Erik Tomas' new 'Tomas Tales' touches upon NASCAR coming to Canada and the prospect of big league facilities appearing in southern Ontario. In a nutshell, he'll believe it when he sees it.
TOMAS TALES
The NASCAR to Canada story is gaining momentum, spinning off into a couple of other stories and interesting theories.
NASCAR had another look at Le Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal this past weekend, to follow up on what NASCAR Canada’s Richard Buck told Raceline Radio last summer, and we told you. The track and facility is turn-key, ready to host a race, with only a minor extension of pit road and some adjustments to the paddock to accept a few more 18 wheeler haulers. If NASCAR’s going to install a Busch Series race in Canada next year, Montreal is still the clear front runner.
Although not a primary reason for looking at Montreal, you can bet NASCAR would find it cool as hell to run a race on an FIA/Formula One track. But in the end, Anheuser Busch, the beer behind the Busch brand and title sponsor of “Triple A” NASCAR, and the other subsidiary sponsors, have the final say on location. If doing business in Quebec’s OK, Montreal it is. If they feel it needs to center around the largest consumer market in Canada, then look at Toronto, Mosport, or even the ChampCar street course on the Lakeshore.
My money’s on Montreal.
While all this is going on, stories are flying about the rumoured sale of Canada’s largest paved oval, Cayuga Speedway, Hamilton Ontario.
The park is unfortunately a far cry from the Slack-owned glory years of ASA, ACT and regular NASCAR guest drivers.
We know there are two groups of investors looking to buy and expand the track to a mile from the current 5/8th’s. Once completed, and there are high hurdles to jump here too, they plan to approach NASCAR about staging their Busch and/or Truck Series debut there instead of the Montreal road course. In most heart-of-hearts, Canada’s first NASCAR Series race really needs to be on an oval.
Until they show me the bill of sale and the track’s expanded and ready to re-open as a NASCAR caliber facility, this is all pie in the sky. And since we last talked about the much bally-hoo’d track planned for Niagara Falls/Fort Erie, nothing has really changed.
We’ve heard land has been purchased, and according to one reporter, “The track’s a go!” Really…
Until I see concrete evidence to the contrary, in my mind, the Falls Track is a classic case of wishing for something, and understanding the reality of the situation. Do the principles have clearance from municipal government to build such a facility, or have they even made presentations? If the developers have made progress in this area, wouldn’t they have told the media? Wouldn’t we have had them on Raceline Radio? The silence is deafening. And what about the neighbours? I know people who live in the area who would oppose such a development. They need to be considered too!
But the main reason I don’t take the Niagara Falls plan seriously is cost projections. In the Buffalo TV News story back in December, and there’s really been nothing on it since, they projected the cost at around 100 million. That’s seriously out of whack considering the track they were planning around Seattle Washington was going to start at 345 million, U.S.
Would we want somebody to invest the money to build or expand an existing facility good enough to host a NASCAR Series race? Of Course! But once again, not being big risk-takers by nature, you won’t find too many Canadian Daddy Warbucks’ willing to empty their bank account with no guarantee of a NASCAR date. You can ask track owners in Kentucky and Denver if that’s an expensive dice-roll.
If you can separate fantasy of desire from reality, you need to get used to the idea that the Busch boys will be turning left and right on Canadian soil, not just left, or gauche monsieur!
Keep the electronic notes coming for The Raceline E-Mail Bag! erik@raceline.ca .
Until next week, talk to ya’ll on Raceline Radio, all patched in! ET
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