Speedway Will Stay In Concord
Concord Mayor Scott Padgett's phone rang just before 6 p.m. Wednesday. On the other end of the line: Lowe's Motor Speedway owner Bruton Smith. "We have an agreement," Smith said. With that, the speedway will stay in Concord, where Smith's company will receive about $80 million in incentives in return for spending at least $100 million on renovations and upgrades.

Smith's decision to stay in Concord caps a seven-week saga involving one of Cabarrus County's biggest taxpayers, its biggest tourist draw and a signature sports venue in the Charlotte region. Still undisclosed, however, are exactly which incentives Smith will receive, and what he'll spend on track improvements.

Smith declined to give details in a brief interview Wednesday night but said there were many reasons he is staying in Concord. A big one, he said, was the number of appeals by residents, merchants and others -- "many thousands" of people -- to not close the speedway after 47 years in Cabarrus County. "It's just been amazing," Smith said. "That kind of thing makes you feel a strong obligation."

Since early October, the speedway's future has been in jeopardy after Smith threatened to close it and build another track elsewhere in the Charlotte region. The billionaire's threat was in response to an Oct. 1 vote by the Concord City Council blocking construction of a drag strip on speedway property. City leaders wanted more data on how noise would affect nearby residents, but Smith instead began considering other locations for the speedway.

As Smith said he was being courted by other communities offering land and tax breaks, Concord leaders began to backtrack. They reversed their drag strip vote and made appeals to keep the track open, including asking the state to name a road after Smith.

City, county and state officials also began working with Smith on incentives for him to renovate and upgrade the speedway. After several days of negotiations, Smith met again with local officials Wednesday, speedway spokesman Scott Cooper said, then told track employees late in the day of "an agreement in principle" to stay in Concord.

"It answers the big question," Cooper said. "We'll get into the meat and potatoes here Monday afternoon. Bruton Smith and public officials are to hold a news conference at 2 p.m. Monday at the speedway to reveal more details of their deal."(thatsracin.com)

Wallace To Run Snowball Derby
Waltrip. Allison. Hamilton. Some of the greatest names in stock car racing history have had their names inscribed upon the trophy of Pensacola, Florida’s Snowball Derby, the crown jewel of southern short track racing. Yet another legendary name on that trophy is Wallace, but not the one you may have imagined. In 2004, then-17 year-old Steve Wallace put the racing world on notice when he outgunned a field of stock car veterans to become the youngest champion in the now 40-year history of the Snowball Derby.

Next weekend, Wallace, a two-time pole winner in the 2007 NASCAR Nationwide Series, will seek to add another Snowball Derby title to his resume, from behind the wheel of the No. 66 Richie Wauters Racing entry. Together, the Wallace-Wauters duo has been the most formidable combination in recent Derby history; over the past three years, they have combined for one win and two second-place finishes in Pensacola. Wallace’s finishing average of 1.67 during that span is the best of all drivers whom have competed in all three events.

Backing Wallace’s effort next weekend are HomeLife Communities and JoinAPS.com; both sponsor Wallace’s No. 66 Rusty Wallace Racing Chevrolet in the NASCAR Nationwide Series. Rusty Wallace, Steve’s father and Nationwide Series team owner, had a well-known love for the Pensacola event, but never scored a victory. In nine Derby starts, his best finishes were two runner-up performances, in 1979 and 1985.

Richie Wauters Racing’s 2008 Snowball Derby effort even is more formidable than before, due to the addition of a teammate for Wallace. NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series star, Kyle Busch, has been enlisted to pilot another Wauters entry in this year’s running of the Derby. The two teammates had their first chance to work together in a full-day private test session at Pensacola earlier this week.

Noted Wallace, “All year long, I look forward to the Snowball Derby; it’s definitely my favorite race of the year. From the time the Derby’s over each year, I can’t wait to get back to Pensacola. Running down there isn’t about downforce, drag or horsepower. It’s all about the driver, the chassis and the crew. I like that. Once the race gets started down there, the driver plays a bigger role than in any other race of the year. It’s all about tire management. Whoever is able to go the fastest, while still being patient and taking care of his tires, is going to be the guy that has the best shot at winning. For one reason or another, it seems like I’ve been able to learn those tire management skills pretty well over the past few years. You see someone fly by you early in a run, but then, ten laps later after he’s burned up his tires, you pass him like he’s standing still. It’s just all about staying patient and planning for the end of the race. Richie Wauters has built me a really great car, so if we can just stay out of trouble, you just might see our HomeLife Communities / JoinAPS.com machine in Victory Lane.”

Next weekend’s event will mark the 40th annual running of the Snowball Derby. The race is set for a 2:00 PM local start next Sunday, December 2nd, at Pensacola, Florida’s Five Flags Speedway.

Tony Stewart Foundation Charity Auction
The 2007 NEXTEL Prelude to the Dream presented by Old Spice event was one of the brightest moments in short track racing’s history, as the event brought some of NASCAR’s biggest stars back to the dirt for the ultimate showdown at Tony Stewart’s Eldora Speedway. Boasting a field of 26 of racing’s finest, the June 6, 2007 event saw dirt track racing take center stage on HBO Pay-Per-View while raising money for several notable charity organizations. Now, for the first time in event history, race fans will be able to bid on one-of-a-kind mementoes from this historic event in the first-ever Pieces of the Prelude auction hosted on EBay.

Beginning on Fri., Nov. 23, 2007, at 10 p.m. EST, the Tony Stewart Foundation will offer several event exclusive items in an auction to be hosted by EBay. Once posted, each item will be available for bidding for 10 days. The final auction items, including the 2008 Prelude to the Dream VIP Package will be listed on Fri., Dec. 11. All bidding will close on December 21. All proceeds from the Pieces of the Prelude Auction will benefit the Tony Stewart Foundation.

Items Available for Bidding Include:

Posters and an event exclusive helmet autographed by NASCAR stars, including Tony Stewart, Juan Pablo Montoya, Jeff Gordon, Elliott Sadler, Kasey Kahne, Mark Martin, etc.

Autographed sections from Tony Stewart’s 2006 and 2007 NEXTEL Prelude to the Dream Late Model entries, including a rear wing, front nose section, doors and spoilers.

Tony Stewart autographed 2007 event posters and programs.

Event exclusive, Tony Stewart autographed on-air talent shirt as worn by Tony Stewart, Darrell Waltrip, Mike Joy, Dick Berggren and Kyle Petty.

Event exclusive, Tony Stewart autographed SPEED Production Crew T-shirts.

One VIP Package for the 2008 Prelude to the Dream Event, which includes:

• (2) Reserved seat tickets
• (2) Pre-race guided pit tour passes
• (2) Invitations to observe driver media session
• (2) Prelude to the Dream T-shirts – 2007 & 2008 signed (T. Stewart)
• (2) Passes for a pre-race meet-and-greet with Tony Stewart
• (1) T. Stewart Autographed TSR jersey

Over 50 items are available for bidding. New items will be added daily. Race fans can visit www.ebay.com/tonystewartfoundation for an updated item availability list.

The third annual NEXTEL Prelude to the Dream presented by Old Spice, held June 6 and broadcast live on HBO Pay-Per-View, raised $800,000 for charity. The 30-lap dirt late model event at the famed Eldora Speedway in Rossburg, Ohio, featured some of racing’s biggest stars, and in a thrilling race won by NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series driver Carl Edwards, it allowed the Tony Stewart Foundation to make significant contributions to charity.

The chief benefactor of the NEXTEL Prelude to the Dream presented by Old Spice was the Victory Junction Gang Camp. The Randleman, N.C.-based organization that serves as a year-round camp for children ages seven to 15 with an assortment of life-threatening illnesses received $600,000 from the Tony Stewart Foundation. Also receiving support from the proceeds generated by the NEXTEL Prelude to the Dream presented by Old Spice was the Autism Society of Delaware and Motor Racing Outreach, with each entity receiving $25,000.

The remaining $150,000 stayed with the Tony Stewart Foundation, allowing the Foundation to continue its support of groups caring for chronically ill children, drivers injured in motorsports activities and charitable outfits specializing in the protection of various animal species. Charities actively supported by the Foundation include, but are not limited to, the Ronald McDonald House, the Make-A-Wish Foundation, the Indiana Special Olympics, Greyrescue (Greyhound Rescue Organization) and the Victory Junction Gang Camp.