Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (Policies)

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2020

Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

Property and equipment—Property and equipment is stated at cost. Depreciation is provided using the straight-line method over the asset’s estimated useful life. Accumulated depreciation was $68,030,000 and $67,272,000 as of March 31, 2020 and December 31, 2019, respectively.

Revenue recognition

Revenue recognition—We classify our revenues as admissions, event-related, broadcasting and other. “Admissions” revenue includes ticket sales for our events. “Event-related” revenue includes amounts received from sponsorship fees; luxury suite rentals; hospitality tent rentals and catering; concessions and vendor commissions for the right to sell concessions and souvenirs at our events; sales of programs; track rentals; broadcasting rights other than domestic television broadcasting revenue, and other event-related revenues. Additionally, event related revenue includes amounts received for the use of our property and a portion of the concession sales we manage from the Firefly Music Festival. “Broadcasting” revenue includes rights fees obtained for domestic television broadcasts of events held at our speedway.

All of our revenues are based on contracts with customers and, with the exception of certain track rentals, relate to two NASCAR event weekends and the Firefly Music Festival held at our Dover facility. Our contracts are typically for specific events or a racing season. We have several multi-year sponsorship contracts for our racing events and our contract with the promoter of the Firefly Music Festival is multi-year. Revenues pertaining to specific events are deferred and recorded as contract liabilities in our consolidated balance sheets until the event is held. As of March 31, 2020 and December 31, 2019, contract liabilities in our consolidated balance sheets relate to 2020 events. NASCAR has many contingency plans in place that would allow them to run the entire 2020 NASCAR Cup Series schedule, but they are all dependent on how the pandemic evolves. As of the date of this filing, the amount of refunds requested by our patrons for the postponed May events has been minimal. If our events are not held, or if the events were held without fans in attendance, we would offer to refund any ticket sales proceeds received to date, which were approximately $1.8 million at March 31, 2020. Concession and souvenir revenues are recorded at the time of sale. Revenues and related expenses from barter transactions in which we provide sponsorship packages in exchange for goods or services are recorded at fair value. There was no revenue recorded from barter transactions for the three months ended March 31, 2020 or 2019.

The following table summarizes the liability activity related to contracts with customers for the three months ended March 31, 2020 and 2019 (in thousands):


	2020		2019
Balance, beginning of period	$	976	$	1,140
Reductions from beginning balance		—		—
Additional liabilities recorded during the period		1,974		3,356
Reduction of additional liabilities recorded during the period, not from beginning balance		(41)		—
Balance, end of period	$	2,909	$	4,496

We have contracted future revenues representing unsatisfied performance obligations. These contracts contain initial terms typically ranging from one to three years, with some for longer periods, excluding renewal options. We have excluded unsatisfied performance obligations for future NASCAR broadcasting revenue with contract terms through 2024. We anticipate recognizing unsatisfied performance obligations for the calendar year ending 2021 and beyond of approximately $2,825,000 at March 31, 2020.

Under the terms of our sanction agreements with NASCAR, we receive a portion of the broadcast revenue NASCAR negotiates with various television networks. NASCAR typically remits payment to us for the broadcast revenue within 30 days of the event being held. NASCAR retains 10% of the gross broadcast rights fees allocated to each NASCAR-sanctioned event as a component of its sanction fee. The remaining 90% is recorded as revenue. The event promoter is required to pay 25% of the gross broadcast rights fees to the event as part of the awards to the competitors, which we record as operating expenses.

Expense recognition

Expense recognition— The cost of advertising is expensed as incurred. Advertising expenses were $52,000 and $64,000 for the three months ended March 31, 2020 and 2019, respectively. Certain direct expenses pertaining to specific events, including prize and point fund monies and sanction fees paid to NASCAR, and other expenses associated with our racing events are deferred until the event is held, at which point they are expensed.

Net loss per common share

Net loss per common share—Nonvested share-based payment awards that include rights to dividends or dividend equivalents, whether paid or unpaid, are considered participating securities, and the two-class method of computing basic and diluted net loss per common share (“EPS”) is applied for all periods presented. The following table sets forth the computation of EPS (in thousands, except per share amounts):


	Three Months Ended
	March 31,
	2020		2019
Net loss per common share – basic and diluted:
Net loss	$	(3,140)	$	(2,490)
Allocation to nonvested restricted stock awards		—		—
Net loss available to common stockholders	$	(3,140)	$	(2,490)

Weighted-average shares outstanding – basic and diluted		35,834		36,032

Net loss per common share – basic and diluted	$	(0.09)	$	(0.07)

There were no options outstanding and we paid no dividends during the three months ended March 31, 2020 or 2019.

Accounting for stock-based compensation

Accounting for stock-based compensation—We recorded total stock-based compensation expense for our restricted stock awards of $92,000 and $108,000 as general and administrative expenses for the three months ended March 31, 2020 and 2019, respectively. We recorded income tax benefits of $8,000 and $19,000 for the three months ended March 31, 2020 and 2019, respectively, related to vesting of our restricted stock awards.

Recent accounting pronouncements

Recent accounting pronouncements— In August 2018, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) No. 2018-14, Compensation—Retirement Benefits—Defined Benefit Plans—General. This new standard makes changes to the disclosure requirements for sponsors of defined benefit pension and/or other postretirement benefit plans to improve effectiveness of notes to the financial statements. ASU 2018-14 is effective for fiscal years ending after December 15, 2020, and requires retrospective adoption. The adoption of this ASU did not have a material impact on our financial statement disclosures.

In August 2018, the FASB issued ASU No. 2018-13, Fair Value Measurement. This new standard makes changes to the disclosure requirements for fair value measurements to improve effectiveness of notes to the financial statements. ASU 2018-14 is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2019, and generally requires retrospective adoption. The adoption of this ASU did not have a material impact on our financial statement disclosures.