| Samsung 500 News: |
| Fort Worth was dumb not to demand our name on Texas Motor Speedway 10 years ago.
We're getting a second chance to promote the city. But this time, we'll have to spend a few extra dollars. Ask anyone on the East or West Coast where the "Texas" speedway is. They might guess Houston or Dallas or Austin. Unless they're hardcore gearheads, they won't know it's in Fort Worth. Or, if you don't agree with the speedway wanting $500,000 a year to help promote the city, just run a Web search for pages and news stories that place the speedway "in Dallas." I count more than 100, including one in The New York Times. It's too late to rewrite our contract for the speedway. After what Arlington shelled out for football, Fort Worth's deal looks like a bargain anyway. But it isn't too late to put Fort Worth's name in big letters. For $500,000 a year, the speedway promises to hang the city logo all over the place and promote the city's tourist attractions in an ad campaign for potential visitors from across the Southwest. No, the track won't become the Fort Worth Motor Speedway. But the speedway is offering to put up giant marquee and billboard signs reading, "Welcome to Fort Worth." Not only that, but the speedway is also offering to promote a regional tourism campaign that would draw visitors all year from other cities in the Southwest. Those are tourists who might come to town for a Stockyards concert, a Cliburn Piano Competition performance or a great art exhibit like the Dan Flavin light show opening next week at the Modern. They might not be all that interested in joining the crowds at the Samsung/Radio Shack 500 or the Dickies 500 races. But thanks to the speedway, they'll learn about Fort Worth. In Dallas, American Airlines is paying $5 million a year for a 30-year promotional deal at a much smaller sports arena. Let's compare what the airline bought for $150 million with what Fort Worth can buy for $10 million: In Dallas: The airline bought the name of the American Airlines Center and logo placement on signs inside and outside the arena, on tickets and in team advertising. The city can buy logo placement on signs inside and outside the speedway, on tickets and in race advertising, plus billboards and broadcast commercials in other cities far beyond the Dallas sports teams' ad market. |
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| Talk about a dramatic reversal of fortunes. Kyle Busch won the pole position for the Busch race on Thursday, then wrecked his Cup car and damaged his Busch car in Friday practice. In Fridays Cup qualifying he failed to make the field.
Samsung Radio Shack 500 Tickets. What was Johnny Sauter thinking getting in the way of the top two cars as they raced for the win on the final lap? Think the track management at Texas has ever considered that the acronym for the Great American Speedway is GAS? What, was Fastest American Race Track already taken? How embarrassing is it for the Interstate Battery car to have a battery fail in Interstates home state of Texas? Samsung Radio Shack 500 Tickets. What was Johnny Sauter thinking getting in the way of the top two cars as they raced for the win on the final lap? Think the track management at Texas has ever considered that the acronym for the Great American Speedway is GAS? What, was Fastest American Race Track already taken? How embarrassing is it for the Interstate Battery car to have a battery fail in Interstates home state of Texas? How come Bill Elliott cant find a sponsor? Is this a sign of impending Armageddon? Ryan Newman qualified 15th. Were not going to have to put up with this Miller For President nonsense until November, are we? The Hindenburg Award For Foul Fortune |