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There is still speculation on whether Speedway Motorsports Inc. will remove a date from the newly renamed New Hampshire Motor Speedway.
At a press conference yesterday at Texas Motor Speedway, the site for tomorrow’s Dickies 500, SMI announced the purchase of the New Hampshire track for $340 million from owner Bob Bahre.
SMI chairman Bruton Smith repeatedly stated that it is too early to determine if he will request permission from NASCAR to relocate a race from NHMS to SMI’s Las Vegas Motor Speedway facility.
“We’re expecting to do great things with New Hampshire Motor Speedway, ” Smith said. “I was there when (Bahre) held his first Cup race (in 1993). I like the area and it has tremendous promise. It’s very important to have NASCAR racing in that area of the country. ”
Chris Powell, general manager of LVMS, also attended the press conference. When questioned about Powell’s presence, Smith joked that Powell just loves racing. David Exum, Boston Herald
More changes are in store for the 91,000-seat New Hampshire International Speedway than the mere substitution of the word “Motor’’ for “International’’ in its name.
But what those changes are now that billionaire O. Bruton Smith has agreed to shell out $340 million to Bob Bahre for the track—the largest sports venue in New England—remain to be seen.
About all anyone knows for certain right now is that the newly-renamed New Hampshire Motor Speedway will host two Nextel Cup (renamed Sprint Cup for 2008) races next year.
And, if Smith has plans to eventually move one of the New Hampshire races to his Las Vegas track, as is being widely speculated in NASCAR circles, he’s not letting anyone know about it. ROGER AMSDEN, New Hampshire Union Leader
