at Fridays news conference, Fort Worth Texas.
But it’s also important to fans in New England, who have supported what will come to be called New Hampshire Motor Speedway, to know what will happen in 2009 and beyond.
“Don’t be nervous,” Smith said when asked to address potential anxiety among that fan base. “... In buying speedways, we’ve always done some great things. I am expecting to do some great things in New Hampshire as well. ... We will make enough changes there that you will have to like some of them.”
Smith has made remarkable changes at Bristol, Atlanta, Las Vegas and Infineon, and he redid the track here twice at this $350 million showplace trying to get it right.
He’s contemplating big change of one kind or another at Lowe’s Motor Speedway, too – either spending millions to renovate it or building a whole new track as a result of a spat with the city of Concord over his plans to build a drag strip. Smith said Friday that his New Hampshire purchase doesn’t impact his decisions about the Charlotte move one way or another.
But Smith also bought Rockingham, harvested its date and shut it down. He also got a date when he bought 50 percent of North Wilkesboro. Bob Bahre had the other half of the defunct North Wilkesboro property, but that’s part of the deal announced Friday, too.
Chris Powell, the general manager of Smith’s track in Las Vegas, stood at the edge of the stage the whole time. After the news conference, Powell was surrounded by reporters and said he’d lobby to get a second race for his track each year.
I think he’ll get it, but I am not yet 100 percent convinced it will be at New Hampshire’s expense.
Atlanta had a lot of empty seats last week, and there haven’t been many of those in the years New Hampshire has hosted Cup races.
With the deal expected to close early next year, the 2008 races at New Hampshire would be held under Smith’s reign.
I think that bigger and better will be comming to NHMS ! 