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NASCAR Sprint-Cup Series
CUP: More Emphasis On Winning Key - Bruton Smith
Bruton Smith has some suggestions for NASCAR...
Bob Pockrass  | http://www.scenedaily.com  |  Posted January 23, 2010   Concord, NC
Bruton Smith (Left) is asking NASCAR to pay more for wins. NASCAR President Mike Helton (Right) says the issue is being examined. (Photo: LAT Photographic)

As his employees try to sell tickets to races, Speedway Motorsports Inc. Chairman Bruton Smith said NASCAR could help him out in one big way.

Smith intensified his lobbying efforts for NASCAR to pay more for wins, asking for a $400,000 difference between the payout for first and second place. He suggested 16 percent of the purse go to the winner and NASCAR decrease the $30-million-plus in point-fund money and use it for the purses.

“Let’s make winning more important,” said Smith, whose tracks have 12 Cup races. “I’m not impressed with a driver when he gets out of the car and he’s talking about points. We’re not interested in that. The race fans aren’t that interested in points.

“Who won? … If you’re a race fan and you’re sitting there and there is 50 laps to go, and you know that it pays a $400,000 difference in first or second, you as a race fan, you will become more interested and the guy in second will drive a lot harder.”

NASCAR President Mike Helton later quipped, “I’ll be glad to ask him how much more he wants to put into it.”

But Helton did say that NASCAR periodically examines the issue. He added that he believes drivers today go for wins.

“[The drivers] tell us, ‘We want to win, we’re out there to race to win, we know we can’t win every race but we want to go out there to shoot to win every race,’” Helton said. “The incentives that we can [use] to keep that feeling alive is important. And we have to keep looking at things we can do to keep that level of interest of wanting to win in place.”

At times critical of NASCAR, Smith said the best thing NASCAR has done in the last year is implement double-file restarts.

“The No. 1 thing, by far, is the double-file restarts,” Smith said. “The fans love it, and I do. I’m a fan and I love it. We need some rubbing up there.”

Smith also likes the change from the wing to the spoiler but wished it had been done earlier. A test session will be conducted March 23-24 at SMI's Charlotte Motor Speedway.

“December was open – how come we couldn’t do it in December?” Smith said. “I don’t like to put off until next year what we should have done last year. That’s what we’re doing. Delaying the inevitable.”

Smith also questioned whether having the first Chase For The Sprint Cup race at New Hampshire is a benefit for the track.

“I’m not as sold on the Chase races as I should be,” he said. “Maybe that was overused. In New Hampshire, we have the first race of the Chase. I don’t know that it does a thing for us. I think maybe we have overused it and we should move on to something else.”

SceneDaily.com • NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Director John Darby moving up not moving on

Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale: Jan 19th-24th
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Bob Pockrass

SceneDaily.com

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