The Charlotte Observer from Charlotte, North Carolina • 28

8B THE CHARLOTTE OBSERVER Saturday October 8 1994 MOTORSPORTS NOTEBOOK CMS owner plans to build track out West By TOM HIGGINS Staff Writer Charlotte Motor Speedway owner and board chairman Bruton Smith plans to build a race track near a major city west of the Mississippi River probably starting construction within a year The Observer learned Friday Smith who in 1960 co-founded the 15-mile Charlotte track now the showplace of motorsports confirmed the project been thinking about this for some time and now I intend to do Smith said Friday at the speedway where the All Pro 300Mello Yello 500 doubleheader is scheduled today and Sunday down to three locations In no certain order the Dallas-Fort Worth area Las Vegas and St Louis-Branson Mo "The track will be almost identical to Charlotte Motor Speedway a mile and a half and high-banked If possible try to make its facilities nicer envision a cost of around $75 million financing work on the project is pretty much taken care of Now the big thing is deciding where to go" A tract of land owned by Ross Perot is under consideration if the speedway is built in Texas Jr has been up here to talk to me about said Smith who has business interests in Dallas and Houston in addition to Charlotte A group of 15 officials from Las Vegas including the mayor and chairman of the county commission will be at the Charlotte races to confer with Smith and observe the proceedings Also in the Las Vegas contingent will be Mel Larson a former NASCAR and IndyCar driver and retired vice-president of the Circus-Circus Casinos The appeal of Las Vegas is 88000 hotel rooms one of the lowest average rainfall amounts in the US and the possibility of construction around the clock leading to completion of a new speedway in about a year instead of two years Smith who also owns Atlanta Motor Speedway said he has discussed his plan to build another racing facility with NASCAR President Bill France Jr Smith indicated that France did not discourage him Also motorsports mogul Roger Penske plans a new 2-mile track for San Bernardino County Calif If necessary permits are issued that speedway located about 75 miles east of Los Angeles could open in 1996 Penske has been assured a Winston Cup Series date for the facility The new 15-mile Homestead Motorsports Complex near Miami is to open in November of 1995 with a 300-mile Grand National race It too likely is in line for a future Winston Cup event Richard Childress owner of six-time Winston Cup champion Dale team has made an offer for idled Texas World Speedway If the bid is accepted the track likely will be in the running for a Winston Cup date These moves undoubtedly could lead to either expansion or major revision of the Winston Cup schedule in the next few seasons Holding on: Roy Payne withstood a late charge from Ken Schrader to take the qualifying race Friday for the All Pro 300 Payne edged Schrader a Winston Cup driver by 22 seconds The win earned Payne the 35th starting spot in a 45-car field Qualifying a success for Payne By TOM HIGGINS Staff Writer Driverteam owner Roy Payne made another strong run Friday at Charlotte Motor Speedway and won a 40-lap qualifying race leading to All Pro 300 the biggest NASCAR Grand National event Payne started from the pole and led all the way on the 15-mile track but barely edged Winston Cup veteran Ken Schrader by 22 seconds at the checkered flag Schrader dropped off the pace on Lap 9 when a spark plug wire came off He pitted during the only caution period on Lap 25 to have the wire reattached dropped to 13th and then charged back Payne running unsponsored finished a solid fourth in Champion Spark Plug 300 victory earned Payne the 35th starting spot in 45-car field good thing about running this race is that like a 40-lap test session" said Payne know what kind of gas mileage going to get the tire wear and so forth think really going to be in good The winner averaged 160237 mph in the race during which caution laps count The one yellow flag was forced when veteran Tommy Houston crashed in Turn 2 The race matched drivers who failed to qualify among the top 30 Thursday and who have provisional starting opportunities which are based on point standings The top 10 finishers got starting spots 35-44 in the 300 Finishing third to make the main Grand National race along with Payne and Schrader was Jimmy Hensley filling in for Randy LaJoie in a Chevy The latter remained woozy Friday from a crash in practice Friday and be decided this morning which driver will be in the car Robert Pressley was fourth in a Chevy after running second most of the way Tim Fedewa took fifth in a Ford is the first of these hooligan races ever got through without wrecking" said Pressley just wanted to get into the race Saturday so pretty Chevy drivers Jeff Green Dirk Stephens David Bonnett Kevin Lepage and Ed Berrier got the other spots for the 300 be the first start for Bonnett on the Charlotte track where his late father Neil won back-to-back World 600s in 1982 and '83 Neil Bonnett died in a crash during practice in February for the Daytona 500 the Winston Cup season opener Bambl The Amazon 6'2" The Tower of ease Most Major Men's Magazines Show Times 9pm 1 1 pm lam ipeclal Sui Snow I lpm lndayw Sportsman field paced by same 4 By TOM HIGGINS Staff Writer In a reprise of qualifying earlier this week NASCAR Sportsman Division drivers Wally Fowler Marty Ward Gary Laton and Shari Minter took the top four spots Friday for Duron 100 The race is scheduled at 1 1 am at Charlotte Motor Speedway before the All Pro 300 a Grand National event The quartet qualified in the same order Tuesday for the Winston 100 on Wednesday night Fowler won that chase from the pole The 100 followed qualifying for Mello Yello 500 A peach grower from Campo-bello SC Fowler took his second pole in four days with a lap of 158256 mph Mike Gault gave Chevrolet a sweep of the top five positions Starting sixth through 10th: Lester Lesneski Chevy David Owens Olds Scott Kilby Chevy Curtis Miller Chevy and Mark Phillips Olds Grand National notes It was a relieved Tim Fedewa who placed fifth in 40-lap qualifying race to make the field for 300 really want to go home from this said Fedewa who drives a Ford for team owners Ray and Diane DeWitt got some potential sponsors in town for the race felt if we could stay out of trouble the first lap be OK probably only one good thing about running the qualifying race You get in 40 racing-type laps The sun was out and it was warm today so if weather conditions are the same on the day of the main event you have a little bit of an Fedewa starts 39th The 300 will have a 45-car field an unusual number because 1993 Grand National champion Steve Grissom qualify among the top 30 and chose not to enter the 40-lap-per Grissom had a spot guaranteed as a former champion and exercised the option to start 45th BACE Motorsports owned by Charlotte businessman Bill Baumgardner and rookie driver Johnny Benson Jr will have major backing from Lipton Tea starting in 1995 The deal for the Grand National outfit is for two years Benson a former American Speed Association driver won the Splitfire 200 at Dover (Del) Downs last month for his first Grand National victory It has been whirlwind involvement in motorsports for Baumgardner the fall of 1 990 1 came to Charlotte Motor Speedway and I had never been to a race said the team owner is such a facility that it is phenomenally infectious Four months later we had a car on the outside pole (for the 300) at Daytona years ago we started this racing team and it has evolved beautifully never had a sponsor then all of a sudden we had four outstanding offers We visited the Lipton people in New Jersey and it clicked The fit was like the best suit you ever owned" Lipton got into racing by backing driver Dave team for a limited schedule of events in 1993 then the full schedule this year Buying more business American City Business Journals based in Charlotte has reached an agreement in principle to buy On Track magazine a bi-weekly publication covering motorsports become the third auto racing publication American City acquired Winston Cup Scene the largest auto racing weekly in 1 993 and followed with the acquisition last month of Winston Cup Illustrated a monthly magazine The schedules tests Two days of open testing have been scheduled next week at newly repaved NC Motor Speedway near Rockingham Grand National teams will have the 1 0 1 7-mile track in the Sandhills of Richmond County on Tuesday Winston Cup teams will test Wednesday The Grand National season finale AC Delco 200 is scheduled at the track nicknamed "The Rock" on Oct 22 The AC Delco 500 the last Winston Cup race of the season in the Carolinas is Oct 23 The main grandstands will be open to the public both days GARY O'BRIENStaff GARY Victory: Roy Payne (front) won a 40-lap qualifying race Friday for All Pro 300 Grand National event at the Charlotte Motor Speedway WELCOME RACE FANS Over 40 Entertainers Open M-Th 1 1 -2am Sun 4-2am 8 Friday Lunch Show Buffet 8 Fit Sat open HI 4am wBrkft Buffet 525-2605 3114 South Blvd Charlotte a boost in front row for the start in a Chevrolet Todd Bodine lines up third in a Ford owned by injured Winston Cup star Ernie Irvan Martin has been overseeing his friend team asked to drive this car is about as big an honor as 1 could said Bodine and Mark are two of my most respected peers" Starting fourth through 10th in points race Chevrolets will be Tracy Leslie Bobby Hillin Jr Hermie Sadler Green Mike McLaughlin Phil Parsons and Jason Keller Keller crashed in Turns 3-4 during the final practice He was unhurt but the status of the car was uncertain Parsons won the Champion 300 in May in a major surprise and figures to run strong again Six-time Winston Cup champion Earnhardt has the 20th position to begin the race Welcome Race Fans! Open for Lunch Today at 11:30 am Open Sunday at 6 pm Little needs 300 Continued from page 1 win got to figure the Winston Cup guys in the field are going to be up there so it'll be tough as usual like Mark Martin Dale Earnhardt Terry Labonte they have so much experience and they know going on around this place showed so much Thursday in qualifying They were able to adjust for the heat and the way it changed track conditions The less experienced drivers either went slower than in practice or wound up in the wall why I mind racing against the Winston Cup drivers in (Grand National) You can learn so much from them if you pay Martin has the pole after qualifying his Ford at a Grand National track record 176696 mph Thursday He is rated the favorite to win the 300-miIer for the second straight year Joe Nemechek the 1992 Grand National champion shares the Now A Stop Ahead Of The Rest Now You Have A Choice WELCOME RACE FANS Charlotte's 2 Most Extravagant ADULT ENTERTAINMENT NIGHT CLUBS -A Jacuzzi Dancing A Wide Screen A Couples Welcome I Every Thu night Amateur Dance Contest $200 1st prize $100 2nd prize EXTENDED HOURS: FRI 4 SAT OPEN TIL 3AM OPEN DAILY 5PM SAT 6PM I Featuring over 100 Entertainers Featuring Hiss Charlotte Motor Speedway I Only True Gentlemen's Club SC IS $35-7225 I.