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Live from Lowe's: The Humpy Plot Thickens

Posted: May 22nd 2008 11:51AM by Geoffrey Miller (author feed)
Filed under: Lowes Motor Speedway, Speedway Motorsports Inc.

2 COMMENTS

Geoffrey Miller is in Concord, N.C. for Sunday's Sprint Cup Coca-Cola 600 at Lowe's Motor Speedway. He'll aim to eat as many elephant ears as possible while blogging away "Live from Lowe's" throughout Memorial Day weekend.

As I left Indianapolis Wednesday afternoon, I read that NASCAR's penultimate promoter, H.A. Humpy Wheeler of Lowe's Motor Speedway, was retiring effective after Sunday's Coca-Cola 600.

Humpy has long been the most recognizable track president on the Sprint Cup tour, and with that, he has been a fan favorite. His retirement, to say the least, was a shock.

Thursday the Charlotte Observer offered a little bit more into why Wheeler is exiting his role and it definitely helps affirm how big of a surprise his move is.

It turns out that Humpy is retiring, but not completely on his own terms.

H.A. "Humpy" Wheeler said Wednesday his retirement as president and general manager of Lowe's Motor Speedway and as president and chief operating officer of Speedway Motorsports Inc. did not come entirely on his own terms.

"Some of it is," Wheeler said in officially announcing his decision. "I won't say it all is. We'll just leave it at that."

The "that" Wheeler is referring to is a rift between himself and the owner of SMI, Bruton Smith.

Continue Reading Live from Lowe's: The Humpy Plot Thickens

Terps Win Over Heels Just Beginning of Upsetting Day in ACC

Posted: Jan 19th 2008 11:51PM by Shiloh Carder (author feed)
Filed under: UNC Basketball, Georgia Tech Basketball, Duke Basketball, Maryland Basketball, NC State Basketball, ACC Basketball, Virginia Basktball

1 COMMENT

What a day of college basketball! Especially in the ACC. The three remaining unbeaten teams in ACC play all took the court on Saturday. Only one survived.

One of the teams that didn't was top-ranked North Carolina who saw their trouble spots all hit a perfect storm today against Maryland. They weren't hitting from the perimeter (they missed 18 of their 25 three-point attempts) and weren't tight with their defensive assignments. It hurt them against Clemson and Ga Tech, but they left both places with wins mainly because their outside shots were hitting. Today, they weren't. It was like watching the Georgetown game all over again.

On another point of the Triangle, Gavin Grant stole an inbounds pass and scored a layup with two seconds remaining to give NC State a 79-77 victory over #24 Miami. The win was the first in conference play for the Wolfpack who looked horrific in their first two ACC games and gives the Canes a two-game losing skid.

Continue Reading Terps Win Over Heels Just Beginning of Upsetting Day in ACC

Possible Thursday Announcement Could Tell of Lowe's Motor Speedway's Future

Posted: Oct 31st 2007 5:04AM by Geoffrey Miller (author feed)
Filed under: Lowes Motor Speedway, NASCAR Fights, NASCAR Tracks

10 COMMENTS

We've seen and heard the battle that the City of Concord (N.C.) and Lowe's Motor Speedway have had in the past month.

Thursday could be the day of reckoning on whether or not LMS' parent company, Speedway Motorsports Inc., and CEO Bruton Smith will either ruin yet another fantastic piece of the NASCAR history (remember North Wilkesboro?) or if he will remember the fans that earned his his wealth and keep the legendary speedway.

From NASCAR.com's Ron Lemasters:

There is talk of an announcement on Thursday that will go a long way toward determining if Lowe's Motor Speedway will remain in its present location or go on the road to a neighboring community, as Smith has threatened.

I honestly feel a little bit sick to my stomach knowing that such a place could potentially be leveled -- and for what, a billionaire owner on a power trip?

That really sounds like a track owner who is touch with the fans.

The city council has given Smith the go-ahead to build a NHRA drag strip, are willing to help with tax incentives on new building projects at LMS, and most importantly -- they want to rename a street already named "Speedway Boulevard" to "Bruton Smith You Are Our King Street" (or at least something or the sort).

What else could he possibly want? (other than some Carolina-fave Bojangles Famous Chicken 'n' Biscuits, of course)

Continue Reading Possible Thursday Announcement Could Tell of Lowe's Motor Speedway's Future

Concord Starts Retreat in LMS Dispute

Posted: Oct 10th 2007 5:42PM by Geoffrey Miller (author feed)
Filed under: Lowes Motor Speedway, NASCAR Fights, Nextel Cup

3 COMMENTS

Bruton Smith is a man who likes to grab attention.

So last week when the Concord, N.C. City Council voted to change the zoning of Lowe's Motor Speedway to eliminate a possible drag strip, he swung back -- and connected.

The CEO of Speedway Motorsports declared that he was ready to spend over $350 million and completely rebuild a new version of Lowe's Motor Speedway in another Charlotte suburb. That left NASCAR fans (including diehard LMS fans like myself), Concord city leaders, and Cabarrus County leaders all saying the same thing.

"Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaattttt?!"

I personally can't imagine the 1.5-miler south of Concord on Highway 29 as a boarded up, non-used ruin. That would be a sad day, even if a newer facility was built

Fortunately, Concord has changed their mind, and Smith might be stepping down -- a little bit.

Specifically, council members voted Tuesday to ask the Planning and Zoning Commission to consider amending the speedway's zoning to allow drag strips on the property -- a use that the City Council unanimously banned just last week.

In other words, Concord is getting out of their brain fade and realizing that no matter how bad it ethically seems, LMS does so much for the city and surrounding area that giving in is normally a better idea than not giving in.

Yes, you, as well as I, can start to breathe that slight sense of relief, for one of NASCAR's most-storied tracks is staying put for now.

Continue Reading Concord Starts Retreat in LMS Dispute

Awesome Bill Rides Again

Posted: May 18th 2007 1:40AM by Geoffrey Miller (author feed)
Filed under: Ford, Lowes Motor Speedway, Nextel Cup, NASCAR Silly Season

5 COMMENTS

Bill Elliott will back in a NASCAR Nextel Cup Car starting with next weekend's Coca-Cola 600.

Elliott, the 1988 Nextel Cup Champion, will pilot the No. 21 Wood Brothers Ford in place of Ken Schrader and Jon Wood.

"I was pretty honored to get a call from the Wood Brothers to drive the 21 car. I've seen them struggle the last few weeks, being outside the top-35, and it breaks my heart to see them miss races. I hope I can get in the car, get us qualified well every week and see what we can make up in the points battle along the way," said Elliott.

It certainly does make sense for the team -- especially heading into one of the season's marquee events. Elliott, while no slouch behind the wheel, also has the option of using a past champion's provisional.

This team is one of those many could foresee struggling because of its mixed driver program between veteran Ken Schrader and young gun Jon Wood. The Wood Brothers haven't been a weekly competitor for a long time and spliting that job between two drivers just makes the whole situation that much tougher.

Wood and Schrader were portrayed as content with the temporary change in the press release, but who knows how that really is.

If Elliott, who has two wins and 11 top-5's at Lowe's, can make up some ground in the top-35 race though, that could mean a lot of good for the Wood Bros.

Bad Luck, Lack of Talent or the Law of Karma?

Posted: Mar 25th 2007 4:02AM by tallglassofmilk (author feed)
Filed under: Michael Waltrip, Toyota, Bristol Motor Speedway, Nextel Cup, Michael Waltrip Racing

3 COMMENTS

MIchael Waltrip is not having a good year.

His season opener was one of the biggest cheating scandals in NASCAR history--the investigative results of which are so [insert best guess here] NASCAR won't even reveal them.

Tomorrow when the green flag waves at the inaugural COT race at Bristol Motor Speedway, Waltrip will be sitting on the sidelines--for the fourth consecutive week.

Is it because the cars suck? Because he sucks? Or is karma evening things up with his cheating team?

Jury's out.

But AP's NASCAR reporter Jenna Fryer said it best:

"Love him or hate him, it's uncomfortable watching his career crumble."

Indeed it is.

Toyota is uncomfortable, too. Friday they started a new two-month project to "bolster their Nextel Cup program."

Toyota Racing Development engineers have taken apart one of Michael Waltrip's cars and will rebuild it piece by piece and suggest a new body for the Camry. The plan is to test it in Nashville and have it ready to race--or should I say attempting to race--at Charlotte in May.

So I guess that's how about long we have to wait before Michael is forced to start asking himself if the problem is not under the hood but behind the steering wheel.