NHIS announcement possible on Friday

[tkj24]

Could Speedway Motorsports, Inc. be expanding its track portfolio?

Sources say that SMI Chairman Bruton Smith has added New Hampshire International Speedway to its holdings. A press conference is scheduled for 2 p.m. CT on Friday at Texas Motor Speedway, at which time the purchase is expected to be announced.
When FOXSports.com asked Smith on Wednesday whether a "little announcement" was on tap for Friday, Smith replied, "There's more truth to that because it's going to be large — enormous!"

Smith would not speculate whether a NASCAR Nextel Cup date from NHIS would be moved to Las Vegas Motor Speedway. In recent years, SMI has lobbied NASCAR for an additional Cup race at the 1.5-mile speedway but have been told no.

New Hampshire International Speedway owner Bob Bahre was not available for comment on Wednesday, but said last month that he'd "talked to about eight different groups of people" regarding the possible purchase of the one-mile track. Bahre partnered with Smith before on the purchase of North Wilkesboro Speedway in 1996 and moved the race dates to NHIS and Texas Motor Speedway, respectively.



Bahre began building the Magic Mile in 1990. He hosted the first Cup race at the Loudon, N.H.-based track in 1993 and has sold out every Cup event since.

In the last few years, Bahre, 80, has admitted that his son and track president Gary, 43, would not "want to run the track alone."

"I'm going on 81," Bahre said. "So someday I want to do something with the track."

Smith added that he met again on Tuesday with "about 25 people" from Concord, N.C. regarding the future of one of his other venues, Lowe's Motor Speedway.

"It was a very friendly meeting," Smith said. "I guess I could say it feels good to be wanted."

Smith's phone continues to ring with proposals for potential track sites throughout the Carolinas. He had additional planning sessions scheduled for Wednesday afternoon.

"I have some full-time engineers working on a lot of different things and have spectacular offers from a lot of people."

SMI currently operates six tracks which host Nextel Cup Series racing: Atlanta Motor Speedway, Bristol Motor Speedway, Infineon Raceway, Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Lowe's Motor Speedway and Texas Motor Speedway.

 

[muggle not]

Doesn't look good for the fans in New England. I am kinda getting tired of all the shenanigans that are happening in Nascar. Time for me to re-consider my priorities in racing.

 

[kat2220]

SMI Buys NHIS



Speedway Motorsports Chairman Bruton Smith has purchased New Hampshire International Speedway.

The price according to one source was more than $350 million.

NHIS was the first superspeedway to be constructed in the United States since 1969 and can accommodate over 100,000 fans. It is by far in the largest sports facility in New England.

September's Sylvania 300 was the 26th consecutive Nextel Cup sellout at NHIS. The speedway has hosted Cup events, in July and September, the latter of which has served as the first race in the Chase since 2004, when NASCAR unveiled its 10-race playoff format.

SMI's acquisition of NHIS gives it 12 Cup dates, including four in the Chase for the Championship, the most coveted of which would be the first race in the Chase. It has been speculated Smith would likely strip NHIS of its Chase date and swap it with one of his other tracks.

Smith has made no secret of the fact that he wants to add a second Cup date to his track in Las Vegas. He also has expressed interest in an earlier date for his second Texas Motor Speedway race to avoid a conflict with the opening of white-tail deer hunting season.

Any changes couldn't take place before 2009 since NASCAR has already set its 2008 schedule.

In 1996, 80-year-old chairman of New Hampshire International Speedway Bob Bahre and Smith bought North Wilkesboro (N.C.) Speedway and divided the two Nextel Cup race dates. The spring race at North Wilkesboro was moved to TMS and the track’s fall race relocated to NHIS.

"I'm going to be 81 years old in February," Bahre told the Boston Globe. "I just felt it was time to move on to some of the other things I'm doing."

Asked if he expected to have a continued role in the operation of NHIS, Bahre said, "I don't know.

"Maybe I'll work there cooking hamburgers or cleaning bathrooms."