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.

Q: Just as a casual observer of what happened at Talladega recently, when driver Carl Edwards' car nearly sailed into the frontstretch grandstands, do you think they need to do anything there to address that?

Smith: Yes, I do.

Q: What do they need to do?

Smith: They need to fix it, because the sport is at risk.

Q: Can you elaborate?

Smith: You know, there are different kinds of cables. They're just like fishing lines ... We need to make sure we have the strongest there is at every race track. And I prefer to use welded wire. We should never, ever use any of this wire that is used to build [regular] fences. You need a welded wire which is 10 times stronger than a chain-link fence. A chain-link fence, you might think it's strong, but it's not. I saw a wheel go through one once as if you might throw a ball through a rotted [piece of paper] or something. That proves to me that you don't have much strength there.

You could also make the fences higher. We changed ours to 21 feet here [at LMS following a 1999 tragedy when three spectators were killed and eight injured during an Indy Racing League event]. My understanding is that theirs was 7 feet shorter than that.

Q: Are your fences like that at all the SMI tracks?

Smith: I'm changing them right now in New Hampshire [which SMI bought in 2007].

Q: Should NASCAR mandate that all tracks change their fencing to meet uniform standards?

Smith: I think so. If I can ever assist NASCAR in any of this stuff, I would be thrilled to death to do so.

Q: Will the changes be in place in time for the next race in New Hampshire on June 28?

Smith: Yes, they will.

Q: As a track owner, how do you balance safety vs. pleasing fans who don't want anything to change because they like the racing how it is? Isn't that kind of a tightrope you must walk?

Smith: No sir, I don't think so. When it comes to safety, with all due respect to the fans, the fans cannot say don't do this or don't do that. You have to think of safety. That's important.

And, of course, if you're the owner of Talladega, that's what you need to do. You need to think of the safety of the fans. I think we have a strong responsibility to do that. We're there putting on a show, and we have to protect these people.

Q: Sonic Automotive is a huge part of your business empire, as well. How concerned are you about the auto industry these days?

Smith: I'm surprised that your President is getting into the automobile business. I never looked at him as a competitor, but it looks like he's trying to get into the automobile business. I think what they proposed, where they are trying to put the UAW ahead of secured creditors ... I think there will be a lot of lawyers in a lot of courthouses before that thing is settled. That's my opinion.

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Q: Do you see the situation with Chrysler taking longer than 30 or 60 days to be resolved, as is being mandated by the federal government?

Smith: I don't think it will be done in that short a period of time. I think what will happen will be a bunch of lawsuits, because there are going to be a lot of interests there that will need to be protected. ... After all, from everything I've seen in my long business career, secured creditors are secured creditors. You don't put a union ahead of secured creditors.

Q: Do you think it will have any effect on NASCAR in any way?

Smith: No, I really don't.

Q: What would you do to make today's racing better?

Smith: Well, you can't design a race. You can get the enthusiasm part from the drivers. We're promoting this hard enough and the drivers like it enough that I think you'll see a great race here [this Saturday]. ... This is the largest All-Star event in the world that I know of. If anybody knows any different, I'd like to hear about it. As a matter of fact, I think we'll pull more fans for our event than just about every other All-Star event added together. I'm proud of that.

Q: Anything else?

Smith: You've got to think about the fans. They're the ones who pay the bills. You have to make sure you're giving them what they want.

Joe Menzer is the author of "The Great American Gamble: How the 1979 Daytona 500 Gave Birth to a NASCAR Nation." Click here to purchase.