TEXAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY CONSTRUCTION BEGINS; WHEN WILL IT END?

          Construction on the Texas Motor Speedway (TMS) began
     Tuesday, but TMS officials said they "still haven't
     finalized a plan" for the track's "major overhaul," reports 
     Holly Cain in the DALLAS MORNING NEWS.  TMS GM Eddie
     Gossage: "We haven't decided what we're going to do yet, but
     the things being done now with the bulldozers and milling
     machines would have to be done anyway."  The next scheduled
     event at TMS is a June 5-6 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series and
     IRL "doubleheader."  Gossage said that TMS engineers are
     "still consulting" with NASCAR, NASCAR drivers, as well as
     the IRL in "finding a solution that pleases as many
     interests as possible" (DALLAS MORNING NEWS, 4/23).  
          PREMATURE MOVE? NASCAR officials "were taken aback" by
     a Tuesday report that South Boston Speedway (SBS) "planned
     to move its NASCAR Busch Series race in the year 2000 to a
     proposed track in the Washington DC/Baltimore area,"
     according to Bob Zeller of the Greensboro NEWS & RECORD. 
     SBS Owner Mason Day: "In order to see my event grow and stay
     competitive in the industry, relocating this event is
     inevitable."  NASCAR President Bill France: "NASCAR has no
     precedent of track owners arbitrarily relocating races.  Nor
     have we agreed to any changes two years in advance."  Zeller
     notes that track owners "don't own" NASCAR race dates, and
     adds that with the exception of the CA Speedway, NASCAR
     "does not commit to events at speedways that have not been
     built yet."  NASCAR spokesperson Tim Sullivan, on Day's
     comments: "In our eyes, it's a little premature to make
     those comments when we don't know what the 1999 schedule
     looks like yet" (Greensboro NEWS & RECORD, 4/22).