Molson Sports Meets With NASCAR About Craftsman Truck Race

Molson Sports & Entertainment (MS&E) has been in talks “for some time with NASCAR officials about bringing a Craftsman Truck Series race to Calgary,” according to Dean McNulty of the TORONTO SUN. MS&E President Jo-Ann McArthur said the discussions “are strictly at the preliminary stage.” MS&E last weekend hosted NASCAR officials and city and provincial politicians from Alberta at the Champ Car Molson Indy Montreal. The company has mapped out a potential street course “that would include the grandstands used for the annual Calgary Stampede” ( TORONTO SUN, 8/29 ). CHAMP CAR: In Toronto, Jeff Pappone reported 36,204 people attended Sunday’s Molson Indy Montreal, where “most of the grandstands were missing,” leaving seats for less than 10,000 fans. Promoters said that they “were trying to attract more people with lower prices,” offering a general admission ticket for C$20 a day. Attendance for the three-day race weekend was 93,755. Rumors of a “rift between race promoter Normand Legault and Champ Car began Friday” over the lack of seating. But Champ Car President Richard Eidswick said, “Conflict with the promoter? No. ... If he tried something and it didn’t work perfectly, I’m sure that he will turn it up next year” ( Toronto GLOBE & MAIL, 8/29 ). AUTORACING1.com wrote Legault “simply did a horrible job promoting the race. While some towns are plastered with posters and the race is front page news, in Montreal we saw none of that. ... It’s clear Normand Legault and his team failed” ( AUTORACING1.com, 8/28 ).