Free Republic

The dirt track spectacle hearkens back to the origins of NASCAR — moonshine runners attempting to outrun the law in rural Appalachia.Stock car racing is about to get very dirty. On Sunday, NASCAR’s Cup series will race on a dirt track created at the famed Bristol Motor Speedway.While the sport’s truck series ran one dirt race a year from 2013 to 2019 (lockdowns canceled last year’s event), Sunday’s feature represents the first time the sport’s premier series has raced on dirt since September 1970 — a race won by stock car racing’s “king,” Richard Petty.Bristol TransformedThe race this coming weekend,...

On Saturday afternoon, Maryland horse racing once again will take its place in the sporting world’s spotlight with the 136th running of the Preakness Stakes at Baltimore’s Pimlico Race Course. The other 364 days of the year, however, Pimlico and the Maryland racing industry aren’t proving ready for their close-up. Plagued by poor planning and without the expected revenue from slot-machine gambling, Maryland’s storied racing industry has been left with fewer horses, smaller purses, aging facilities and no visible plan for long-term stability. “The state of Maryland racing is not something that happened yesterday morning. It’s been an attrition over...

This is a collection of NBC Nightly News clips that start the nightly broadcast...it is put together over a short period of time and it does nothing else but prove...NBC goes out of its way to give negative news first and constantly...round the clock. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ytj-0SjZ68&NR

ARCADIA, Calif. - Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger vetoed legislation on Thursday that would have increased the takeout on exotic wagers for races in California to help cover the soaring costs of workers' compensation policies held by horsemen. Racing officials said Schwarzenegger's veto was a major setback for an industry that is facing high operating costs in California and losing horsemen and horses to circuits in other states. The legislation, which sailed through the State Assembly and Senate with little opposition, was vetoed because the governor feared it could conflict with his long-term plans to reform the state's beleaguered workers' compensation system,...

Proposed gambling initiative wouldn't help state budget Cardrooms, racetracks could get slot machines SACRAMENTO – A proposed ballot measure that could expand casino gambling in California would generate at least $1 billion a year, but none of that would go to help close the state’s massive budget deficit, according to the nonpartisan Legislative Analyst’s Office. The initiative targeted for the November ballot asks all of the state’s Indian casinos to give 25 percent of their gross winnings to the state. If any tribe refuses, a select group of horse racetracks and cardrooms would get to divide 30,000 slot machines. The...

<p>By improving efficiency in Frankfort, collecting on more debts and using the buying power of Kentucky and its surrounding states to negotiate lower costs for prescription drugs and other means, gubernatorial candidate Ben Chandler believes the state could increase its bottom line by more than $600 million - possibly in the next budget year.</p>

<p>Delaware officials said they would propose legislation next year to help the state's three racetrack slots operators hold on to out-of-state gamblers, now that Maryland and Pennsylvania have elected governors who support allowing slots at tracks in their states.</p> <p>Gov. Ruth Ann Minner, state legislators and local slots operators said they expect laws to be passed next year in Maryland and Pennsylvania allowing racetrack operators to start slot machine gambling at eight tracks, providing competition for casinos at Delaware Park, Dover Downs and Harrington Raceway.</p>

For Gary Drew, the message matters more than the money. Drew is one of the top drivers at Oxford Plains Speedway, with designs on winning his first Pro Stock title at one of New England's most hallowed short tracks. Despite winning the Oxford True Value 250 a year ago, Drew was in the market for a new primary sponsor during the off-season. If you don't have consistent sponsorship in auto racing, you can't have consistent success. What Drew got was a symbiotic match. Before the season, Drew reached an agreement to drive for Kick Butts Racing, a promotional arm of...