Let’s Do the Concord Flip-Flop
Written by David Lamm · October 11, 2007
No, that is not the newest dance craze to hit capture the nation. It’s the latest moves by the Concord City Council after their bluff was called. Only after Bruton Smith threatened to abandon Lowe’s Motor Speedway and open up another racing facility in a different city has the Concord, N.C. politicians softened on their anti-drag strip stance. Knowing full well that Bruton Smith has the vast resources to abandon a mutli-million dollar racing facility to prove his point, they recently flip-flopped their decision. This just proves that the old saying, money talks and BS walks, is alive and well in 2007.
Charlotte Observer: Concord reverses stance on drag strip
I guess it didn’t take long for the city officials in Concord, N.C. to blink when faced with the potential loss of millions of dollars generated by Lowe’s Motor Speedway. Apparently the Concord City Council, after voting last week to prohibit Bruton Smith from building a drag strip on the Lowe’s Motor Speedway property, had a change of heart on Tuesday. (Gee, I wonder what could have changed their minds?) It’s now being reported that the city council has reversed its opposition to the potential drag strip being built but they did leave themselves an out. The city leaders did caution that no deal is in place. This potential ‘escape clause’ should only serve as smoke and mirrors and looks to be a paper tiger. The council doesn’t want to appear to be lapdogs to Smith and his huge pocketbook so they need to talk tough like they will stand up to Smith if he asks for too much. We all know who will win this battle if Bruton Smith is really serious about moving Lowe’s motor Speedway to another city.
This all comes down to money and both sides know it. Smith has it and Concord needs it. Keep in mind that Concord and the Cabarrus County area is still dealing with major job losses and recent factory closings. Lowe’s Motor Speedway accounted for nearly 70 percent of the tourism dollars generated in Cabarrus County last year, an estimated $169 million. Lowe’s Motor Speedway property taxes are worth about $1.02 million to Cabarrus County this year and an additional $722,247 to Concord. This is not chump change we are talking about. When Bruton Smith says he’ll take his proverbial bat and ball and go home, he could very well do it. Concord and Cabarrus County need Bruton Smith and Lowe’s Motor Speedway more than Smith needs the city and the county. How many other surrounding counties and cities would welcome in a humongous cash cow like Lowe’s Motor Speedway into their jurisdiction? I’m guessing most of them.
The timing of this little ‘flip-flop’ by the Concord City Council is a bit convenient. Does anyone else find it strange that their position has softened quite a bit just as thousands of fans began pouring into the area for the Bank of America 500 NASCAR race last Saturday? Maybe the local merchants sent the local Chamber of Commerce a note telling them how valuable an asset Lowe’s Motor Speedway is to their livelihood. No matter what the reason, it looks like Bruton Smith holds all the cards in this game now. Sure the city council members can talk tough and make bold statements about “looking out for the long-range good of the city of Concord” but you can already tell who will win this one. Bruton Smith and the revenue his multi-million dollar racing facility brings have the city leaders by the short hairs.
The neighbors living close to the track may complain about the noise and fumes on drag racing weekends. Those gripes will pale in comparison to the complaints local business owners will aim at the city council when they can no longer make a living without speedway tourism dollars.
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7 Responses to “Let’s Do the Concord Flip-Flop”
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Bruton you go boy, show them that it will only make them money in the long run!!!!!11
The local citizenry will indeed be up in arms … when their economy goes in the proverbial shitter if Bruton left. Anyone knows that Bruton would pull the switch in a second, so businesswise, the city council has no other option. The town regals in calling itself “high performance living” - better keep the track if they want to stay that way. Also, does anyone really think Hendrick, Roush et al would be based in Concord if there was no speedway? Yea, I didn’t think so either.
Congratulations Bruton! Can’t wait to see the spectacular facility he will build for drag racing!
Have you been to the neighborhoods within earshot of LMS? I would guess a very small percentage of those homes were there before the track was built. A similar thing has been going on in my hometown, where citizens are suing the airport for noise, although 90% of the homes were constructed in the area well after the airport was built(decades even). But anytime an expansion, or increase in service is announced a new round of lawsuits start, as if they didn’t know it was there before they moved in.
I absolutely love what Bruton Smith is doing. I live in Concord, at the track, and I think that the city council and anyone else that has anything to do with the decesion making process is getting what they deserve. I say “pull out Bruton” and make Concord eat crow…I’d wear that t-shirt proudly. “Concord Eats Crow”. The little town just can’t grow up. Hopefully Bruton will put the racetrack somewhere the town/city appreciates it. Go Bruton
I don?t even live in Cabarrus county. I don?t follow racing, roundy round or drag racing. I didn?t even know who Burton Smith was before I read this article. But You Go Boy. You show em! When compared to real business people, the paper tiger politicians love to sound tough. But faced with a real fight they have to back down every time. I know a town that would welcome you, your noisy drag strip, and all those bothersome tourists that spend all that money. If you take a notion to leave Cabarrus county, I know where you got a home! Why I may even come and watch one of them there motor car races.
FF
FearlessFrank
I live in AZ. Most of the state is desert. I’d love to see Bruton build a new state of the art drag strip here. Sorry Firebird Itn. Raceway but it is a very old drag strip. Stop crying Concord. Pomona Raceway sits right in the middle of town. They don’t seem to mind as long as the revenue comes in twice a year.