Smith, Carroll differ on appeal
Smith, the chairman and CEO of Speedway Motorsports Inc., said at last week’s news conference announcing his company’s purchase of Kentucky Speedway that he wanted to hold a Sprint Cup Series race next year at the facility.
NASCAR officials quickly pointed out that it is late in the sanctioning process and the sanctioning body had no intentions of being able to bring a Sprint Cup race to Kentucky Speedway in 2009.
"It's Bruton's job to get the race and I think he is moving in the best direction he can," Carroll said. "We were really moving quickly to try to get it in 2009. But he also told me he could do that. He told me on the phone the other day don't count out 2009 because he is looking forward to coming here."
Carroll is confident a Sprint Cup race will be held at Kentucky Speedway by 2010 at the latest.
“(Smith) said he is obligated to that," he said.
Smith told ESPN.com that he would like the speedway to resolve the ongoing appeal of a U.S. District Court Judge’s decision to dismiss the track’s antitrust lawsuit against NASCAR and International Speedway. But Carroll said that is, “not being worked on."
"We're appealing this lawsuit," he said. "We are very, very adamant to the fact that we think we have a good lawsuit. It doesn't matter about the money, and it doesn't matter about the (Sprint Cup) race, because we know the race is coming now.
"What matters is the even playing field. We think we should be on (the Sprint Cup schedule). For all these years, we've been told we don't have a market. Bruton Smith has said this is a fabulous market." The Enquirer