SPEEDWAY MOTORSPORTS CEO PURCHASES NORTH WILKESBORO SPEEDWAY

     Speedway Motorsports President & CEO Bruton Smith "continued
his pursuit" of auto racing tracks yesterday by buying 50% of all
outstanding stock in NC's North Wilkesboro Speedway, reports
Roland Martin in the FORT WORTH STAR-TELEGRAM.  Smith already
owns the Atlanta and Charlotte Motor Speedways, a 24% interest in
Rockingham, and is building the Texas Motor Speedway in Texas's
southern Denton County.  North Wilkesboro is the oldest charter
member track in NASCAR's Winston Cup circuit.  With the
increasing popularity of the sport, NASCAR drivers and sponsors
have  been "clamoring" for NASCAR to take the sport to larger
venues, but Smith has no plans to move one of the track's two
Winston Cup racing dates (FT WORTH STAR-TELEGRAM, 6/20).