CALIFORNIA WANTS MORE NASCAR.

Byline: TIM HADDOCK Motor Sports

California Speedway is in the running for a second NASCAR Winston Cup date on its schedule. But the best-case scenario for California Speedway hinges on the willingness of Darlington Raceway or North Carolina Speedway to give up one of its races.

Andrew Gortis, president and general manager of Darlington (S.C.) Raceway, said he is not going to give up one of his track's races without a fight. Chris Browning, executive vice president and general manager of North Carolina Speedway, said he is concerned about losing a race, but many of the contributing factors are out of his control.

The writing is on the race-track wall. More than likely both tracks will lose a race and the chances of California Speedway getting one of them are good.

Bill Miller, the president and general manager of California Speedway, doesn't want to talk about odds and percentages, though. He'd rather talk about attendance and popularity. In that respect, sellout crowds in the nation's second-largest media market should translate into a sure bet California Speedway would have another race added to its schedule.

But it's not that easy.

First, there's the arduous task of convincing the powers-that-be at Darlington Raceway or North Carolina Speedway that surrendering one of its races is in the best interest of stock-car racing and, more importantly, race track stockholders.

Second, California Speedway would be competing with two other tracks (Phoenix International Raceway and Kansas Speedway) for the two potentially available dates.

Third, California Speedway would have to make certain improvements, predominantly the addition of lights to accommodate night racing in order to meet the criteria NASCAR has set for tracks that want an additional race.

Faced with a such a venture, Miller sounded optimistic, even encouraged, with the prospect of adding another race to California Speedway's schedule.

``This would be icing on the cake,'' Miller said.

He'll know probably in July whether he needs to plug in the lights.

In the meantime, Miller begins his campaign. Although not as vocal as the operators of Texas Motor Speedway, who have gone so far as to sue NASCAR for a second race, Miller said he has been lobbying since the track opened in 1997 for a second NASCAR date, without much success.

His requests no longer will fall on deaf ears.

In his state of the series address in January, Bill France Jr., president of NASCAR, announced his plan for realignment in 2004. He essentially gave track owners the power to decide when and where to have its races.

International Speedway Corp. owns California Speedway, as well as Darlington Raceway and North Carolina Speedway. If ISC chooses, it could move one of the Darlington Raceway or North Carolina Speedway races to California Speedway. Phoenix International Raceway and Kansas Speedway also are ISC tracks.

The allure of money, a strong fan base and high television ratings make California Speedway an attractive venue. Moving NASCAR out of the highly saturated Southeastern market is another appeal.

But the price of expansion might be high.

There's a lot to be said for tradition in NASCAR. Few tracks have as much tradition as Darlington Raceway, home of the Southern 500 since 1950. It's a race Buck and Buddy Baker, Fireball Roberts and Neil Bonnett have won. It's a place where the Flock brothers established their racing name. It's a place where Cale Yarborough is still a better racer than Jeff Gordon, if Southern 500 victories are any measure of a driver's ability.

``There will always be racing at Darlington,'' Gortis said. ``I am continuing to fight. But it makes a lot of sense going wherever the business is. It's an emotional issue for Darlington, but it's for the greater good.''

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- Tim Haddock