In Buffalo, Jonathan Epstein reported after Sunday's announcement that HSBC Bank USA is "selling its entire upstate New York branch network" to First Niagara Financial Group, there are "questions still unanswered" about HSBC's operations in Western New York, including the future of its naming-rights deal for the Sabres' arena. HSBC spokesperson Neil Brazil "would not comment on the bank's "'ongoing communications' regarding the HSBC Arena, which he called 'proprietary.'" But Brazil added, "We're looking forward to a continued relationship with the Sabres" (BUFFALO NEWS, 8/1).
HIT THE BRICKS: ESPN’s Allen Bestwick noted Indianapolis Motor Speedway is an "awfully big racetrack," but the estimated crowd of 138,000 for Sunday's NASCAR Sprint Cup Brickyard 400 is "still a pretty large crowd.” ESPN’s Rusty Wallace: “There’s no doubt they’re trying to rebuild what they had in the 1994-1995 season, when we had a lot of people there. But 138,000 people is still an awful lot of people." ESPN’s Dale Jarrett: “While it’s still not up to the standards, I think people are starting come back. A great race like (on Sunday) will bring even more. The track and the city are going to try to help that too” (“NASCAR Now,” ESPN2, 8/1).
TIME TO VISIT THE HOME DEPOT? In Atlanta, D. Orlando Ledbetter reported Falcons Owner Arthur Blank "hopes that his team can focus on plans for a new stadium" now that the NFL lockout is over. Blank said, "We are working very closely with the Georgia World Congress Center." A target date of '17 "has been mentioned in previous talks." But Blank said, "It’s a floating time period, and a lot can slip between the cup and the lip" (AJC.com, 8/1).
PARTY IN THE USA: Conference USA "will be evaluating potential sites for future men's basketball tournaments over the coming months, with an announcement possibly coming in late fall." C-USA Commissioner Britton Banowsky said, "We're getting close. And I think we may be doing it in a multiyear block." Memphis, which will host the '12 men's basketball tournament at FedExForum, is "believed to be under consideration" along with El Paso, Tulsa, Houston and Orlando (Memphis COMMERCIAL APPEAL, 8/2).
