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For the past 11 years, Charlotte Motor Speedway has ceased to exist, while Lowe’s Motor Speedway has become one of the most popular track names in auto racing.
Sure, the name doesn’t hold the same weight as Daytona or Indy, but Lowe’s is right up there from the fan and driver perspective, and it has been one of those constants in a sport where it seems that just about everything changes on a daily basis.
Apparently, not any more.
According to reports on www.autoracingdaily.com, Lowe’s owner Speedway Motorports, Inc. and Lowe’s Home Improvement Center have reached a stalemate on the contractual terms for the naming rights of the former Charlotte Motor Speedway.
Lowe’s, which paid about $35 million over 10 years for the naming rights, is unwilling to meet Speedway chief Bruton Smith’s demand for a new $9 million-per-year contract with the track, and it seems as though the partnership may be coming to an end, according to the report, which also states that the $9 million figure was just a starting point in the negotiations.
Corporate sponsorships have ruined professional sports to some extend, with naming rights on everything from stadiums and actual team names — see New York/New Jersey Red Bulls — to event names and uniform sponsorships. (Has anyone ever watched a South American soccer match? You can’t even see the numbers on the jerseys sometimes with all the logos pasted on them.)
But for NASCAR, the world of corporate sponsorships has worked, worked well and helped NASCAR survive and thrive.
Daytona International, Talladega Superspeedway and Richmond International all have a nice ring to them, but Lowe’s Motor Speedway, or Lowe’s, had a special ring to it.
It just wouldn’t be the same seeing a race at Charlotte anymore.
CARPENTIER BACK WITH MWR
Michael Waltrip Racing announced this week that Patrick Carpentier will be back behind the wheel of the No. 55 NAPA Auto Parts Toyota for this weekend’s road course stop at Watkins Glen International, according to www.michaelwaltripracing.blogspot.com.
Carpentier is no stranger to the No. 55 car, having driven it to an 11th-place finish for MWR earlier in the season at the Toyota/Save Mart 350 at Infineon Raceway. He also has 32 Sprint Cup and 12 Nationwide Series starts under his belt.
According to the report, he is also slated to drive the No. 99 NAPA Auto Parts Toyota for MWR at the Nationwide Series NAPA Auto Parts 200 at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal on Aug. 30.
“Patrick is being rewarded for perseverance,” said Waltrip, who has 22 starts that equate to one top-five, four top-10 and 14 top-20 finishes at the 2.45-mile road course. “At Sonoma, he drove for me and started out with a car he wasn’t happy with. He worked with my crew chief Bootie (Barker) and my NAPA boys to get an 11th-place finish. We also had a little deal on the side. If he was able to finish solidly at Infineon Raceway and he deemed the experience of working with my team as fun and wanted to do again, then he and I would ask NAPA to allow him to drive again. We all agreed so Patrick will drive the No. 55 NAPA AUTO PARTS Toyota for NAPA and me at Watkins Glen.”
Apparently, Carpentier had more than just a little fun, and wouldn’t pass up the chance to drive the No. 55 again.
The No. 55 NAPA Auto Parts Toyota is currently 31st in the owner points standings.
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2008 NASCAR Sprint Cup Points Standings
Rank…Driver
…
Points
…
Behind
1.
…
Tony Stewart
…
3188
…
—
2.
…
Jimmie Johnson
…
2991
…
197
3.
…
Jeff Gordon
…
2989
…
199
4.
…
Kurt Busch
…
2751
…
437
5.
…
Denny Hamlin
…
2713
…
475
6.
…
Carl Edwards
…
2665
…
523
7.
…
Kasey Kahne
…
2642
…
546
8.
…
Juan Montoya
…
2631
…
557
9.
…
Ryan Newman
…
2627
…
561
10.
…
Mark Martin
…
2622
…
566
11.
…
Matt Kenseth
…
2564
…
624
12.
…
Greg Biffle
…
2563
…
625