Humpy Wheeler is fairly confident NASCAR’s annual all-star race, known since 1985 as The Winston, will return to Lowe’s Motor Speedway in Concord, N.C., next season. Beyond that, he said, it’s anyone’s guess. “I don’t see how it could possibly be anywhere else next season,” said Wheeler, president of the speedway and of its parent company, Speedway Motorsports Inc. “Logistically, you need at least a year of lead time to do it right. “We have had two very successful Winstons the past two years that would be hard for anyone to match.” NASCAR introduced Nextel on Thursday in New York as the new sponsor of what is now known as the Winston Cup Series. Wheeler did not attend the announcement, instead traveling to California for the Cup race SMI’s Infineon Raceway hosts on Sunday. The existence of The Winston, held every year but one at Lowe’s since its inception in 1985, was written into NASCAR’s contract with current series sponsor, R.J. Reynolds Tobacco. Thursday, NASCAR said the sanctioning body and Nextel would co-sponsor the event beginning next season, but left its location unresolved. At least in the short-term, Wheeler said Nextel, too, might prefer the all-star race remain where it is. “I don’t think Nextel, in its very first season sponsoring the series, would want to take the negative reaction that would be incurred by moving the race from Charlotte,” Wheeler said. “Nobody wants to start a new relationship off on a bad note.” Wheeler also believes NASCAR’s all-star event can’t easily be compared with similiar events in other professional sports, which often rotate locations for their all-star events. “Our all-star event isn’t like baseball and the NBA, because we have over 100,000 seats to fill,” Wheeler said. “You just can’t pick it up and move it around like just another game. Certainly, Nextel is going to want anything they associate with or pay to sponsor to be a success. We haven proven we could make The Winston a success.”( ThatsRacin.com )(6-20-2003)
