1on1: Smith ready to put on another really big show

CONCORD, N.C. -- Build it and they will come.

That was Bruton Smith's philosophy long before the line was made famous by actor Kevin Costner's character in the movie Field of Dreams. Smith, chairman of Speedway Motorsports Inc., which owns and operates seven tracks that host Sprint Cup races, oversaw construction of his first venue in 1960 when he opened what now is known as Lowe's Motor Speedway on the outskirts of Charlotte, N.C.

Smith talked recently with reporters about the state of racing, other current events, and the upcoming Sprint All-Star Race and Coca-Cola 600 at LMS. This Saturday will mark the 25th anniversary of the first All-Star event; eight days later the 50th running of the track's signature 600-mile event -- and the longest race on the Cup schedule -- will take place.

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Q: Does it seem like it's been 50 years since that first 600-mile race?

Smith: We continue to build. We haven't finished it yet. We've only had 50 years to do it. So one of these days we'll finish it.

Q: Attendance hasn't been too bad at most races this year, but TV ratings continue to sag. What is your opinion on the current state of racing?

Smith: TV ratings on all sports are sagging. You can look at Major League Baseball, the NBA ... everything I'm looking at on TV is down. (Note: TNT ratings were up on televised regular-season NBA games this season.). I think in racing maybe we're not producing the greatest racing that we should. But we're going to do it this month here, because we're going to produce some fabulous events here.

Q: What do you see as being wrong with racing, and how can you change that for these May events at LMS?

Smith: The drivers learning to drive this new car has been a real, real problem. Jeff Gordon, if you talk to him, has not been real pleased. He's getting there, but I think if NASCAR would just turn 'em loose for a couple of days ... let 'em do anything that they want and find out all about this car. I think if they spent several days, we've got some very intelligent people down in the garage and they'd figure it out. Just give 'em two days to test, test, test and they'll find out what they need to do with the car -- and they'll do it.

Q: What is the greatest lesson you've learned through the years as a race promoter and track owner?

Smith: Number one, you're going to need attorneys; be sure you get ones that know what they're doing. That's important. And it also helps to know what you're doing. It helps to have good architects and engineers. I've seen so many mistakes made just by people not knowing what they're doing. Along the way, we've learned an awful lot. And today we're doing it right. (Continued)