DALLAS GARDNER SAYS NHRA NOT FOR SALE, DESPITE SMITH OFFER

          NHRA President Dallas Gardner said Monday that he told
     Speedway Motorsports (SMI) Chair Bruton Smith that the
     racing series is not for sale, according to Tony Fabrizio of
     the DALLAS MORNING NEWS.  Smith confirmed the he has made a
     bid to acquire the NHRA, and Gardner said, "Over the past
     couple of years, several (parties) have inquired as to
     whether the NHRA would be for sale, including Bruton Smith. 
     We've told Bruton and the others that it isn't for sale." 
     Fabrizio writes that while Smith is "renowned for his
     stubbornness in financial endeavors," it is "unclear" what
     he would be purchasing if he did acquire the NHRA "because
     it is a non-profit organization controlled by a five-person
     board of directors."  Some have speculated that if acquired,
     the NHRA would have to liquidate its assets and "rescind its
     non-profit status."  A buyer would then start a new, for-
     profit NHRA organization (DALLAS MORNING NEWS, 9/28).