[Stoney]

Friday at 2pm Bruton Smith is expected to announce his purchase of land in New York City and will move the Charlotte races. The move comes after Concord residents complained about the track owners plans to build a NHRA drag strip on the properties. It is rumored that New York has offered incentives in the 2 billion range for Smith to move the races including the Winston All Star race to the new track in Manhattan. A last minute ditch effort by North Carolina buisnesses is being made to save the track or offers to build a new track in Charlotte seem to be falling on deaf ears. Bruton Smith was quoted as saying he is 90% sure that the track is leaving for good. If the races are gone from Charlotte you can expect a mass exodus of drivers and jobs in the Charlotte Mooresville. Most likey these teams and drivers would relocate to Texas in order to be centralized to the other tracks NASCAR now races on. The really sad thing is NC was the birthplace of NASCAR and now these teams and trackowners have sold out. Greed has extinguished any hopes of getting back races at North Wilkesboro or Rockingham or Darlington and now you can add Charlotte to the list. I never would have believed Phillip Morris would have closed down thier operation in Concord either. This will have a domino effect in Charlotte. What was one of the fastest growing sportstowns in America is about to become a ghost town. If NASCAR pulls up stakes how long will it be before the Panthers go to LA or some other football market? The same thing with the Bobcats. Nations bank will probably move thier headquarters after laying off 3,000 last week perhaps moving to Atlanta. After that happens there will be a huge sucking sound as buisnesses associated with NASCAR move out of our area leaving behind a horribly wounded and dying economy. So thanks Bruton Smith for proving you abandoned the roots of NASCAR for money. It has been coming for some time but NASCAR has seen its zenith and will follow the IRL into obscurity in the South. Years ago we saw professional wrestling leave Charlotte gobbled up by the WWE. Now NASCAR is gone soon the only thing that they will have to do is argue who is going to pay all the high taxes?

[kcoruol]

They're going to build a drag strip and a NASCAR track in Manhatten?!

Can somebody please tell me how much the real estate is going to cost for that deal?

2 billion dollars? That won't even cover the cost of the property much less to build the thing.

This has to be a joke right!?

[Tuck4Bama]

OK. If this move actually goes through I am finished with NA$CAR.

[Stoney]

I am SOOOOooo done with NASCAR. First they let Toyota in now they move the Charlotte races. Next thing you know they will go international. This was the problem with INDY back in the 60's now NASCAR is going to grow and bloat into a monstrosity I hope they all go broke. The official announcement is Friday Nov 2nd at 2pm.

[LSC9901]

This is the only news I could find on Smith and Nov 2nd. Where did you read your information Stoney ???

Bruton Smith is up to something, and the absolute truth is I don’t know right now what it is.
Smith, of course, loves that.
Smith did give a couple of interviews on Charlotte radio stations on Wednesday. He told WBT-AM (1110) and WFNZ-AM (610) that he has a “big” announcement planned for 2 p.m. Friday. Presumably, that would come at Texas Motor Speedway, the track he owns near Fort Worth where NASCAR’s top three series will be racing this weekend.
What I called Smith to ask about Wednesday was whether he’d made a deal to buy New Hampshire International Speedway.
Smith told me he has heard that John Henry and Jack Roush, the owners of Roush Fenway Racing (and, in Henry’s case, of the Boston Red Sox) were interested in buying that track. Smith said he has also heard that George Gillett, Ray Evernham’s partner, might want it. Or that Kentucky Speedway owner Jerry Carroll wants it.
What I asked him, though, was whether he’s bought it, or has a deal to buy it.
He tried to change the subject again, then finally said, “It’s unfortunate that you weren’t able to get up with me for a comment today.” But he also said that I might be able to reach him later this week.
“Are you going to Texas,” he said. I told him I was.
“I am, too!” he said.
Here’s the question: If Smith had to pay a sum that’s somewhere north of $300 million to buy the New Hampshire track, could he on top of that still come up with another chunk of similar size to move his track from Concord to another location in the Charlotte area?
Unless, of course, Smith has struck oil somewhere around his track in Texas. Or maybe it’s natural gas.
Knowing Bruton Smith, just about anything is possible.

[Stoney]

He said on the radio today that this deal was upwards of at least ten times the amount of what the CMS was worth. Who Knows? Bruton has done more to hurt NASCAR than to help it.

[Stoney]

I'm sure you can find his comments on WFNZ Radio 610 AM at WFNZ.COM

[LSC9901]

No argument there but there just isn't anything in print to lead me to believe that he will abandon NC for NYC.

[Stoney]

Originally Posted by LSC9901

No argument there but there just isn't anything in print to lead me to believe that he will abandon NC for NYC.

The comment was made privately to a real estate agent by Humpy Wheeler during a luncheon at the Speedway Club.

[LSC9901]

Originally Posted by Stoney

The comment was made privately to a real estate agent by Humpy Wheeler during a luncheon at the Speedway Club.

and we know about it how ????

[LSC9901]

I'm sorry but this is a National Enquirer story at this point. Show me something substantial, in writing.

[jks812]

Originally Posted by Stoney

The comment was made privately to a real estate agent by Humpy Wheeler during a luncheon at the Speedway Club.

I thought it was on a radio station?

[Stoney]

Call Mark Packer WFNZ Radio and he can fill you in on exactly what was said and who said it and when they said it. Otherwise we will all wait with baited breath for 2pm Friday. The only other person to contact would be the Mayor of the City of Concord North Carolina.

[Stoney]

Originally Posted by jks812

I thought it was on a radio station?

Bruton Smith the "Owner" of the track was on the radio today. Humpy Wheeler the Manager of the track was the one who was overheard with the real estate packages.

[LSC9901]

Originally Posted by Stoney

I'm sure you can find his comments on WFNZ Radio 610 AM at WFNZ.COM

Nothing there.