Marcus Smith was introduced to the press Wednesday afternoon as the new president of Lowes Motor Speedway. Even though he has worked nearly all his life at the Speedway he was still a question mark in every ones notebook. We knew what not to expect. Not another Humpy. Not another Bruton. They said he was quiet and smart. We’ll see. In the 600 room of the Speedway Club were several tables with eight chairs each. We got our food across the hall in the Speedway Club buffet and returned to our seats.  We had just introduced ourselves…National Speed Sport News, freelance with the New York Times, LuvRacin.com, NASCAR Scene, Cornelius Business News, etc….when a stranger sat down in the last empty seat. It was Marcus Smith. Having the pleasure of meeting him in such a casual setting was a thrill. And one I don’t think will happen very often. So I would like to let you know what I’ve learned. Marcus is extremely intelligent, somewhat reserved and he loves his job at the Speedway . He doesn’t even call it a job. It’s fun to come to the track….just like it is for us. His first job at the Speedway was to chase pigeons from the rafters of the grandstand. He worked his way up to mowing the grass and using the weed wacker. He says he became so good with that weed wacker he could give haircuts. When asked when he realized he wanted to stay on with the track he said. “When I finally got an inside job.”

Some highlights of his speech…

a)      Don’t look for Indy cars to return to Lowes

b)      2009 ticket prices might be reduced…somehow

c)      Lowes will resign their contract with the track.

d)      Expect the same pre race shows as in the past

e)      The drag strip will be bigger than we can imagine.

f)        He’s the president of Lowes Speedway, The other 8 tracks are run separately.

g)      His motto is FANS FIRST

I’m gonna like Marcus.

LarrE