Charlotte's `Ten Days of May' Is A Success for Speedway Motorsports

26 May 1998
Charlotte's `Ten Days of May' Is A Success for Speedway Motorsports
    CONCORD, N.C., May 26 -- All the right ingredients mixed
together during Charlotte Motor Speedway's "Ten Days of May" to create a
record crowd of more than 400,000 fans for the events surrounding one of the
premier stops on the NASCAR Winston Cup Series - the Coca-Cola 600.
    In excess of 150,000 streamed through the gates May 15-16 for the No Bull
25s Winston Qualifying events on Friday night and for Saturday night's The
Winston, which is NASCAR Winston Cup Series' all star event.  Another 250,000
people turned out the next week for Winston Cup qualifying on CT
Communications Pole Night, for the CARQUEST Auto Parts 300 NASCAR Busch Series
race and for the Coca-Cola 600 and other supporting events.
    "This May surpassed everything we have done in the past," stated H.A.
"Humpy" Wheeler, Chief Operating Officer and President of Speedway
Motorsports, Inc.  "Everything was bigger this year - attendance, publicity,
drama and excitement.  We added 12,000 seats to Charlotte this year which we
sold out.  These factors combined with good weather, helped us achieve record
results for these events."
    The Winston lived up to its reputation as a race where anything can happen
when Mark Martin passed Jeff Gordon as the latter ran out of fuel on the last
lap.  Martin came back strong the next week by winning the CARQUEST Auto Parts
300 and by being a contender through much of the Coca-Cola 600.  But Gordon
was not to be denied as he won both the pole and race.  Fireworks and a
military maneuver, complete with Blackhawk and Apache helicopters, fueled the
excitement surrounding the Memorial Day events.
    Speedway Motorsports' remaining schedule for the second quarter includes
the Pronto Auto Parts 400 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series and True Value 500
Indy Racing League weekend June 5 - 6 at Texas Motor Speedway, the Load
Handler 200 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race at Bristol Motor Speedway June
20, and the Save Mart/Kragan 350 NASCAR Winston Cup weekend at Sears Point
Raceway June 27 -28.
    Speedway Motorsports, the owner and operator of Atlanta Motor Speedway,
Bristol Motor Speedway, Charlotte Motor Speedway, Sears Point Raceway and
Texas Motor Speedway and 600 Racing, Inc., is a leading promoter and marketer
of motorsports entertainment in the United States.