jutter@charlotteobserver.com
Charlotte Motor Speedway owner Bruton Smith
says Charlotte might be on
its way to losing one of its two spots on NASCAR’s
Sprint Cup Series
schedule.
During an interview Monday with
WBTV, Smith said there
was a 70 percent chance he would move the October NASCAR race weekend at CMS to
Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
Smith’s Speedway Motorsports Inc. owns both
facilities. Las Vegas currently hosts one Cup series race each March.
“When the game is over, it’ll be money,
money, money. Money will move it,” Smith told WBTV. “I’d say (the chances) are
about 70/30.”
CMS spokesman Scott Cooper said he could not
comment on race dates and locations.
“What I can say is that our team at the
speedway is laser-focused on making this weekend’s Coca-Cola 600 the very best
in our long history. The speedway generates a $420 million dollar economic
impact annually to the region, and most of it occurs right now,” he said.
“We’re looking forward to putting thousands
of people to work this week and entertaining 100,000 plus race fans on Sunday
with our Southern hospitality.”
Asked to comment on Smith’s interview, Jeff
Motley, the Las Vegas track’s vice president of public relations, said he would
defer to Smith.
NASCAR said it has received no formal
request from SMI to move one of its races to another one of its tracks.
“Tracks have the ability to request realignment,” said Steve O’Donnell,
NASCAR’s senior vice president of racing operations. “We review and always
decide based on the best interest of the entire sport of NASCAR.
“We’re beginning the 2014 process now, and
have not had any formal requests to realign.”
Former SMI president H.A. “Humpy” Wheeler
said the moving of a CMS race date would not only be a great loss to Charlotte
but also to the South.
“I don’t know what else could occur to
disappoint the Southern race fan that has brought us to where we are,” he said.
“They lost North Wilkesboro, Rockingham and half of Darlington.
“It would also be a great loss for Charlotte
Motor Speedway and this area.”
Las Vegas Motor Speedway also hosted an
IndyCar Series race during 2011,
but the race was pulled from the 2012 schedule after a 15-car wreck resulted in
the death of two-time Indianapolis 500 winner Dan Wheldon.
