FanHouse HumpyWheeler

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.

On a night that dominant cars couldn't finish what they started, Kasey Kahne utilized his fans to help him find victory lane.

Kahne, who had not previously been made eligible for Saturday-night's Sprint All-Star Race XXIV, won the fan vote to be included in the main event race, and made the most the of it by winning his first career All-Star event. In doing so, Kahne guaranteed himself a spot in the race for the next ten years and a cool million bucks.

The Sprint All-Star Race XXIV is scheduled for Saturday night at Lowe's Motor Speedway. As the teams prepare for the winner-take-all non-points event, stay with the FanHouse all week for plenty of All-Star coverage.

Buddy Baker in the TV booth sure summed up Davey Allison's win in the 1992 edition of The Winston by saying "he won the race, but sure paid the price." Indeed, he did.

Watch below as Allison battles Kyle Petty and Dale Earnhardt for the final lap.



Heading to the white flag, Earnhardt was leading in the first event at the then-Charlotte Motor Speedway to be run under the lights. Earnhardt led until Petty mounted a charge down the backstretch and got to his rear bumper in Turn 3.

Lowe's Motor Speedway President Humpy Wheeler wanted to add some spice similar to baseball's home run derby to NASCAR's all-star weekend in May at the track.

Consider that mission accomplished.

Wheeler and Clint Bowyer, who managed to hit the pit wall during a demonstration with a Richard Petty Driving School car, announced today that the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race will feature a prerace burnout contest.

The festivities started Tuesday, when Wheeler and his staff recruited Bowyer to introduce a new feature to the All-Star race. NASCAR will now showcase a "burnout" competition, in which five drivers will showcase their victory celebrations by spinning their tires, doing two doughnuts and finally slide into Victory Lane in an event scheduled to precede the May 17th race.

Bowyer, who already has agreed to participate in the competition, had planned to demonstrate a burnout for the assembled media in a car loaned to him by the Richard Petty Driving Experience. But he wrecked the car as he returned to pit road.

"It was practice, man," joked Bowyer. "That's what you're here for - to see what to do and what not to do. I had a little disagreement with the wall. It didn't work out so good."

So we know Bowyer will be in the event, but if you were picking, who's filling the four remaining spots?

Kevin Harvick? Kyle Busch? What about a special appearance by NHRA driver John Force?

Regardless, I'm going to be tuning in for it.

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)

In exchange for certain services, Lowe's Motor Speedway President and General Manager Humpy Wheeler is prepared to offer Dale Earnhardt Jr. .51% ownership in the speedway.

Junior discusses the offer and the running of the Aaron's 499 at Talladega Superspeedway on the anniversary of his father's birthday in this video from a press conference at LMS: