The Rock out? Texas and Calif In?

MountaineerTom · May 3, 2002

From Jayski's

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The word in the garage last weekend at California Speedway was that, once again, officials of the International Speedway Corporation are looking hard at how to add a second Winston Cup date to that Los Angeles area track, which sold out for Sunday's race (although Saturday's Busch race a crowd of only some 25,000). And there are indications that the lawsuit against ISC and NASCAR for not offering Texas Motor Speedway a second Winston Cup date may be putting enough pressure on NASCAR to get it off dead-center on the issue and to make some concessions. One option being considered, according to track sources, is for ISC to take its two Winston Cup dates from North Carolina Motor Speedway at Rockingham and move one to its California track and offer the other to Speedway Motorsports boss Bruton Smith, for either another Texas date or a second Las Vegas date.(Winston Salem Journal)(5-3-2002)

Elwood · May 3, 2002

THAT SUCKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :angry:

N. Wilkesboro was bad enough, now this !?!?!?! :angry:

May 3, 2002

I remember hearing talk of maybe Darlington losing one race in the future. Darlington said that they simply don't have room to expand anything at their facility.

I think Rockingham may be in the same boat. I'd hate for either track to lose both dates, but I also don't want them to lose one so that some boring @ss two-miler can have another date.

I don't want Texas to get another date simply because I think Bruton Smith is an @sshole. I wish NASCAR would tell him to pack sand. There are plenty of good tracks out there with NO WC dates. NASCAR could dump Bruton's tracks for two years, by them from the bank that handles his bankruptcy, and we'd be racin' on all the good tracks without his loud mouth in the mix!

antig24 · May 3, 2002

dang, i hope the rock keeps its dates ???

sincityZ71 · May 3, 2002

Yeah, Texas doesn't deserve a second date. Now Vegas on the other-hand, that would be sweet. I think it would be great if LVMS had a second date, but that is my opinion, maybe cause the track is only 30miles on the other-side of town from me.

May 3, 2002

Bruton Smith has tried to make Texas and Atlanta look and run like Charlotte.

All three tracks have their good and bad points, but all three have different characteristics.

IMO, he ruined Atlanta.

But anyway, why should we have ANOTHER race at Texas when the three tracks are so similar?

I'd rather see another race at Las Vegas, myself.

Can y'all tell that I don't like Bruton Smith?

MountaineerTom · May 3, 2002

IMO, he ruined Atlanta...

...I'd rather see another race at Las Vegas, myself.

Can y'all tell that I don't like Bruton Smith?

I agree. :angry:

burgundyz71 · May 4, 2002

Bruton Smith I agree is a piece of CRAP, Wish it was still the good ol' days when the tracks were all different and still had Wilkesboro. I also agree Atlanta was a better track before they made it Charolette Jr.

ekonk · May 5, 2002

I don't see them stripping the Rock of both its races, but it wouldn't surprise me to see one go. I'd really hate to see it go to smith for reasons already said.

I'm on a personal boycott of winston cup lately. I know NASCAR doesn't care whether I watch or not, and I'm not expecting to change anything, but I've been getting my news on WC from 2nd/3rd hand sources (like this forum, friends, etc.). I'm doing this for a couple reasons. The main reason is restrictor plates....it makes for a real boring race until there's a big crash where drivers can get hurt. Cars not being able to pass each other is not excitement. :angry: I also don't like them not having a N. Wilkesboro race, I don't like provisional starts, I don't like dumb penalties (the Kevin Harvick incident comes to mind...not that a penalty was unwarranted). I hate it when they put races on FX (I don't get that channel). I'm sure there are some more reasons, but I'm done ranting for now...

Elwood · May 6, 2002

It wouldn't suprise me if the Rock lost both dates at all. I never thought N. Wilkesboro would be off the circuit, but it is.

I have no problem with any of the tracks losing one date in order to add a [new track[/b] to the circuit, but taking them just to give them to tracks they already run is not a good thing.

I hold the same opinion of Bruton Smithh that most of you do, but I do like TMS, I just don't like him. I think they should bring back Wilkesboro, and if they have to give up one date at the tracks with two in order to add new tracks fine. But quit letting Smith manipulate them and basically run the show for them.

May 6, 2002

IMO, about five years ago, Bruton held quite a few cards in NASCAR Poker. He owned (and still does) a lot of tracks and was telling NASCAR that HE and HE alone controlled who would race on HIS tracks and when. NASCAR got caught sleeping. They were stuck with Bruton's tracks!

Now, with soooooo many new tracks being built and people all over the country willing to pay big money for a WC race, NASCAR could put Bruton Smith on the skids if they wanted and he knows it. He is being a lot more polite than he was five years ago...

General Lee 01 · May 6, 2002

If I was a fan from Texas, I'd be a little bit offended about what you guys are saying.

Not that I disagree, I do think Bruton Sh*t is an butt, butI don't think it's right to bash a track just because he runs it.

Elwood · May 6, 2002

Like I said. I hold the same opinion of Smith as most people one here, but I do like TMS.

Shaners · May 7, 2002

Here is my opinion... These tracks put me to sleep when I watch them on TV.

I love short track racing! I love watching these loud and powerful machines rubbing paint and dishing it out.

There will always be a place in my heart for the super speedway, but if all the grass roots stuff is eliminated, then NASCAR will become boring.

As much as I dislike the way that Bruten has become a mogul for WC, he has done wonders for Bristol.

I've watched WC racing since as long as I can remember. This was before cable TV or Satalite dishes and if you wanted to see a race on the "telly" then you better tune into ABC's Wide World of Sports. I can remember R Petty running the superbirds and the good old racing of Yarborough. I can still picture the old "Wrangler" car beating it's way up through the field!!!

Personally, I'm tired of races like Michigan, California, Texas, Vegas etc... There's no doubt they are cool and I don't want to open up a new can of worms (probably too late now), but these races are boring...

I've done the Petty ride along program at Vegas and it'll be something I never forget... but I can't even imagine what a few laps at Bristol would be like (and then add 42 more cars).

The Winston Cup Roots (IMO) come from HotRods and MoonShine... So be it...

May 7, 2002

If I was a fan from Texas, I'd be a little bit offended about what you guys are saying.

Not that I disagree, I do think Bruton Sh*t is an butt, butI don't think it's right to bash a track just because he runs it.

Sorry if I offended anyone concerning the Texas Motor Speedway. Not sorry if I offended anyone slamming Bruton.

Texas, Charlotte, and Atlanta are all nice facilities that put on great racing. What I see as the problem is that they are all too much alike now.

Considering that Charlotte is the original design, Atlanta should have been left alone and Texas should have its own design different than Charlotte.

Ditto for Michigan and California.