ON TRACK: The Las Vegas Motor Speedway will invest $10-
12M to complete a drag racing facility that could
accommodate up to 30,000 spectators. It will be the "fourth
new drag racing complex the NHRA has added to its 23-event
schedule in the past three years" (LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL,
7/21). ESPN2's John Kernan reported that the LVMS drag
strip will begin hosting races in the 2000 racing season
(ESPN2, 7/20)....In Ft. Worth, John Sturbin wrote that TMS
"will add a multimillion-dollar drag strip that could be
ready for racing in less than two years" (FT. WORTH STAR-
TELEGRAM, 7/20). In Dallas, Tony Fabrizio writes that TMS
is proceeding with the drag strip plans despite the fact
that TX Motorplex Owner Billy Meyer "has a long-standing
relationship with the NHRA and the rights to national events
held in the Dallas area" (DALLAS MORNING NEWS, 7/21)....TMS
Exec VP & GM Eddie Gossage said that "he plans to renew the
sanctioning agreement" with the Pep Boys IRL. Gossage:
"We're willing to sign up to a five-year sanctioning
agreement with them" (FT. WORTH STAR-TELEGRAM, 7/21).
NOTE: In Cincinnati, John Byczkowski wrote that Paul
Brown Stadium "will feature little in the way of permanent
advertising signage." Instead, the stadium will use two
large (27 feet by 90 feet) electronic scoreboards, as well
as 200-foot-long electronic scoreboards along the
grandstands. The boards will be "fully programmable" with
either advertising or game information. End zone scoreboards
will also be available (CINCINNATI ENQUIRER, 7/18).
