Speedway Motorsports, Inc.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Speedway Motorsports | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Type | Public (NYSE: TRK) |
| Founded | 1959 |
| Headquarters | Concord, North Carolina (at Lowe's Motor Speedway) |
| Key people | Bruton Smith, founder and CEO |
| Industry | Motorsports |
| Products | Motorsport venues |
| Revenue | $570 million USD |
| Employees | 793 (full time) |
| Website | www.speedwaymotorsports.com |
Speedway Motorsports, Inc. or SMI (NYSE: TRK) is an American corporation that owns and manages race tracks on the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and other race series. The company's headquarters are located at Lowe's Motor Speedway, in the suburbs of Charlotte. The company's tracks are known for elaborate pre-race shows, often featuring displays by the United States Armed Forces.[citation needed]. In addition to operating racetracks, SMI owns Performance Racing Network, a radio network that broadcasts the races held at its tracks.
Contents |
[edit] Race Tracks
| Track | Location | Circuit |
|---|---|---|
| Atlanta Motor Speedway | Hampton, GA | 1.540-mi quad-oval |
| Bristol Motor Speedway | Bristol, TN | 0.533-mi oval |
| Infineon Raceway | Sonoma, CA | 1.990-mi road course |
| Kentucky Speedway | Sparta, KY | 1.500-mi tri-oval |
| Lowe's Motor Speedway | Concord, NC | 1.500-mi quad-oval |
| New Hampshire Motor Speedway | Loudon, NH | 1.058-mi oval |
| Texas Motor Speedway | Fort Worth, TX | 1.500-mi quad-oval |
[edit] Purchases and Race Dates
The company has a history of purchasing tracks to obtain race dates. The company's purchases and closures of the tracks in order to obtain dates for the Texas facility led to the Ferko lawsuit, and to objections to by many traditional NASCAR fans and by many politicians in North Carolina.
[edit] North Wilkesboro Speedway
In 1996, the company purchased half interest in North Wilkesboro Speedway in North Wilkesboro, North Carolina along with Bob Bahre of New Hampshire International Speedway. SMI moved one of North Wilkesboro Speedway's dates to Texas Motor Speedway and Bob Bahre moved the second date to his New Hampshire International Speedway. In November 2007, SMI purchased New Hampshire International Speedway and part of the purchase resulted in SMI gained full ownership of North Wilkesboro Speedway [1].
[edit] North Carolina Speedway
In 2004, as a result of the Ferko lawsuit, SMI gained ownership of the North Carolina Speedway in Rockingham, North Carolina. SMI closed North Carolina Speedway and moved the track's final race date to Texas Motor Speedway. On October 2, 2007, SMI sold North Carolina Speedway at auction. The track was purchased by "Indiana" Andy Hillenburg for $4.4 million.
[edit] New Hampshire International Speedway
On November 2, 2007, SMI announced the purchase of New Hampshire International Speedway from Bob Bahre. This has led to specluation that SMI would move one of New Hampshire's dates to Las Vegas Motor Speedway and/or swap the date with the fall race at Texas Motor Speedway (TMS has expressed an interest in moving the fall race away from the first weekend in November, which is also the opening weekend of deer hunting season in Texas). The 2008 Sprint Cup Schedule has been set and any changes for 2009 would require NASCAR approval [2].
[edit] Kentucky Speedway
On May 22, 2008, SMI announced it had purchased Kentucky Speedway from Kentucky Speedway, LLC. The track had been trying to secure a NASCAR Sprint cup race for several years.[3]
