Smith bluffs move of LMS in battle with city officials (cont'd)

Many times he is right when he attacks an issue with gusto. Like questioning why NASCAR refuses to give his Las Vegas Motor Speedway the second race date it deserves; or why NASCAR insists on continuing to hold its end-of-the-year banquets in New York, where no one cares, instead of in Las Vegas, where no one would care that no one cares because everyone would be having such a good time.

Who is right in this dispute? And is the ringmaster bluffing about closing down LMS just to get what he wants?

While the answer to the first question is murky and the answer to the second appears upon first glance to be a resounding yes, Smith would emphatically claim he is the former and a firm no to the second.

He said he already has been offered 600 free acres and free grading for a new facility by one neighboring community. Another, from Rowan County (which borders Cabarrus County where Concord is located), went public with its offer to support a move there if the dispute with Concord isn't worked out.

Smith said that no matter what happens, his vast operations will remain in the immediate Charlotte vicinity. But he added that he does not see building a drag strip separately, away from his other facilities, as a viable option at this time.

"It is amazing what's coming in from different people," Smith said. "I guess you could pick a lot of places to build. You know, I have a huge investment out there [in Concord], and I was about to make another big one other than the drag strip. So what I'm going to do on building another speedway, it will be in this immediate community. Because I've got to think, No. 1, what's going to be good for NASCAR racing. And it's got to be good for the fans. We'll do all of that.

"I have not talked to [NASCAR chairman and CEO] Brian [France] about all of this. I have a meeting with him on the 16th [of October]. But I can assure you that whatever I do, we will keep the interests of NASCAR racing and the fans first and foremost. I'm not going to do something that will adversely affect what we're all doing. I'm not going to do that. It's going to be a positive move when we make that move."

Notice that he said "when," not "if." Was it calculated? Yes. Does it mean anything? It's hard to say.

But for all those who think he won't do it, that's what they said before Art Modell moved the NFL's Cleveland Browns to Baltimore or Joe Gibbs Racing switched from Chevrolets to Toyotas, too. In the wacky world of sports, especially when it comes to the circus called NASCAR, you never know.

Conventional wisdom says that Concord city council, in the end, will not risk turning away Smith's sprawling empire simply to prevent a few possible sleepless nights and declining property values for a handful of its citizens. But even Smith said he is not sure what will happen next.

"I have no idea what they'll do," Smith said. "Because it was a shocker this past Monday night on what they did. So I have no idea."

But King Bruton does have some ideas, and the resolve to act on them if he doesn't get what he wants.

The opinions expressed are solely of the writer.