Bahre believes N.H.'s two Cup dates safe with Smith (cont'd)

"He didn't make any promises, I want to make that clear," Bahre said. "But I don't think he's going to move any dates out of here. I honestly think that if he wanted one in Vegas, he'd take one out of Atlanta, because we can draw better here than Atlanta can, although they've got a better market in Atlanta. That's only my opinion, now. You've got to remember, the guy you're talking to is not very bright. That's what I would think would happen. It's a good market here, we sell out all the time, and I'm not sure taking a second date to Vegas would be a smart thing to do. I'm not criticizing the man, because he's a very wealthy, brilliant man. But it doesn't always work. Look at California and some of the other places where they took two. He's selling out [in Las Vegas], he's doing great. I think I would leave it alone. But Bruton is Bruton."

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Bob Bahre

A better fate?

David Caraviello writes that after New Hampshire deserves better than to have its fate drenched in uncertainty.

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Bahre has had plenty of opportunities to sell his racetrack over the years, but rejected them all until now. Almost 81, he knows he won't be able to run the place forever. His son Gary is battling health problems and doesn't want to take it over. "I just figured that it probably was the right time to do it now," he said. Smith had been calling for about a year wanting to buy the place. About three weeks ago, Bahre finally gave him a number: $340 million, in cash. Smith and son Marcus flew up, everyone shook hands on the deal, and went to lunch. A contract was drawn up the next day.

"It was all fast," Bahre said. And surprising, too, given the animosity that once existed between the two men. Looking to bring a NASCAR date to his palatial Texas track, Smith bought out one of the two families that owned old North Wilkesboro Speedway. But Smith couldn't seize control of the whole thing, because the other family sold to Bahre. The two men barely spoke until they agreed to split the track's two dates, with Smith taking a first to Texas and Bahre adding a second to New Hampshire.

As part of this most recent deal, Smith will own all of the North Wilkesboro property. "I offered it to Bob as a Christmas present," Smith joked. "He said, 'Go to hell.'"

But the reputation Smith earned among many hard-core NASCAR fans in the wake of the North Wilkesboro closing was anything but funny. The purchase and closing of North Carolina Speedway, recently bought at auction by ARCA driver Andy Hillenburg, alienated those old-timers even more. Now that he has control of New Hampshire, some are bracing for the worst. But to Smith, it's only survival of the fittest.

"All of you in this room know that there are some tracks that need to be scraped," he lectured last week. "Maybe the sport would be better off if those events were held somewhere else. North Wilkesboro, it was old, old, old. Decrepit. It had no sewer system, it had nothing. The track was worn out. NASCAR was appreciative of closing it. They wanted it closed. So again, we need everybody's input when we talk about doing this. Maybe we ought to look somewhere else, too. There's another or two [tracks that need to be] closed."

Smith is often seen as a foil to the NASCAR brass in Daytona Beach, Fla., with whom he's butted heads countless times. But he emphasizes the massive financial investment he has in the series, and says he's only trying to make it better. That's why he's always nixed the idea of starting his own racing series, why he's moved some races to bigger markets, why he's built some of his facilities into lavish temples of the sport.

"I'm for building what we have," he said. "What we have is fabulous, and I'm not going to do anything to hurt it, ever, ever. I want to make it bigger and better. That's what I'm about."

Bahre believes his business partner is misunderstood. "I know a lot of people don't care for him in a lot of ways, but he has done a lot for NASCAR," he said. "... Nothing like the France family [which founded and runs the series], but he's got some tracks, and I think the guy is pretty good. He's got so much at stake."

Bahre will stay on as a consultant, although he's told Smith he won't manage the track. A new, yet-to-be-named general manager will do that. While Smith has said he wants to increase the track's seating capacity, Bahre does have one change he wants made -- increasing the size of the men's bathrooms. "We were getting lines all of the sudden at the men's bathrooms after all these years, whereas the women's were fine," he said. "I did tell him he should do that."

That's typical Bahre, looking out for the basic needs of the people who come to his facility. That's why the place thrived despite its remote location, why the sellout crowds kept coming even if the racing wasn't the best, and why the track's founder believes two NASCAR weekends should remain in New England.

"I honestly think you're going to see both of them stay here, I really and truly do," he said. "But I think [Smith] is going to weigh it out before he ever decides to move one. I think it would be a big mistake if he did."