The big news this week is that west coast NASCAR fans will get more races on their turf beginning in 2005.
The move was initiated by the settlement of a lawsuit by Francis Ferko, a stockholder in Speedway Motorsports, Inc. Ferko had sued on behalf of SMI, claiming that NASCAR had promised a Winston Cup race to the company's Texas Motor Speedway. The series is now the Nextel Cup, and the settlement gives Texas its second date for NASCAR's premier series beginning in 2005. The change comes at the expense of Rockingham, which had already lost one of its two races. Rockingham owner International Speedway Corporation, a NASCAR subsidiary, sold the track to SMI for a nominal sum. SMI has not announced plans for the facility.
Since NASCAR was forced to make this change, Chairman Brian France decided to shuffle things around a little more, taking one of the Darlington race dates and shifting it to Phoenix, and rearranging the California Speedway dates. The first California race will now be the second race on the 2005 schedule, on February 22, one week after the Daytona 500. If you're planning to attend some of the west coast events, mark your calendars. Nextel Cup will visit Las Vegas on March 13, Phoenix on April 23, Sears Point on June 26, California again on September 4, and Phoenix on November 14. The move from some of the older, traditional NASCAR venues to major population centers is primarily a marketing decision. NASCAR, probably the most marketing-savvy of all race sanctioning bodies, is taking the product to where the most people will buy it. And that's good news for us in the west.
While NASCAR is expanding in the west, Formula 1 is looking east. There has been a trend in recent years for the F1 schedule to add races in Asia and the Middle East. This trend could be accelerated if the European Union enforces a ban on tobacco advertising. Since several teams rely heavily on tobacco sponsorship, a ban on tobacco advertising creates an economic dilemma. F1 czar Bernie Ecclestone is trying to get an exemption for racing in individual countries, but if that doesn't happen there may be no Grand Prix racing in Europe.
n Reno-Fernley Raceway has opened its expanded road course, now 2.4 miles of fast, smooth asphalt. The track is now comparable to major west coast road racing venues such as Thunderhill Raceway, Infineon Raceway, Laguna Seca (Mazda Speedway), Buttonwillow Raceway, Portland International, and Willow Springs. The new section of the course features a 17-degree banked left-hander, and the front straight has been lengthened significantly. At a recent motorcycle event, speeds of more than 140 mph were achieved. A few bikers commented that "Reno-Fernley Raceway is now the fastest track on the west coast." The drag strip has also been lengthened from one-eighth to a full quarter mile. I'm going to have to give The Next Level driving school a call to see if I can arrange for a high-speed tour of the track.
n If you're a Letterman fan, stand by for hearing Dave rave about his Indy team's pole position for the next two weeks. Just in case you missed Indy pole qualifying yesterday afternoon, Rahal-Letterman driver Buddy Rice smoked the rest of the field with a qualifying run nobody could touch. There was some drama watching drivers who had been fast in testing all week try to put in a better lap, but it didn't happen. Honda engines seem to dominate the new 3-liter engine formula, though. There are eight Hondas in the top 10 starting positions, with Helio Castro-Neves the fastest Toyota in eighth spot and Tomas Scheckter the quickest Chevy starting in 10th.
The field should be filled today, weather permitting. With 33 or fewer cars eligible, next weekend's Bump Day will probably be a non-starter. I can recall sitting tensely in front of the tube in years past, watching one of the most dramatic scenarios in Motorsports play out - who would be the last driver to be bumped out of the field? It's a shame that the Greatest Spectacle in Racing has been reduced to its present state, but I'll still watch it come Memorial Day weekend. After all, it's a tradition.
Roger Diez is the Nevada Appeal Motorsports Columnist. Contact him at editor@nevadaappeal.com.
