The Rock goes up for auction in Oct

The sale of North Carolina Speedway, which last held a race in February 2004, has been tentatively scheduled for Tuesday, Oct. 2. The date for the track’s absolute auction — meaning it will be sold to the highest bidder without a minimum price or “reserve" — appears on the Web site of National Auction Group, a company in Gadsden, Ala., that is handling the sale. William Bone, the president of National Auction Group, said the Oct. 2 date could change, but that the final date should be “carved in stone" within a week. “I don’t think anybody’s ever sold anything like this. It’s unusual, but there’s got to be a big demand for it," Bone said from Daytona Beach Shores, Fla., where he is conducting the auction of a dozen condominium units today. That place has got to have a lot of other uses for racing," he added. “It ought to be quite an event. It’s going to sell. Regardless of price, it’ll sell, and we hope we do well for them."

“Them" is Speedway Motorsports, Inc., which is headquartered in Charlotte. It acquired the 1.017-mile track and the 247-acre site in May 2004 as part of a lawsuit settlement. The track wedged into the intersection of U.S. 1 and N.C. 177 north of Rockingham, NC. It has hosted only racing schools, private track rentals, and movie and video recording since the SMI acquisition. It opened in October 1965 and has seating for 60,112 spectators. Fayetteville Observer