[Team Yates]

Bruton looking at Dover? Speedway Motorsports Inc. owner Bruton Smith said on Tuesday that, based on conversations he has had with Dover officials, the track is "more or less for sale." Smith's company, Speedway Motorsports Inc., owns six NASCAR tracks and is buying another in Sparta, Ky., for a reported $78 million. Dover Motorsports Inc. president and CEO Denis McGlynn would not speak in detail about the Delaware track's status. "I can never read [Smith's] mind," McGlynn said Wednesday. "These situations can be somewhat frustrating as a publicly held company. We don't, and cannot, comment on acquisitions. We are not allowed to speculate." McGlynn insists that moving one or both of the track's dates to another venue wouldn't make sense. "Under any circumstance, whether we remain the way we are or are sold, the markets don't change," McGlynn said. "We're the only track in NASCAR that serves four markets -- Philadelphia, Baltimore, Washington, D.C., and New York." Despite its proximity to those four major cities, Dover Motorsports earnings have been up and down in recent years, according to financial reports. In 2007, the company's earnings topped $86 million, compared to $91 million in 2006 and 2005, $84 million in 2004 and $78 million in 2003. The track's ownership is separate from that of the adjoining casino, hotel and harness racing operations, which are owned by Dover Downs Gaming & Entertainment Inc.(Delaware News Journal)(5-29-200

[BiscuitMan]

To make matters more interesting, Marathon Partners LP, who owns 7½% of Dover Motorsports Inc. on Thursday sent a letter to the board of directors of Dover International Speedway urging the company to sell. Mario D. Cibelli, the manager of the largest outside shareholder of Dover Motorsports Inc. said in his letter:

"We're really getting down to the end of a consolidation of the industry. It's clear Dover does not have an independent future. In my opinion, it's time to do something now."

Cibelli said he hasn't talked to another shareholder that doesn't agree with his position. This is like the opening of the waters. Bruton Smith will most likely get ownership of the Dover track and its race dates. But, don't expect it to be cheap. The shareholders nearly $90 million in profit annually. Surely, they are selling the track and it potential profits. Bruton Smith will have to pay a lot more for Dover than he did for Kentucky Speedway.