[Team Yates]

Lights planned for NHMS, no reconfig: Speedway Motorsports Inc. plans to add lights at New Hampshire Motor Speedway as soon as possible, which would reduce the number of Chase tracks without them to three. SMI chairman Bruton Smith said before Sunday's Chase opener that the only obstacle is getting out of an agreement former owner Bob Bahre made with a group of neighbors that there never would be night racing at the 1.058-mile track. "We will overcome that,'' Smith said. "I feel confident about that. As soon as we do that we will erect lights here.'' Smith believes it should be mandatory for all Chase tracks to have lights to give the best opportunity to get races in on the scheduled date. Had there been lights at New Hampshire on Sunday, officials wouldn't have been under such a tight deadline to get the race started before mid-afternoon. New Hampshire, Dover, Talladega and Martinsville are the only Chase tracks without lights. "I want to make sure we never lose a race,'' Smith said. "Like today, if we had to start at 6 o'clock or 7 or 8 o'clock we could do so. That's the whole thing in a nutshell. And it's good for the fans. We've got to be constantly better for these fans.'' Smith said plans to shorten New Hampshire from just over a mile to a ¾-mile track have been scrapped. "The track is very raceable,'' he said. "A couple of engineers looked [into it]. We look at a lot of things. I don't see that happening.''(ESPN)(9-14-200

[vincesanity82]

In spite of an agreement between former Speedway owner Bob Bahre and area neighbors that lights would never be added to the track, Speedway Motorsports Inc. intends to set up light structures so they can accommodate night-time events in the future. "We will overcome that. I feel confident about that," explained SMI chairman Bruton Smith. The move will reduce the number of Chase tracks without lights to three. Currently, New Hampshire, Dover, Martinsville and Talladega are the only tracks without lights. -- Eagle-Tribune



Johnson loses race and momentum - EagleTribune.com, North Andover, MA

[Racer Duck]

Originally Posted by vincesanity82

In spite of an agreement between former Speedway owner Bob Bahre and area neighbors that lights would never be added to the track, Speedway Motorsports Inc. intends to set up light structures so they can accommodate night-time events in the future. "We will overcome that. I feel confident about that," explained SMI chairman Bruton Smith. The move will reduce the number of Chase tracks without lights to three. Currently, New Hampshire, Dover, Martinsville and Talladega are the only tracks without lights. -- Eagle-Tribune



Johnson loses race and momentum - EagleTribune.com, North Andover, MA

with new owners come new rules/agreements. 'course Bruton could make sure there wasn't any noise at all around the track (or from the town's cash registers) if he doesn't get his way. he always seems to win these types of arguments...

[wingkey1]

Originally Posted by Racer Duck

with new owners come new rules/agreements. 'course Bruton could make sure there wasn't any noise at all around the track (or from the town's cash registers) if he doesn't get his way. he always seems to win these types of arguments...

Yup. Definitely not here in favor of or like the person who wields the large and unreasonable stick, but for a number of reasons fans like the dark time events, and in the "liking" is sustenance/survival.

Communities/municipalities and their individual residents everywhere have begun to hurt (the real personal financial hurtin' hasn't even started yet - batten down yer personal financial hatches - TODAY) so those who can and are willing to represent and offer (threaten?) their corporate stakes and associated common value and contribution in/to the overall local tax burden can be quite influential (beneficial?). Kinda gets represented (perhaps even increasingly accurately/truthfully) as - "without this we gotta leave/shut down" and the taxes we are now be paying will be ------

Louden seats this weekend were - "highly available". Not surprised to see soon - "Walk-ins welcome".

Dover is near ready to send a limo to my door if I will only renew the eight September seats we've held for the last 20+ years. AND feed us. AND include sessions with drivers. Who knows the offer still coming.

While some of the hurtin' in attendance is due to the "TV generation" of race fan, the attendees known here for many a year are most being influenced by the fact that dinner out as well as sports event attendance, being in the category of discretional spending, is being increasingly curtailed. ANYTHING that a venue owner can do to serve the fancy of the fan base (i.e. - dark time events) is worth consideration and possibly investment. Look simply at the recent posts here associated with NOT running the postponed Richmond event in the dark time to see some of the attraction.

Dover has the horse track already lit. Bright night ain't an issue there. Horses do not quite make the same noise, but the nearby air base sure does and it is not limited to daylight only operations.

Wow, what a flippin' ramble. Guess it's a slow news day here.

Lights at NHIS just might indicate/provide longeivity for the track and event(s) there.

Good or bad? It is in the eye of the beholder.