NASCAR

Speedway, NBC/TNT at Impasse Over Name Rights

To tow, or not to tow; that's the big question at Lowe's Motor Speedway. (Photo: LAT Photographic) Concord, N.C., Oct. 6  Business met business head-on today, with no prospect of a friendly ending.



Officials of Lowe's (Charlotte) Motor Speedway learned Saturday morning that NBC/TNT, televising networks for this weekend's NASCAR events, would not refer to the track as "Lowe's" during its broadcasts, including the Winston Cup qualifying show Thursday night. The announcers Thursday simply said words to the effect, "We're here in Charlotte."



Lowe's Home Improvement Warehouse has a 10-year deal for naming rights to the speedway under an arrangement which began in 1999. The Charlotte track is the only one on the NASCAR circuit with a naming rights agreement.



As the conflict escalated, speedway officials pulled tow trucks up to the compound enclosing NBC's satellite trucks, threatening to pull them off the lot.



Officials from the networks and the speedway reportedly met on the seventh floor of Smith Tower, the Speedway's on-site office complex, in efforts to resolve the situation before the Busch race started. A Speedway spokesman told Speedvision.com, "Essentially, what we've told them is that we will not permit them to continue the broadcast until they give us assurance the facility will be called by its legal name."



The Busch race started after a 2hr10min delay and was aired live by TNT – with the tow trucks still hooked up to the networks' two satellite trucks. The announcers continue not to call Lowe's Motor Speedway by name.



The television contracts were negotiated by NASCAR and the networks, with payouts to the tracks and into the purse. It is not known whether NASCAR or Lowe's were involved in the negotiations.



Fox Sports and the Speedway discussed this matter in May before the Coca-Cola 600 weekend, and the network voiced no objections to calling the facility Lowe's Motor Speedway.



Late in the afternoon, speedway president Humpy Wheeler issued a statement which indicated he is ready to go to war over the broadcast of Sunday's UAW/GM 500.



"The dispute over the name of the speedway is childish," the release said. "This television deal is supposed to be a partnership between the speedways, NASCAR and the networks.



"We had no problems with Fox [in May], or Turner, really. NBC has decided to play with different rules. Our contract clearly calls for them to call the speedway its official name, Lowe's Motor Speedway.



"This dispute hasn't been resolved. Surely common sense will prevail before race time tomorrow. If not, I believe NBC is going to learn a very very serious and expensive lesson if they don't honor the contract."



NASCAR officials also were expected to speak to the matter at some time during the day. NBC officials could not be found for comment.



This is developing.  Ben Blake, Senior Editor, RACER (Photo: LAT Photographic)



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