FanHouse Concord

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)

This whole flap with the City of Concord, North Carolina and Speedway Motorsports CEO Bruton Smith really is turning quite comical. Speedway Motorsports owns Lowe's Motor Speedway, the race track in Concord.

First, Concord re-zoned Bruton's land to specifically deny him the right. Or, more easily, the equivalent to finding the meanest dog at the pound and smacking it on the nose.

The dog, Smith in this case, bought back -- and hard. Wild claims that he's raze the speedway and find a new location were thrown out.

With Concord backed into the doghouse, a quick reversal of fate was in order, and to this day, the city council is overwhelmingly behind the drag strip for a potential NHRA event (and tons of annual tax money from LMS events). However, Smith still seems a bit peeved at the whole situation, saying last week that a 90% chance of moving LMS was possible.

So what would any logical, ethical, and self-confident do in this drastic situation?

Well, I don't know if I can fully answer that, but one way of doing it -- at least in the mind of Concord -- is to rename a street after said differing civic figure.

Yes, Concord plans to keep LMS in its current location by giving Bruton Smith his own boulevard, conveniently right in front of the speedway.

That's a nice touch, isn't it?

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.