Ping!
could not be completed until 2009 or 2010
When the union thugs insist on doing ALL the work, they better double the budget and double the time frame for completion.
Will it be the Jimmy Hoffa Memorial Race Track and Burial Ground?
France family could MANUFACTURE an artifical island off NY coast for half that price and have no problems with NOISE laws.
I'm pretty excited about it. I've been to Loudon, but because of my work schedule and working 7 days a week, it would be awesome to have a Nextel/Sprint Nextel/< insert yearly sponsorship name here> Cup track within an hour-and-a-half drive.
I don't know if anyone has seen another developer's plan to build an indoor super speedway in Plainfield, CT with hope of getting a Cup race. Very strange concept that has been struck down once by the town but he has since resubmitted addressing some of their previous concerns. Don't know how that will all work out but it is intriguing.
A year ago during lunch with a Fox network apprentice, I brought up the gaining popularity of NASCAR. She made it clear that I, being from the South, did not know what I was talking about, and she, being from the Northeast, knew that NASCAR was just a redneck sport that she and her friends liked to mock.
As John Wayne once said: "That'll be the day..."
Looks like that day has arrived, and Fox sports will be covering it.
Who says the South didn't win the Civil War? :D
Oh and I bet they get a date on the Gran National Circuit right away. The track in Ky has been bringing in huge crowds and is a total success. However, can they get a date on the calendar for Grand National? No they won't even talk to them about it.
Oldracer is involved in this project, any word on this?
By Rob Lambert
December 17, 2004
Good day sports entertainment fans. I said in my last article that it was the last one for the year unless something happened to rate a special article. Well, it seems there are a couple of things that might affect NASCAR in the future and your enjoyment of said entertainment.
Can you say “The Sprint for the Championship?” Sure you can. But will there be such and animal? Who the heck knows right now?
About a year ago, when Nextel was being hailed as the greatest thing since sliced white bread, I had the audacity to suggest that it might not be the most stable platform to build your house upon. Sort of like the sand and rock, for those of you who understand this, great, for those of you who do not understand this reference -- it is in the Bible.
I believe that if you look back in my opinions, I said something to the effect that putting all your marbles in the bag of a telecommunications company was really risky business. The telecommunications industry is one of the most volatile businesses in the known world. It makes the “Silly Season” seem tame by comparison.
I received many scathing Emails stating that I didn’t know 'Jack' about the telecommunications world. It was the greatest thing that could happen to NASCAR. I didn’t tell you then that I have been involved with the telecommunications industry, along with the education field, for more years than many of you have been NASCAR fans. Sorry “newbies.”
Since Sprint and Nextel are seemingly headed for a shotgun wedding, perhaps you folks can step back and look at the big picture. Will Sprint/Nextel (Sextel?) be the sponsor of the playoffs? Will the new boys from Kansas decide that they don’t need NASCAR? Will they decide that they don’t want to drop scads of money into the France bottomless pit? Will they fire everyone in the whole Sprint/Nextel food chain? Stay tuned tomorrow for “As the Racers Turn (Left).”
Sprint/Nextel will be the third largest cellular company in the land. They will be looking long and hard at the various areas that the dollars they put out go. All that money going towards NASCAR will be one of the first things looked at. Will the return for the investment be considered respectable? Will it matter? Ask the 23,000 people Sprint has laid off in the recent past, including several friends of mine who had considerable time working there.
I hope that Sprint/Nextel decides to keep the France family in business for a while. It would be as hard as heck to find a big time “sugar daddy” company in a hurry. There aren’t many companies that could, or would, sponsor NASCAR on a moment’s notice.
The France’s might have to do like some of their teams do. You know, pay out of their pocket and chase sponsors like there is no tomorrow. But since NASCAR is always trying to beat the teams out of their sponsors, they might be able to pull it off.
Back to paying their own way, can you imagine Brian and his sister paying for NASCAR out of their five billion dollar bank accounts? You think that they might tend to come up with cost-cutting measures to try to preserve their bank accounts? What could they be? Let your imaginations run wild.
Oh well, NASCAR made it before big time sponsorship, you know back in the “old days.” But, then again, they had W.H.G France large and in charge, not the grandson who desires to be the number one money grubber in the racing world. Well, maybe not the biggest moneygrubber, Formula One leadership has him beaten for now.
“Now, for something completely different”, an old Brit comedy for those not in the loop; let’s look at the racers. In keeping up with the changes in NASCAR for next year, I see that there are going to be more team cars next year.
How great is this going to be? Can you imagine the blocking and “rabbits”, a la Homestead, when there are only teams and team orders? What fun, let’s get all the drivers and all their team members in a ring after all this blocking and such and have an “over the top rope battle royal” (WWE special) match after someone messes with another driver or team. I’ll take the old #8 (now #15) team; they are used to such things.
Well, Sports Entertainment fans, those are my thoughts on what is, will be, and may be happening in NASCAR before Daytona. I hope that NASCAR will get everything in order before the “Great American Sports Entertainment.” Racing is long gone -- so why don’t they just change the name.
I hope you have a great Christmas and a Happy New Year. I hope you notice that I didn’t use that wimpy Happy Holidays. I hope you have a great time and not much snow; unless you are a skier, of course.
http://insiderracingnews.com/Rob/121704.html
Not my first choice... but then, how much track can you put on 660 acres?