Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, August 20, 1995 TAG: 9508210088
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-6 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: LESLIE LLOYD ASSOCIATED PRESS
DATELINE: BRISTOL, TENN. LENGTH: Medium
Owner Larry Carrier opened the gates and let the overflow crowd stand, sit or do whatever was necessary to enjoy the sights, sounds and smells of racing.
When the Goody's 500 is run Saturday night, 75,000 fans will be in the stands. If Carrier had the seats, another 25,000 would be on hand.
The fact that racing fans turn out in such great numbers for NASCAR Winston Cup events isn't surprising. The sport is wildly popular, especially in the South.
What is remarkable is Bristol's hold on the sport, when much larger cities across the country can't break into NASCAR.
The track's appeal comes partly from its billing as ``the world's fastest half-mile.'' Also, the high-banked turns and the annual night race in August attract fans.
A new track in Homestead, Fla., will be the site of a NASCAR Busch Grand National race in November, and tracks are planned for the Dallas and Las Vegas areas. The only new track that has been promised a Winston Cup race is one being built in suburban Los Angeles by Roger Penske.
Bristol's oval holds a special charm for racing fans in the area.
``It's just sort of hometown,'' said fan Lloyd Costner, who has been driving 115 miles for Bristol races since the early 1960s. ``It [is] door-to-door racing.''
Carrier has a waiting list with 11,000 names on it. Since those people want more than one ticket each, that list probably represents closer to 40,000 people, he said.
Bristol has succeeded, Carrier said, by satisfying two types of people: fans and NASCAR executives who are interested in fans.
The raceway's growth - the goal is 100,000 seats by 1998 - has created some problems of its own. Even Costner feels overwhelmed by the traffic and the crowds.
``It's getting to be quite a hassle,'' he said.
So Carrier is making other improvements, such as adding and upgrading restrooms and building better access roads.
The track holds seven events a year, including two Winston Cup races, and all of those events are on three weekends.
The rest of the time, Carrier and his staff stay busy with maintenance and improvements.
Ron Scalf, vice president of the Bristol track, said the raceway is negotiating to offer a driving school next summer. He said the school likely would be geared toward corporations.
Scalf also said the track is trying to market itself as a place to film commercials. Bristol has been featured in a couple of TV ads and a Mercedes-Benz spot is to be shot there, he said.
There's no going back if Bristol is to keep its NASCAR races. Like other NASCAR tracks, Bristol does not have a contract with the sanctioning body.
``We negotiate with them to sanction a race. We only do it on a yearly basis,'' said Kevin Triplett, a NASCAR spokesman. ``We have always had a policy of not backing ourselves into a corner. It provides the tracks with some incentive to stay current.''
Penske's track near Los Angeles will have NASCAR racing in 1997.
Winston Cup drivers last raced in Southern California in 1988. NASCAR has missed the exposure in the nation's second-largest media market, Triplett said.
That will give Winston Cup 32 points races, plus two all-star races and seven testing dates. Triplett said Winston Cup still has a little room in its season, which runs from February through November.
Gary Baker, an attorney who owned the Bristol track from 1978 to 1984, says NASCAR's popularity is not close to peaking.
For that reason, new tracks will have to be near metropolitan centers rather than in less-populated areas, such as Bristol, Martinsville and some of the older tracks on the circuit, Baker said. Metropolitan centers have the hotels and transportation needed for thousands of race fans.
Baker hopes to bring NASCAR racing back to Nashville, his home. St.Louis also has been mentioned as a potential site.
``There's an old adage, `There's nothing more dangerous than a NASCAR fan with a bulldozer,''' Baker said, adding that he would like to get back into track ownership. ``I continue to keep my eyes open.''
Triplett said fans who are concerned about dates filling up frequently write NASCAR with ideas, such as having two leagues of Winston Cup drivers.
``There are a lot of race fans out there and they all have an idea,'' Triplett said. ``It tells you how passionate they are about the sport.''
Another suggestion is alternating the years in which a track would get a race. Carrier said even cutting his two Winston Cup races to one would be tough.
``A race track couldn't make it on one race,'' he said. ``You've got the same property tax on one race or two.''
Carrier does not seem too worried about losing one of his races, noting that NASCAR has been loyal to the people who helped build the sport.
Bristol, especially its night race in August, remains popular with the fans.
``I think it's the only one of its kind,'' he said. ``I think people like being so close.''
Keywords:
AUTO RACING
by CNB