What will Bruton do with New Hampshire?
20 Comments Quote selected text Published November 13th, 2007 in NASCAR News
Bruton Smith admits that, at $340 million in cash, he might have overpaid for New Hampshire International Speedway and its two Nextel Cup race dates.
But now he owns it and the other suitors — International Speedway Corp., George Gillett, John Henry and the owners of Kentucky Speedway — don’t.
“Maybe I did pay too much,” Smith said. “I wouldn’t disagree. But there were four or five other entities that wanted it. I’d prefer that it ended up the way it did.”
Smith, chairman of Speedway Motorsports Inc., now must determine how he’s going to make his money back, which to a large degree could determine if NHIS retains its two Nextel Cup dates or if one shifts to Las Vegas Motor Speedway, an SMI track Smith calls the greatest in the world. Las Vegas has one Cup date.
In the days after the Nov. 2 announcement, Smith was noncommittal about his plans for NHIS, while others in the sport were convinced he’d made the acquisition just to get a second date for Vegas, where he has spent an estimated $120 million the past few years to make over the track.
“Bruton is a lot brighter than I’ll ever be, but he’d be foolish to move a race from here,” said Bob Bahre, who sold NHIS to Smith. “If he wants another one in Las Vegas, he ought to take it from Atlanta (another SMI track). That place never sells out.”
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Smith is ruining NASCAR
So if it comes down to a choice, take one from Atlanta instead of NH? Life is all about choices, so if this happens my choice as a purchaser of reserved camping and seats in the new Winners chairback section for both NASCAR weekend events will be if they take one event I will give up the other and pick up an extra Dega event or maybe do the July Daytona race, so by all means have at it!
How about option 3: Move the two Atlanta race dates to warmer weather times and see if they sellout or even come close. Then keep both dates up here at New Hampshire Motor Speedway and remove one Cup race date from California that even with great weather, can’t sellout worth period.
I would hate to see Nhew Hampshire loss a date because they sellout and that’s my home track and I would hate to see Atlanta loss a Cup race date because the racing is great, it has that wow factor.
One more thing, Hopefully Smith-SMI creates a better racetrack up at New Hampshire, try a similer Phoenix, more banking or a 3/4 mile.
I sure hope they don’t take one of our Atlanta races away from us. I go nearly every year.
… and it is cold as HELL when we go, by the way.
…but the coldest race I have ever been to in my life was the 2007 Daytona 500. My parents had to go back to the truck half way through the race.
Nascar really seems to pick to worst dates in which to go to
the tracks. It’s always extremely cold or raining, and every
once in a while, boiling. But I guess they don’t have much
control of when they run each race.
Yeah California needs to lose the Labor Day race. I’ve been the last 3 years, and it’s been 105+ every time. It doesn’t cool down much when the sun goes down either. The race is boring though too.
He’ll bank one set of turns high and flatten the other like a pancake. He’ll go crazy and grind it up like he did at Charlotte and Texas. Then we’ll see record amounts of yellows. Goodyear will be clueless again and tires and driver safety will become a hot topic again. Please, Bruton! Don’t screw it up!.
Anybody else read his quotes as saying “I bought it so I contoll the dates, and now im going to close it and sell it because I could care less about this area”
But shocker to him, he only controlls the NHIS dates for next year which are allready set in stone. He could say I only want one race at NHIS, but NASCAR could say.. screw you were racing their 52 times in 26 weeks.
Ok you guys got a few wrong owners. Bruton Smith didnt grind up Lowes because he doesnt own it. Next NHIS races are 2 of the most boring races of the season and definately doesnt deserve a chase race at all.Atlanta needs to renovate the facility and move a date from October to August or March to May. Vegas should get the 2nd Cup date, but anyone been to Vegas in September, its a Desert.
Take it to the bank, HE will move a race, maybe both, he is in it for the money and the prestige of saying “I OWN IT, I’ll MOVE IT!, bottom line. Just wait and see in 2009…….
Between Bruton buying dates and Hendrick buying championships, not
looking good for the fan base….
I hope both dates are kept at New Hampshire but most of all, I hope that he keeps the Busch East and Whelen Mods. Most of the time they put on a better show that the cup, busch, and truck. I hope Smith can see how they help the rising stars bet publicity such as Joey Logano, Martin Truex, Donny Lia, Woody Pitkat, and all of the other stars that those series have and will produce!
I think he’ll keep the East and the WMT tours, as well as the SCCA races that go on their. Most of his tracks allready have something like that, and since there is no easy way to build a legends track… he wont really be able to easly run them so look for all the “support” series races to stay there.
No way in hell is he somehow putting another boring 1.5 mile track in the chase.
I agree. Im sick of the same old 1.5 mile tracks. NASCAR should add some variety to their schedule and make there be an equal amount of each type of track. In the summer, there is a string of all 1.5 mile tracks and i almost turn the tv off. Its boring seeing the same race each week
I agree. Im sick of the same old 1.5 mile tracks. NASCAR should add some variety to their schedule and make there be an equal amount of each type of track. In the summer, there is a string of all 1.5 mile tracks and i almost turn the tv off. Its boring seeing the same race each week!
Yes, Smith does on Lowe’s. Lowe’s is part of SMI and Smith owns that. He is going to move the Texas Nov race from the 8th race in the chase to the 1st race in the chase and NHIS to the 8th instead of the 1st in 2009, because he loses so much money at the Texas race in Nov (opening weekend for deer season). I have not heard if he is going to take away a date and give it to another track yet, but I did hear about this.
mrnascar68 wrote:
That is IF NASCAR decides they would rather have Texas as the first race in the chase.