THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Monday, May 20, 1996 TAG: 9605200160
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C6 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY BOB ZELLER, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Short : 42 lines
Texas Motor Speedway is 70 percent completed, and ``it doesn't take any imagination to know it's a speedway now,'' general manager Eddie Gossage says.
The grandstands are being built, the retaining walls are up for the most part, and the track will be paved within a month, he said, adding that the track should be completed in late summer or early fall.
Gossage said he still hopes the track will get a race in 1996, but with each passing day the chances grow slimmer because of the advance work required, such as selling tickets.
Once a race is scheduled, Gossage has no doubts it will be a sellout, even with more than 150,000 seats.
``We've got 45,000 people on our ticket list, and we don't have a date on the schedule and we haven't advertised,'' he said. ``And from our experience, each customer buys four tickets apiece. So maybe we're sold out already.''
THE 1997 SCHEDULE: Look for changes in the 1997 Winston Cup schedule, but not wholesale changes, Mike Helton, NASCAR's vice president of competition, said last week.
Helton said the situation at North Wilkesboro Speedway is ``the first domino that has a chance of causing some changes to be made, and, in addition to that, the addition of California to the schedule in 1997. But whether or not that's going to develop a great difference in the schedule, I don't think so.
``There's certainly nothing beyond a few changes that will make 1997 much different.''
PRESSLEY UPDATE: Robert Pressley, who broke a rib in a crash during Winston Select Open practice on Friday, was held out of Saturday night's race.
As for this Sunday's Coca-Cola 600, crew chief Andy Petree said, ``We are going to wait and see how Robert feels before we make any decisions.'' by CNB