In Charlotte, Poole & Utter reported that NJ General
Assembly Speaker Jack Collins "recently met with" SMI Chair
Bruton Smith to "discuss the possibility" of building a
speedway in NJ (CHARLOTTE OBSERVER, 10/17)....In Nashville,
Larry Woody reports that Talladega Superspeedway added
15,000 seats, pushing its capacity to 135,000. Woody notes
that "counting luxury suites and infield," attendance for
yesterday's Winston 500 race was "estimated" at 200,000
(Nashville TENNESSEAN, 10/18)....In Denver, Manny Gonzales
wrote that since the $175M Pepsi Center opened last week,
fans have "barraged" the Rocky Mountain News with
"complaints of tighter seating and less leg room." Gonzales
noted that the width of seats at the Pepsi Center "ranged
from" 19.5-21.5 inches between midarmrests, while McNichols
Arena's seats ranged from 19-22 inches (ROCKY MOUNTAIN NEWS,
10/17)....Southwest Sports Group CEO Tom Hicks said the
"next big deal may involve the naming rights to The Ballpark
in Arlington" (DALLAS MORNING NEWS, 10/16)....Residents in
Springfield, MA, are debating the feasibility of a $21.3M
ballpark for a potential minor league baseball team. Peter
Picknelly Sr., who owns Peter Pan Bus Lines, has "promised"
a $3M donation to the project, and his company is "buying"
naming rights for $1M or more (N.Y. TIMES, 10/17).
