Texas Motor Speedway

[Elwood]

No change in NASCAR stance, no second Cup race for Texas

By STEPHEN HAWKINS

AP Sports Writer

January 22, 2002

 

 

FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) -- NASCAR president Mike Helton knew the question, and had the same answer. There are no plans for a second Winston Cup race at Texas Motor Speedway.

 

``This is not a new issue. This is not a new question,'' Helton said Tuesday during a visit to the track. ``It has been played out quite a bit and it's not changed.''

 

The long-running debate continues between NASCAR officials and TMS owner Bruton Smith, who maintains that he has been promised a second Cup date for Texas.

 

Texas was never actually given a Winston Cup date. The speedway got its current race when Smith's Speedway Motorsports Inc., which also owns five other tracks, bought half the racing facility in North Wilkesboro, N.C., and moved one of that track's races to Texas.

 

``It doesn't matter how we got here, we are here,'' Helton said during TMS' annual media day. ``The debate will go on as to how we got here to start with and if we will be here twice. In the meantime, we're here racing. And it's a great market, a great facility.''

 

Smith didn't attend Tuesday, but last week reasserted his position about the $250 million Texas facility while talking to reporters at Lowe's Motor Speedway in North Carolina, one of his other tracks.

 

``When you're doing all these things and you build a monument to the sport -- as I did down there -- I guess what we're looking for is some consideration,'' Smith said. ``Such as, you know, the date that we didn't get yet.''

 

Helton, who became the sanctioning body's president in November 2000, said he's not aware of any promise made by NASCAR officials to Smith.

 

TMS general manager Eddie Gossage said Helton wasn't involved in the discussions in 1996 -- a year before the first Cup race in Texas and when Bill France Jr., now NASCAR chairman, was the president.

 

``Our position is the same as it always has been,'' Gossage said. ``We've been just as enthusiastic in our discussions privately with Mike and Mr. France as we have been with our position publicly in the media.''

 

Texas Motor Speedway, a 1 1/2 -mile track, has 154,861 permanent seats with room for about 53,000 spectators on the infield. All five previous Winston Cup races have been sold out and another sellout of more than 200,000 spectators is expected April 7 for the Samsung/RadioShack 500.

 

``This is state of the art. This track, in most ways, is second to none,'' said driver Mark Martin, the 1998 Winston Cup winner at Texas and a three-time Busch champ there. ``It's a wonderful facility and a great place to come race. But I don't expect to be coming here twice anytime soon.''

 

NASCAR will run 36 Winston Cup races, the same as last year when Chicago and Kansas City were added to the schedule. Both of those new tracks are owned by International Speedway Corp., which is run by the same group that controls NASCAR.

 

 

I like TMS, but I loved North Wilkesboro.  I like the new tracks in Chicago and Kansas.  I think that NASCAR should run as many tracks as they can.  The old and new.  If that means one per year for most tracks, or all tracks (except maybe Daytona and Talladega) then so be it.  Why not run 36 races on 34 different tracks.  Or even on 36 different for that matter.  But if you keep any double dates Daytona and Talladega shold get them, then Charlotte.  That's just my$.02.  What do you guys think?

[Kansas Kid]

I'm starting to like TMS as well.  The first year the racing was pretty poor, but it always is at the first year tracks.  They poured all kinds of money into the track surface to make it competitive, and the last two years it seems to have been working.  I think its gonna be a good track.  I think KC will be good in about 2 years, but I'm not sure on Chicagoland yet.  It may take a good 5 years, or some work on the track surface to make that place competitive, cause it was worse then Texas in its first year.

 

As for the rest of the schedule, I'd make a few minor changes.  First order of business would be to completely eliminate NHIS and Homestead from the schedule.  They don't have competetive races there, and never will.  Those two tracks are not made for stock car racing.  So if we eliminate those 3 races, I have to add a couple more.  I'd add one race at North Wilkesboro (assuming the track was fixed up) one at the speedway in Kentucky, and get somebody to build another 3/4 mile short track for the final race date.  

[MountaineerTom]

I'm starting to like TMS as well.  

 

I'd add one race at North Wilkesboro (assuming the track was fixed up) one at the speedway in Kentucky, and get somebody to build another 3/4 mile short track for the final race date.  

I don't really care for TMS that much.  Too much like Charlotte, an now Atlanta.  I wouldn't turn down going to a race there though.

 

I like those three choices too.  Maybe add Gateway or Indy Raceway Park (IRP) in there too, if they were built up to hanle Winston Cup traffic/fans/etc.  They usually have some good Busch races there.

[quadrunner500]

I went to the race at Texas Motor Speedway last April. Awesome facility. I'm with Bruton Smith. Problem for him, he's not played homage to the politics of Nascar. Hosting 2 IRL races every year, trying to host 1 Cart race didn't help. Being from Texas does not put you in the good graces of Dixie. Texas was a reluctant participant in the confederacy, but Sam Houston was against slavery.

[General Lee 01]

Maybe add Gateway or Indy Raceway Park (IRP) in there too, if they were built up to hanle Winston Cup traffic/fans/etc.  They usually have some good Busch races there.

The new Nashville speedway would be a good one too.

[Guest Friz]

I went to the race at Texas Motor Speedway last April. Awesome facility. I'm with Bruton Smith. Problem for him, he's not played homage to the politics of Nascar. Hosting 2 IRL races every year, trying to host 1 Cart race didn't help. Being from Texas does not put you in the good graces of Dixie. Texas was a reluctant participant in the confederacy, but Sam Houston was against slavery.

I think that NASCAR is still and will always be upset with Bruton Smith over some racetrack controversy about 7-10 years ago.

It seems Mr. Smith owned enough tracks to have some say in how NASCAR handled some of their affairs, mainly purses and dates. There weren't enough tracks to handle the NASCAR WC season if Bruton pulled out and he knew it.

Big Bill France went nuts getting some more tracks built to shut out Bruton Smith. He has done it. Bruton could now say, "If NASCAR doesn't do it my way, I won't let them race here." And NASCAR would pull out and leave him high and dry. A few years ago that wasn't possible on NASCAR's behalf. I doubt we'll ever see Texas get a second date. I also predict that Smith's tracks with two dates (i.e., Bristol, Atlanta) will lose one before anyone else's.