This is kind of interesting......

Kansas Kid · May 15, 2001

http://www.thatsracin.com/01/0519/0515series.htm

DAVID POOLE

The Charlotte Observer

The formation of a new stock-car racing series will be announced Tuesday at a news conference at Spirit Square in uptown Charlotte.

While the founders of the Team Racing Auto Circuit, or TRAC, plan to position the series as a "complementary" series to NASCAR's Winston Cup circuit, a certain degree of rivalry seems inevitable.

The new circuit hopes to attract national television exposure and plans to race on at least some of the same tracks at which the Winston Cup cars compete.

"We are not going to go after the drivers who are in NASCAR," said Jon Pritchett, president and chief operating officer of Maxx Motorsports, a Greenville, S.C.-based company that is part of the group backing the new series. "We believe firmly that we can serve markets that are underserved by stock car racing. We believe there is a lot of room to grow.

"We are not going to say people should watch this instead of Winston Cup. We see our concept as a way to create new fans and to give current fans something else."

Pritchett said he preferred to reserve the details for Tuesday's announcement, but he did provide some of the framework for the new series.

The circuit would run on oval tracks, he said, both at some where no Winston Cup race is now held and at some where there now are Cup races.

It would seem unlikely that any TRAC event would be staged at a track owned by International Speedway Corporation, NASCAR's sister company. Pritchett said NASCAR has been told that Tuesday's announcement is forthcoming.

While Pritchett said Speedway Motorsports Inc. chairman Bruton Smith will not be a stakeholder in TRAC, it is more likely that his tracks, like Lowe's Motor Speedway in Charlotte, would be part of the new venture.

Pritchett said TRAC races would be scheduled with an eye toward avoiding conflicts with Winston Cup dates. He said the new circuit's season would not be as long as the 36-race Cup schedule but would include enough events "to be a significant product."

Pritchett said the group making Tuesday's announcement has been working on it for about 18 months. He said a group of about 10 investors is behind the project with a larger group of people with motorsports backgrounds acting in an advisory capacity.

The Observer has learned that at least two former Winston Cup team owners, Cale Yarborough and Michael Kranefuss, are among those involved in the TRAC project. Another person involved in the deal is Robert Wussler, who has been president of CBS Sports, CBS Television and Turner Broadcasting System.

(Edited by Kansas Kid at 11:15 pm on May 14, 2001)

Zane · May 15, 2001

Here we go again. Another "New league" ,sponsered by a tv network.

Can you say Ex-XFL?

General Lee 01 · May 15, 2001

Does this mean we'll see Former XFL cheerleaders in the pits? :biggrin:

May 15, 2001

More stock cars+more TV coverage=more drinkin' time

May 17, 2001

I looked into this a little more and while I like the idea, I don't think that it has much hope of surviving.

They will have a common chassis/body/engine combo, race at 1-2mile tracks, all oval.

The teams will be franchised to cities willing to participate and teams will buy their way in. It sounds to me like a cross between ASA and IROC. If they don/t get in NASCAR's way and have a TV package, it might work.

But if NASCAR does not endorse them, they won't run on any NASCAR tracks. The track owners can't jeopardize their NASCAR dates.

General Lee 01 · May 17, 2001

The Idea i read about was having 2 cars from one city (I.E, New York), and they'd be on the same team and called "Team New York". Or something of that nature.

It sounds like a cross between racing and football.

Racing+football=Nothing I want to watch.

May 17, 2001

Quote: from General Lee 01 on 11:43 am on May 17, 2001
The Idea i read about was having 2 cars from one city (I.E, New York), and they'd be on the same team and called "Team New York". Or something of that nature.

It sounds like a cross between racing and football.

Racing+football=Nothing I want to watch.

That is where the "franchising" of teams comes in. They are only allowing acertain number of teams, This way all the teams will race. There has been talk about doing that in WC for years because million dollar sponsors can't make the race.

These teams will run a season, championship finals and a championship.

Elwood · May 18, 2001

As for franchising NASCAR, I hope it never happens. I like it like it is. BUT I wouldn't mind another "league". Could be a good breeding ground for future NASCAR stars, and a good place for others to rejunvenate their careers. And it's MORE RACING, how could that be bad. But then again, I watched the XFL games too, so I'm sure I'm a minority. I liked it for the same reasons.