Memphis race track bought

[nigelred5]

200 miles from Kansas Speedway, owned by the France Family company. They would NEVER get a cup date

[call_me_andrew]

Slightly off topic but its near the Memphis market.

A guy I know socially mentioned that he was part of a group of investors who were considering building an oval south of Branson Mo. They know it would be three to five years away from getting cup date but said they would be looking at getting two major weekends established one nationwide/trucks weekend that could morph into a Cup weekend and OWR weekend.

I didn't get any details on the track, other than it would be a NASCAR friendly oval, so maybe a 1 -1.5 mile mid-banked oval.

NASCAR established a terrible precedent in the 80's: whoever owns the track owns the race. The only way to get a Cup date is to buy a track from someone else.

[MDS]

Yeah, I didn't think it was that great of an idea either, but I saw something about it on Jayski today so they must be some truth to it.

I'm kind of the mind that if it wouldn't work in Memphis it won't work in Branson either. It's pretty far of the interstate, small market that's already served by other tracks. Fools and money and all that.

[nigelred5]

At some point, which in many measures we have already reached, NASCAR fans are going to be less willing to drive Class A motorhomes, school busses and pick up trucks(all sucking down $3-4.00/gallon gas and diesel) hundreds of miles for a race, even if it's in an entertainment area like Branson. I believe the days of the kind of disposeable income many folks enjoyed throughout the past 10-15 years tha NASCAR flourished are long gone. The folks that are long time NASCAR supporters are also some of the same folks that have seen their disposeable income hit the hardest by global recession. It may be a good time to buy the property for investors, but I wouldn't spend a dime on something like a new race track that far out in the middle of nowhere.

[Lee Roy]

NASCAR established a terrible precedent in the 80's: whoever owns the track owns the race. The only way to get a Cup date is to buy a track from someone else.

I'm sure that the track owners don't feel this precendent is so terrible.

[call_me_andrew]

I'm sure that the track owners don't feel this precendent is so terrible.

Depends on which track owners you are refering to. Those who arealdy have two races think it's fantastic, those who don't, disagree.

[MDS]

Depends on which track owners you are refering to. Those who arealdy have two races think it's fantastic, those who don't, disagree.

There are only four track owners who host NASCAR races, Dover Entertainment, ISC, SMI and the Mattiolli family, all of whom have at least one facility with two Cup dates, and even in this economy those are like printing presses.

[call_me_andrew]

I should clarify: by "those who don't" I refer to track owners who have zero Cup dates.

Also, you forgot IMS.

[Lee Roy]

Depends on which track owners you are refering to. Those who arealdy have two races think it's fantastic, those who don't, disagree.

The thing is that it is nearly impossible, financially, to operate a major oval track in this country without a Cup date.

[Mark in Oshawa]

The thing is that it is nearly impossible, financially, to operate a major oval track in this country without a Cup date.

That is SO true if you want the oval to be a first class all bells and whistles facility; but I would argue Nashville is surviving, and Kentucky DID survive..and is Iowa...it is a Cup or NW date that you need...although before Tony George got creative and tried to run and finance his own series in 95, I would wager IMS might have survived with only that one date..but of course, they didn't do that.

Ovals are NASCAR country...and to build a multimillion dollar oval and not have a cup date means a really thin balance sheet. Nashville in my mind is the one track that NASCAR should have put a cup date in, just based on the history of the sport in that city.

oh well...fair is a place where you get funnel cakes, not how the world works.

As for Indycar, well no one is building ovals for them any more..so they better get used to that...