Posted on 05/13/2004 7:29:42 PM PDT by RedBloodedAmerican
RICHMOND, Va. -- North Carolina Speedway will lose its only remaining race and Darlington Raceway will have just one as part of a realignment plan for 2005, a NASCAR source told The Associated Press on Thursday.
The source, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Texas Motor Speedway and Phoenix International Raceway would each get an additional race.
An announcement by NASCAR chairman Brian France was scheduled for Friday at Richmond International Raceway, the source said.
NASCAR officials declined to discuss specifics of France's announcement, saying only that the series has decided not to return to the track in Rockingham, N.C.
The changes mean North Carolina Speedway will have lost both of its Nextel Cup weekends in the span of a year. The struggling track's other date was given to California Speedway at the start of this season.
Darlington, the original NASCAR superspeedway in South Carolina and host of the prestigious Southern 500, would be left with only one race for the first time since it began staging two in 1960. The remaining Darlington event will be run on Mother's Day weekend in a departure from NASCAR tradition. The series has always been idle on Easter Sunday and Mother's Day.
Under the realigned schedule, Texas will gain a race in November -- during the 10-race dash for the championship. Phoenix would add a race in the spring, the source said.
Rockingham, a NASCAR track since 1965, and Darlington, in the series since 1950, routinely fail to sell out their races.
It is not immediately clear how the changes affect a 2-year-old lawsuit filed by a Texas Motor Speedway shareholder who sued NASCAR over its refusal to award a second event to the track in Forth Worth, Texas.
Francis Ferko, a shareholder in Speedway Motorsports Inc., which owns and operates Texas and five other tracks, filed suit after SMI's board of directors refused to sue NASCAR. The suit claims NASCAR breached "implied'' and "express'' contracts by not awarding a second Cup race to Texas.
SMI chairman Bruton Smith and Texas Motor Speedway president Eddie Gossage have contended since the $250 million track opened in 1997 that they have not been given a second date by NASCAR as promised.
NASCAR has maintained it never promised Texas another race.
Brian France is running this like a money making business instead of like his dad; out of passion to race.
Brian will cause it to fail.
The gentrification of NASCAR. Sad to see.
So who owns Rockingham and Darlington? ISC? Eventually is it going to be down to two or three owners of tracks-Bruton Smith, Penske, and ISC?
I wanted TMS to have another race, but not at the expense of the Rock! Sheesh, that's like moving the baseball hall of fame out of Cooperstown!
Gordon will be disappointed!
Brian has sold out his Grandmother for a few bucks on Mothers Day...
My dad always said, "Dance with the one that brung ya".
The Texas race they have now came from N. Wilkesboro, I think.
Sucks.
I can barely bring myself to watch one race at phoenix. damn.
I could see dropping a road course race. I am not sure, but wonder how many people pay to get into the Rock, versus how many at other places. Is it because the income is less, or because the track isn't "selling out"?
You are correct. I used to work N. Wilkesboro for ESPN and it went to Texas when that track opened.
From what I can remember, Bruton bought part of it and took a race date?
I've read it's to allow track owners to move dates from smaller tracks in smaller markets to larger ones.
I don't remember the details other than N. Wilkesboro got dropped from the circuit because the event was going to TX and I never got to go to N. Wilkesboro again.
HAL-LE-LUUUUUUUUUJAH!
I have not missed one race at TMS since it opened. I am all for tradition and it is too bad that it comes at the expense of some of those tracks. Ultimately I don't care where our 2nd date came from.
You guys down in the SE have plenty of great tracks in the area. Other than TMS, the closest tracks from here are 10-15 hours away, depending on where you live. That makes it difficult to go to more than one a year, which should be a fundamental right.
This was inevitable. The track never sold out and the teams ate tires here like there was no tomorrow. And it was boring.
Boys, Boys......Don't you know NASCAR is just another form of wrestling.....all entertainment and not much of any real competition....different teams for different reasons each weekend get "the nod" from the highest authorities in NASCAR to cheat / max out the HP and whatever else to have the "unfair advantage" for that weekend without any pre or post race inspections or penalties. Oh yea, all you hear about is the template and the outside, but it is all done under the hood and / or with the suspension. now that doesn't mean you will win, but stay out of trouble and have little luck and you can go when you need to with the added HP....just don't "stink up the show".....keep you mouth shut and one day you may likely get the same opportunity. Also don't ever complain about anything anytime or you will be looked over too. The guys don't run for purses anymore (big time salaries) so it doesn't really hurt their pockets. sponsors of cars and races, or the makes of cars like winning in their car at their sponsored events....so do the "official" sponsors of NASCAR who also have a little change left over from the NASCAR contribution....and jr always plays well at Daytona and Talladega....not always been this way so much as it is now....and yes it is the holy dollar.....and they're big these days....
By the way, TMS (SMI) never got a single race date like all of the NASCAR (ISC), penski, and other long time independent tracks did....SMI they had to buy N Wilkesboro and split the two dates with the then new owner of New Hampshire track....who at the last minute jumped in to block SMI from having both dates....penski no longer has any tracks....he later sold them all to ISC (NASCAR) after being a silent blocker against SMI from becoming an equal in track ownership with ISC (NASCAR)....many of the former track owners did not like either SMI or ISC and thought penski would be better....but little did they know....what was happening.... all of the past and new tracks received at least one initial date to race from the NASCAR gods....even CA which is having problem selling out one date got a second date this year before TMS was given this second date....SMI and NASCAR both own the rock but again NASCAR got the upper hand until now when penski stepped in and prevented 50-50 with SMI.....he then l believe sold out to NASCAR too....all in limbo until now when apparently France seniors (SMI - NASCAR) memory was not as good as Bruton Smith’s (SMI)in depositions for the "so called" stockholder suit....can you really guess whose suit it likely is....but they really couldn't do it
Oh yea by the way....I don't know any of this for sure....no inside....just a good story hey.....total fiction.....it once was WINSTON CUP and now it’s just another cup by a different name....NEXTEL....anyone hear WINSTON CUP anymore....no one remembers right....no one remembers any of the fans that made it so popular anymore either....only my opinion....i know nothing for sure....make that clear....but i was involved on track side of the sport for over 15 years....just my two cents worth....don't really follow the races anymore....don't like alot of the changes / the focus / the lack of tradition....those were the good ole days and also don't like watching commercials 25 minutes out of an hour attempting to do so if I wanted to!!
This has nothing to do with the France family selling out. It has everything to do with the lawsuit and that if the case went to trial they were likely going to have to sell ISC b/c of antitrust rules and their conflict of interest.
As it stands the France family owns NASCAR and ISC. Like other sports, say MLB, NASCAR is solely responsible for making the schedule each year. Unlike MLB though, which regulates franshises, NASCAR regulates the tracks. While Bud Selig is the commish and owner of the Brewers, all teams are treated equally. All NASCAR tracks are not. There is evidence that he is not playing fair with SMI and granting ISC preference in playing with the schedule.
Bruton built TMS as his crown jewel. He was told he was going to get a date from NASCAR before it was built. Bruton built the track with two dates in mind and set out to get a 2nd date based on those promise. Bruton and Bob Bahre bought N.Wilksboro and split its dates. TMS got one date and NHIS got the other. NASCAR never fulfilled their deal with Bruton. Meanwhile there is a large demand for a 2nd date. France wasn't just screwing over Bruton, he screwed over business partners who invested with that knowledge; the City of Ft. Worth and State of TX, which spent taxpayer $ widening highways and building new overpasses; and most importantly the fans, by giving away dates to other tracks that cannot fill their seats and denying TMS, which draws between 200k-300k on Sunday, more than every track but Indianapolis.
Last year, NASCAR takes away from NCMS and gives to California. CA is an inferior track to TMS by all counts. It doesn't draw nearly as many people and gets smaller ratings. I don't know how the fanfare is, but I seriously doubt it is better than TMS. Nobody was even talking about whether CA was getting a 2nd date before they did. Moreover, CA already had two races in it's state, and one nearby in Phoenix.
From those two examples we can draw this: (1) NASCAR does not make any deals, owners can fend for themselves. This explains the irrational transfer from NCMS to CA, which they both owned. That doesn't explain all the new tracks lately that have been given dates. (2) They give dates on a need basis. Those new tracks needed dates and TMS didn't. This doesn't explain CA and not TMS, or CA and not others, say KY.
I'm sure you actually realize that NASCAR has no policy. They They build tracks of inferior quality and discriminate in giving out dates. I've been to Chicagoland, it's a dump and the fanfare sucked.
Don't get me wrong, I simply talking about the NASCAR sanctioning body, not the sport. Too much concentrated power is not a good thing, just look at the federal government.
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