- Speedway Motorsports
Infobox_Company
company_name = Speedway Motorsports
company_
company_type = Public (nyse|TRK)
foundation = 1959
location =Concord, North Carolina (atLowe's Motor Speedway )
key_people =Bruton Smith , founder and CEO
num_employees = 793 (full time)
industry =Motorsports
revenue = $570 million USD
products = Motorsport venues
homepage = [http://www.speedwaymotorsports.com/ www.speedwaymotorsports.com]Speedway Motorsports, Inc. or SMI (NYSE|TRK) is an American corporation that owns and manages race tracks on the
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and other race series. The company's headquarters are located atLowe's Motor Speedway , in the suburbs ofCharlotte . The company's tracks are known for elaborate pre-race shows, often featuring displays by theUnited States Armed Forces .Fact|date=November 2007. In addition to operating racetracks, SMI ownsPerformance Racing Network , a radio network that broadcasts the races held at its tracks.Race Tracks
Purchases and Race Dates
The company has a history of purchasing tracks to obtain race dates. The company's purchases and closures of the tracks in order to obtain dates for the Texas facility led to the
Ferko lawsuit , and to objections to by many traditional NASCAR fans and by many politicians inNorth Carolina .North Wilkesboro Speedway
In 1996, the company purchased half interest in
North Wilkesboro Speedway inNorth Wilkesboro, North Carolina along withBob Bahre of New Hampshire International Speedway (nowNew Hampshire Motor Speedway ). SMI moved one ofNorth Wilkesboro Speedway 's dates toTexas Motor Speedway and Bob Bahre moved the second date to his facility. On November 2, 2007, SMI purchased NHIS and part of the purchase resulted in SMI gaining full ownership of North Wilkesboro Speedway [http://www.journalnow.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=WSJ%2FMGArticle%2FWSJ_BasicArticle&c=MGArticle&cid=1173353356381&path=!sports&s=1037645509200 Out with the old...] ] .North Carolina Speedway
In 2004, as a result of the
Ferko lawsuit , SMI gained ownership of the North Carolina Speedway inRockingham, North Carolina . SMI closed North Carolina Speedway and moved the track's final race date toTexas Motor Speedway . On October 2, 2007, SMI sold North Carolina Speedway at auction. The track was purchased by "Indiana" Andy Hillenburg for $4.4 million, and renamed Rockingham Speedway.New Hampshire Motor Speedway
On November 2, 2007, SMI announced the purchase of New Hampshire International Speedway from
Bob Bahre , and renamed the facility New Hampshire Motor Speedway. This has led to specluation that SMI would move one of New Hampshire's dates toLas Vegas Motor Speedway and/or swap the date with the fall race at Texas Motor Speedway (TMS has expressed an interest in moving the fall race away from the first weekend in November, which is also the opening weekend of deer hunting season in Texas). The 2009 Sprint Cup Schedule has been set and any changes for 2010 would require NASCAR approval [http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5i5wd-LldrS3kW7zDbZoUTDQ-FJDQD8SLMUMG0 SMI Purchasing of NH Track] ] .Kentucky Speedway
On May 22, 2008, SMI announced it had purchased
Kentucky Speedway from Kentucky Speedway, LLC. The track had been trying to secure a NASCAR Sprint cup race for several years. [http://phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?c=99758&p=irol-newsArticle&t=Regular&id=1150004& SMI Purchasing of Kentucky Speedway] ]References
External links
* [http://www.speedwaymotorsports.com Official website]
* [http://finance.yahoo.com/q/pr?s=TRK Company profile]
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