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Smith hoping to lure college football to Bristol
SMI chairman offers Tennessee-Va.Tech $20M each to play at track<?XML:NAMESPACE PREFIX = O /><O
></O>
By B. Duane Cross, NASCAR.COM
August 26, 2005
08:59 PM EDT (00:59 GMT)<O></O>
<?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com /><st1:City w:st=BRISTOL</st1:City>, <st1:State w:st=" /><ST1lace w:st="on">Bristol, Tenn.</ST1lace> -- Bruton Smith is putting his money where his mouth is. Literally. Again.<O></O>
The chairman of Speedway Motorsports Inc. said Friday that he again formally has offered the <ST1lace w:st="on"><st1laceType w:st="on">University</st1laceType> of <st1laceName w:st="on">Tennessee</st1laceName></ST1lace> and Virginia Tech $20 million each to play a football game at Bristol Motor Speedway.<O></O>
<!--startclickprintexclude-->"It would be the most exciting thing we've ever done in football," Smith said Friday at the track. When asked if he was trying to "conquer the world," he quipped: "Absolutely. We're looking for something bigger.<O></O>
"The world of racing has already been conquered," he said. "We want to move on to something else."<O></O>
Track officials said they had contacted both schools about the proposition, and UT athletics director Mike Hamilton will be a guest of Smith for the Sharpie 500 on Saturday night.<O></O>
Smith said the game would have to be played in November, allowing time for workers to raze the infield of several buildings and the scoring pylon.<O></O>
"We won't schedule a [game] date," Smith said. "That would be up to the universities. But it would have to be in November, when we could take the time to scrape the infield, take everything out."<O></O>
The playing surface would be artificial turf.<O></O>
Playing host to a football game would not be a first for the facility. <st1:State w:st="on">Washington</st1:State> and <ST1lace w:st="on"><st1:City w:st="on">Philadelphia</st1:City></ST1lace> played an NFL exhibition game at the track in September 1961.<O></O>
"It would be expensive," to make the changes to the track's infield, Smith said. "I don't know [how expensive], but we'd take some bids when the time comes."<O></O>
Smith said the prospect of BMS playing host to <st1:State w:st="on">Tennessee</st1:State> and Virginia Tech is "very exciting," and added that the 160,000-seat "stadium" would set the record for the largest crowd to watch a college football game.<O></O>
The current record is 112,118 on Nov. 22, 2003, at Michigan Stadium. UT's Neyland Stadium is the nation's second largest venue, seating 104,079.<O></O>
<!--startclickprintexclude-->This is not the first time Smith has broached the subject of having the Vols and Hokies play at the track. In January 1999 the idea was floated -- at about $3.5 million per team -- but nothing came of the talks.<O></O>
Virginia Tech AD Jim Weaver said he spoke in September 1998 to his <st1:State w:st="on">Tennessee</st1:State> counterpart, then-AD Doug Dickey, about scheduling a home-and-home football series between the schools. The earliest dates would have been 2010 and 2011, however, and no deal was made.<O></O>
More recently, Texas Motor Speedway, another SMI track, tried to lure the annual Oklahoma-Texas game from the Cotton Bowl to the infield of the modern racing facility in <ST1lace w:st="on"><st1:City w:st="on">Fort Worth</st1:City></ST1lace>.<O></O>
Smith noted that <ST1lace w:st="on"><st1:City w:st="on">Bristol</st1:City></ST1lace> could be expanded by about 12,000 seats. Even with a capacity of 172,000, and at $50 per ticket, the gate would generate $8,600,000. Smith would not elaborate on how he would make up the difference, but added: "I enjoy making money."<O></O>
If you do the math, tickets would have to sell for more than $232 each to account for the $40 million. Obviously, television rights would be a large factor in the equation.<O></O>
Smith said he won't beg the schools to accept his offer. "They either like the money or they don't," he said.<O></O>
By comparison, the BCS title game paid an estimated $13 million per team last season.<O></O>
What remains to be seen is whether the NCAA would allow the game to be played at the racetrack.
SMI chairman offers Tennessee-Va.Tech $20M each to play at track<?XML:NAMESPACE PREFIX = O /><O
></O>By B. Duane Cross, NASCAR.COM
August 26, 2005
08:59 PM EDT (00:59 GMT)<O
></O><?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com /><st1:City w:st=BRISTOL</st1:City>, <st1:State w:st=" /><ST1
lace w:st="on">Bristol, Tenn.</ST1lace> -- Bruton Smith is putting his money where his mouth is. Literally. Again.<O></O>The chairman of Speedway Motorsports Inc. said Friday that he again formally has offered the <ST1
lace w:st="on"><st1laceType w:st="on">University</st1laceType> of <st1laceName w:st="on">Tennessee</st1laceName></ST1lace> and Virginia Tech $20 million each to play a football game at Bristol Motor Speedway.<O></O><!--startclickprintexclude-->"It would be the most exciting thing we've ever done in football," Smith said Friday at the track. When asked if he was trying to "conquer the world," he quipped: "Absolutely. We're looking for something bigger.<O
></O>"The world of racing has already been conquered," he said. "We want to move on to something else."<O
></O>Track officials said they had contacted both schools about the proposition, and UT athletics director Mike Hamilton will be a guest of Smith for the Sharpie 500 on Saturday night.<O
></O>Smith said the game would have to be played in November, allowing time for workers to raze the infield of several buildings and the scoring pylon.<O
></O>"We won't schedule a [game] date," Smith said. "That would be up to the universities. But it would have to be in November, when we could take the time to scrape the infield, take everything out."<O
></O>The playing surface would be artificial turf.<O
></O>Playing host to a football game would not be a first for the facility. <st1:State w:st="on">Washington</st1:State> and <ST1
lace w:st="on"><st1:City w:st="on">Philadelphia</st1:City></ST1lace> played an NFL exhibition game at the track in September 1961.<O></O>"It would be expensive," to make the changes to the track's infield, Smith said. "I don't know [how expensive], but we'd take some bids when the time comes."<O
></O>Smith said the prospect of BMS playing host to <st1:State w:st="on">Tennessee</st1:State> and Virginia Tech is "very exciting," and added that the 160,000-seat "stadium" would set the record for the largest crowd to watch a college football game.<O
></O>The current record is 112,118 on Nov. 22, 2003, at Michigan Stadium. UT's Neyland Stadium is the nation's second largest venue, seating 104,079.<O
></O><!--startclickprintexclude-->This is not the first time Smith has broached the subject of having the Vols and Hokies play at the track. In January 1999 the idea was floated -- at about $3.5 million per team -- but nothing came of the talks.<O
></O>Virginia Tech AD Jim Weaver said he spoke in September 1998 to his <st1:State w:st="on">Tennessee</st1:State> counterpart, then-AD Doug Dickey, about scheduling a home-and-home football series between the schools. The earliest dates would have been 2010 and 2011, however, and no deal was made.<O
></O>More recently, Texas Motor Speedway, another SMI track, tried to lure the annual Oklahoma-Texas game from the Cotton Bowl to the infield of the modern racing facility in <ST1
lace w:st="on"><st1:City w:st="on">Fort Worth</st1:City></ST1lace>.<O></O>Smith noted that <ST1
lace w:st="on"><st1:City w:st="on">Bristol</st1:City></ST1lace> could be expanded by about 12,000 seats. Even with a capacity of 172,000, and at $50 per ticket, the gate would generate $8,600,000. Smith would not elaborate on how he would make up the difference, but added: "I enjoy making money."<O></O>If you do the math, tickets would have to sell for more than $232 each to account for the $40 million. Obviously, television rights would be a large factor in the equation.<O
></O>Smith said he won't beg the schools to accept his offer. "They either like the money or they don't," he said.<O
></O>By comparison, the BCS title game paid an estimated $13 million per team last season.<O
></O>What remains to be seen is whether the NCAA would allow the game to be played at the racetrack.
