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PettyBenson

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Homestead-Reconstruction of NASCAR's Homestead track is expected to begin soon, according to NASCAR sources, who say that the banking, currently only six degrees, will be increased to 20 degrees for the 11/2-mile facility. The banking at the tour's other 11/2-mile tracks: Las Vegas is 12 degrees; Kansas is 15 degrees; Chicago is 18 degrees; and Atlanta, Charlotte and Texas are all banked 24 degrees. Homestead will be the site of the Winston Cup tour's season finale.


Atlanta- Bruton Smith's organization is making the case that Atlanta's race-day crowd last Sunday, while not a sellout, was still a bigger crowd than eight of the 12 tracks owned by the rival International Speedway Corp. can even seat. NASCAR's Bill France says that the 2004 schedule will be developed to take Winston Cup races out of small, unproductive markets and put them in larger, more productive markets.


Fontana- California Speedway officials are looking for government help in paying the $6 million needed to install lights for a proposed prime-time Winston Cup race in the fall of 2004.

According to one source, next season could have from 15 to 18 night races, most with a proposed 8 p.m. East Coast starting time.


15-18 night races!!!! :bounce: Compared to the 4 or 5 now!!! SWEET

journalnow.com
 
They're adding banking to Homestead? Of course, giving in to all the drivers who feel "uncomfortable" going so fast on a flat track. Maybe a little more banking would be okay, but 20 degrees? Then it would go from an enlargened Martinsville to a California without the curved front straightaway. What's wrong with at least a little uniqueness (even if it is a little boring sometimes)? Or a track that actually challenges a driver?

And 15-18 night races? Why so many? Can't they just be left at 4-5, so that they'd still be special instead of taken for granted? What's going to happen to all the short tracks? Will they still be able to attract fans and drivers, or will they all stay home and watch WC, an thus destroying the track? How will NASCAR be able to survive long-term if they kill off their feeder system like that? Am I just being pessimistic? Or do we have yet more confirmation that NASCAR doesn't care about the weekly racers, and only wants to line their own pockets? Even if they go broke in the long-term?

A penny for your thoughts.
 
I think alot of the night races will still be on sunday. Just my guess but i think most will still be then. If they do have that many i would not be shocked to see NASCAR make it a 2 day weekend. Depends on what the BGN would do. But have WC 1rst Practice on Saturday morning, then either BGN race or happy hour, after that is over then its WC quals. If the BGN race is a night race then it would be held after the CUp Quals. Then on Sunday they would have Happy Hour about noon then the race starting. If its a trippel header have the trucks run a one day event like ASA and ARCA do sometimes

Here is what i think would be good to happen if all 3 sereis ran night races on the same weekend
Friday-
8-10 Truck Practice
11-12:30 Truck Quals
1-3 BGN Practice
5-6:30 BGN Quals
7- Truck race

Saturday-
8-10:00 Cup Pratice
10:30-12 BGN Happy Hour
2-4 Cup Quals
7:00 BGN Race

Sunday-
12:00- 1:30 Cup happy Hour
7- WC Race

That would be IF I was in charge of the event schedual. Try to keep the teams away from the track as much as possible and at home as much as possible. I like the idea but i know even if i submitted soemthing like that to NASCAR it would not even get a glance.
 
I don't think they would start races at that time on a Sunday...a good chunk of the season is run during the school year, and the fans at home and at the track have jobs to get back to on Sunday. The only time that an 8pm start would work is Saturday night, and then we come back to the whole issue of the local short tracks. Bottom line, one or two more night races is okay, but not triple what we have now.
 
On sundays with the schdual i suggested it could be pushed back to 6 or so. The race would still be on at Primetime and end around 10 or so.

As for homestead! I like that idea of addign banking!! I also like the idea of 20 degrees. Thats not how far i would have gone maybe 15, but 20 will have great racing!! Much better than what they have now!! I just can't visualize Homestead with that much !!
 
Originally posted by PettyBenson4510@Mar 15 2003, 05:34 PM
Fontana- California Speedway officials are looking for government help in paying the $6 million needed to install lights for a proposed prime-time Winston Cup race in the fall of 2004.
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I hope they aren't looking for "state' government help. The state is already in the ditch.

And what is it with California where folks expect the government to "help" them with everything?

:rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes:

G.
 
As for miami, what is this? common templates for tracks. Gimme a break, If 20 degrees is what you want, which is fine, then watch every other cookie cutter track. One of the few left that you actually have to turn.
 
How about they build a Bristol type track out here in the west...
 
I think adding 14 degrees of banking to the existing 6 at Homestead is rediculous. I can see 4 degrees, which would give it 10 total which is what PPIR has now in Fountain CO., that would give it just enough to help the cars in the corners. I question how accurate this article is, i have yet to see any official word from Nascar on this subject.
 
Originally posted by stridsberry@Mar 15 2003, 05:44 PM

What's going to happen to all the short tracks? Will they still be able to attract fans and drivers, or will they all stay home and watch WC, an thus destroying the track?
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One of the tracks I attend runs on Sunday night. They get a good crowd despite competeing with NASCAR. I would never consider staying home to watch NASCAR when I can go to a dirt track.
 
I live in Fort Lauderdale, about an hour north of Homestead Miami Speedway, and I can tell you right now that there is no official word on the banking situation at Homestead. Homestead is only 4 feet above the sea level, they have a huge lake the size of the Daytona lake in the infield already with only digging out enough earth to make 4 feet of banking. Adding 16 degrees is not possible, unless the dig out about a mile worth of land outside of the track, which they dont even own. If you see any changes at Homestead, look for it to become the Atlanta of old.
 
Originally posted by racerx11@Mar 15 2003, 10:16 PM
One of the tracks I attend runs on Sunday night. They get a good crowd despite competeing with NASCAR. I would never consider staying home to watch NASCAR when I can go to a dirt track.
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Heck, my local track runs on Thursday night. And they're one of the most successful short tracks in the business, with an average night bringing crowd counts of at least 4,000 and car counts totaling about 100 for 3 divisions. But most short tracks still run on Saturday night, which is why this major push for WC night racing worries me.
 
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