Businesses to track: Thanks

After hearing rumblings that Loudon may lose one of its two NASCAR Sprint Cup races next year, Concord Holiday Inn general manager Jeff Pelletier decided to do something about it. He drafted a letter to New Hampshire Motor Speedway owner Bruton Smith expressing "sincere appreciation for all that (the track) does for New Hampshire."

Last Thursday, he started circulating it to business owners, garnering 46 signatures before sending it Monday afternoon.

Pelletier said he wrote the letter because he "didn't want to be sitting here a year from now having lost one of the NASCAR races and having done nothing about it."

Each race draws about 100,000 people to the Loudon area. President of the Greater Concord Chamber of Commerce Tim Sink, who helped Pelletier circulate the letter, said he got on board with Pelletier's plan because he wanted "to make sure that the folks at the speedway knew that the New Hampshire business community is really aware of the economic impact" of hosting the competitions.

An uneasy cloud hangs over whether Loudon will retain the two-race-per-year schedule it has had since 1997. NASCAR Chairman Brian France has said the organization is going to reconfigure the Sprint Cup Series schedule for 2011.

Smith said yesterday in a news release that he was "increasingly confident" about his ability to move a race to Kentucky in time for the 2011 season. Smith reportedly would also like to move another race to his track in Las Vegas.

Adding to New Hampshire fans' anxiety is a spat between Smith and local officials over the cost of security for the event.

Last month, Smith responded to a bill from Loudon officials for $156,300 in security fees for the June event by sending an $86,000 check and a request for a meeting. Smith has said Loudon is "by far" the hardest place to get things done in his eight-track portfolio. Gov. John Lynch got involved in the brouhaha last week, when he called Smith to express his appreciation for the event, according to speedway Executive Vice President Jerry Gappens.

Gappens said that rumors of New Hampshire losing a race were "put in play with the controversy" over security coverage but that they were just rumors.

"Everything at this point is just pure speculation," he said. "Based on the excellent track record that the track has over the past 20 years . . . I feel good about us retaining both races."

The races form "a significant chunk of business for" the Holiday Inn, Pelletier said, but he wouldn't go into specifics. If Loudon were to lose one of the races, the hotel would have to rethink some of its business strategies - the loss would affect "how we staff and that kind of thing," Pelletier said.

"Everything that the track does is important to our business," he added.

Sink acknowledged that the track's recent change in ownership - Smith purchased the speedway in 2008 - has generated "some level of friction" with town officials, but he said that at the end of the day, both the owners and the town "do an outstanding job" when it comes to putting on and policing the event.

"I respect the ability of the track to bring New England's largest sporting event into Loudon," Sink said.

Pelletier consulted with other "hospitality professionals" in the area while drafting the letter, he said.

"The feeling was that this would be the best way to move forward, just expressing our appreciation for everything they do for us," he said.

Pelletier sent the letter to Gappens and Smith on Monday.

Gappens said he thought the letter marked a positive development in the relationship between the track and the community.

"Sometimes you take relationships for granted," he said. "With us being fairly new in ownership, it was nice to have an outward display of appreciation." (next page »)