Down in the Pits: Charlotte best site for Winston
The Winston is coming up during the next week or so, and it will be held at Charlotte Motor Speedway. But over the last year it has been discussed whether or not this race should be moved to a different location.
The powers that be at NASCAR would probably like it moved to one of the France-owned race tracks, so they could reap the financial rewards by such a move. However, in this case Reynolds Tobacco Company has quite a say in the matter — since this is a race sponsored by them.
The Winston is a race which is run separately from the Winston Cup Series, and is a non-point race. In other words, the guys are out there racing for money. The only ones eligible are drivers who have won during the last year on the Winston Cup Circuit. Former winners of the Winston are also included, as is the winner of the Winston Open and probably one or two obscure participants that I have forgotten.
In other words, it’s usually made up of 22 or so of the very best drivers in NASCAR. It is also a made-for-television race, which means those rules change from year to year. It’s usually run in three segments with an inverted field at some point so that it will be exciting for the television audience.
Without question this year’s race will be run at Charlotte, but will it be moved next year? Most of the drivers prefer that it stay in Charlotte — not so much because of the track, but because that is home to most of the race teams, drivers and crew members.
Also, Charlotte is one of the very best tracks on the circuit. This race has been compared to the NBA and Baseball All-Star Game, as well as the Super Bowl. All of these events are moved from place to place across the nation. Many in the NASCAR community feel that this is the way The Winston should be handled.
Of course, what the drivers think means little to NASCAR. But those interviewed have said that if the race must be moved, they certainly think it should be moved to Bristol.
The big stumbling block with NASCAR and the France family is that this is also a Bruton-Smith owned track. The Bristol track is the most popular tracks on the circuit with the fans. And given the seating capacity, it would be an excellent track for this race.
Bill France, Jr. can play hardball with everybody except R. J. Reynolds. They not only sponsor The Winston, but they sponsor the Winston Cup Series. They shell out big bucks every year for this Championship, and NASCAR doesn’t want to go head-to-head with these guys.
As much as I like Bristol, on this one I believe I have to agree with the drivers and the participants. This race should remain in Charlotte. It gives them time to be at home with their families, and it falls at a good time of the year. If it were moved to Bristol, it would be like another road trip — causing more expense for the teams and more inconvenience for the participants.
It would also cost them a lot more to fix up all those banged up cars, as it always does for any race at Bristol. As the old saying goes, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”
In respond to question that many readers have been asking, Elliott Sadler is moving from Woods brothers racing team to Dale Earnhardt Inc. next year. And no, Ricky Rudd is not retiring after this season.
Today is Mothers’ Day, which is why there is no NASCAR race today. If you’ve still got a mother, hug her. If you don’t, then remember her.