things I’m seeing around Central Indiana it looks like things are starting to turn around. Also a friend reported that Road Atlanta had a much larger crowd at the AMA Superbike event this year than it’s had in the last couple of years, so there are positive signs out there.

I attended two AMA Supercross events this year and it was a mixed bag. The Indy Supercross packed Lucas Oil Stadium with a near-capacity crowd. St. Louis was a much smaller crowd and significantly smaller than when I last attended that race a few years ago. So in terms of recovery in motorcycle racing there seems to be evidence of at least pockets of recovery.

The recession started here in Indy earlier than in other parts of the country. I noticed three years ago a lot fewer people in restaurants, lawns and houses less well maintained and fewer new cars in the driveways of my hometown of Brownsburg. Recently I’m noticing a small turnaround. My wife and I both agree that the restaurants have been a lot fuller this spring than they have been since before 2007. That’s a very good sign. When people are strapped for cash eating out is one of the first things to go, so a return to waiting lines at Charbono’s (one of our favorite restaurants in nearby Avon, Indiana) is a good sign. I’ve noticed the stock market is moving along at a pretty good clip too.

The strong Indy Supercross crowd convinced me of one thing; people will come out and bring their families if it’s a good value. The folks at Feld Motorsports are smart – they expanded the number of $10 seats at many stadiums. A guy looks at that and realizes he can take his two children out for a fun evening of entertainment for 30 bucks. He’ll probably go ahead and buy food and souvenirs since the ticket was so reasonably priced.

I don’t know if it’s too late to dispense advice to the road racing, flat track and motocross promoters this year, but until this recession is completely a thing of the past lower-priced tickets would be a very good idea to keep the turnstiles turning. The Supercross promoters are the best we have in motorcycle racing, so others promoters should take note of what Feld is doing and follow suit.