March 12, 2009
By Brian Watkins
Brian Watkins
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So far the ’09 NASCAR season has been fun. All three top series have provided some great action, especially the Truck Series. Now all of the sudden, there’s nothing to do on Sunday afternoon -- again.
I understand the need for breaks, vacations and what-not. But should NASCAR continue scheduling off weekends for the three series so early in the season? It seems counter-productive really. Get fans all worked up and then take it away.
With three major series it would seem that you could rotate weekends off so that -- aside from a mid season break, there wouldn’t be a weekend during the season that didn’t have at least one race or another on TV. It hardly seems like rocket science.
I guess I should be thankful there’s no racing this weekend -- it will allow me to get caught up on all the work inside and outside of the house that got put off during the winter. It also gives me the chance to look over my budget and sit scratching my head -- wondering if I’ll be able to actually see any live racing this season.
I’m thinking my wife and I might be able to squeeze in a truck race at Kentucky, but we’ve all but decided we will have to forego our annual trip to the Michigan races. Last year we dropped the August MIS race from our calendar -- this year it looks as if the June race is out as well.
We’d love to be able to go. We have an incredible time with our friends the whole weekend. The racing is good and the weather is generally cooperative -- but the cost of driving to Michigan, plus the tickets, plus the food, plus all the other little expenses you don’t normally count on and it just gets to be too much.
The track at Sparta is less than an hour away and while we won’t have our usual crowd of friends, we’ll certainly enjoy ourselves. While the truck races aren’t as well attended as the Cup Series, they are more exciting in my opinion.
Speaking of the track at Sparta -- also known as Kentucky Speedway, the rumors are still flying about a possible Cup race there next season. I of course am all for it. Having a conveniently located Cup race would suit me just fine. I'm sure many folks in Kentucky as well as Southern Ohio and Indiana are equally hopeful that a race date can be scheduled. I've actually come up with a name for the inaugural race, sponsored by Johnson & Johnson: The KY 500.
I'm sure I'm not the first to associate the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the brand of "personal lubricant", but it was just too good to pass up.
The Commonwealth of course is all for the race. The Governor has voiced support for an amendment that would make it easier for the site to be expanded. The Kentucky House also approved a bill that offered tax incentives to track owner Speedway Motorsports, Inc.
Bruton Smith, chairman of SMI has indicated that over $70 million will be spent on improvements to the track. While this all sounds positive, NASCAR isn't going to expand the season by a race to make room for Kentucky on the calendar, so the race has to come from somewhere.
While I'm sure Mr. Smith & Co. would love for their competitors, International Speedway Corporation (ISC) to give up a date, it is pretty clear that if there is to be a Cup race at Kentucky, this season or any other, it will have to come from within the SMI portfolio.
SMI owns several NASCAR venues: Atlanta, Bristol, Infineon, Vegas, Lowe's, Texas and New Hampshire to be specific.
Now, I’m not a marketing expert nor am I a business person, but after last weeks attendance -- on a beautiful Sunday in Georgia, if I was Mr. Smith, I do believe I would be directing the fans and the haulers toward Sparta, Kentucky next spring.
The thoughts and ideas expressed by this writer or any other writer on Insider Racing News, are not necessarily the views of the staff and/or management of IRN.