Press Release

QUOTES FROM ESPN ANALYST AND FORMER NASCAR CHAMPION RUSTY WALLACE ON BILL FRANCE JR., NASCAR BUSCH SERIES AT NASHVILLE

Release date: June 6, 2007
Contact: Jenny Zimmerman at ESPN jennifer.j.zimmerman@espn.com
Or
Kim Jessup at ESPN kimberly.jessup@espn.com

Q - What does it mean to you personally?

“I knew this day was coming, I just hoped it never would. Mr. France was definitely old school just like I was. I considered him a great personal friend and mentor who gave me a lot of advice on things on and off the track. And, he was influential on my decision to retire. I remember him saying, ‘Hey Wallace. You’ve accomplished everything in the world. How much longer do you have to push it?’

“Without him creating NASCAR and making this wonderful sport for many thousands of people, I would have still been a newspaper delivery boy and vacuum cleaner repairman living in St. Louis.”

Q - What does it mean to the sport?

“Fortunately when Bill became sick he had already begun transferring the leadership of NASCAR and making sure the right people were in place. It shocked the NASCAR community when Mike Helton was named president of NASCAR because we all thought that Bill was going to rule with an iron fist forever. And then, he took his own son and named him CEO, with (daughter) Lesa France running the tracks. Bill put everything in place and I think he’s got NASCAR on a railroad track for success.

“Obviously this sport is going to miss him dearly. I hope that nobody considers this a weak point in the sport because he wouldn’t want that and Mike Helton is far from weak. He’s a domineering personality like Bill France Jr. was, and I think they’re in great shape. Mr. France had one agenda – create an entertaining sport for fans, drivers and owners. I hope that it continues to run with that same mentality.”

 Quotes from Wallace on Nashville Superspeedway

Q - What challenges does a concrete surface present at Nashville Superspeedway?

 “From a driver’s standpoint, you can feel a little edgy and unsure driving on the concrete surface when you go out for your first practice. It is harder to feel how the car is handling and it doesn’t have as much grip as driving on asphalt. It’s really a mental thing. Once they get into the race and start running, they always build more confidence on the concrete track. And, once the track gets more rubber on it, it has a lot more grip and the drivers get more confident.

“This is a track where shock absorbers are very important. On asphalt you might have a bumpy or wavy feel to the track, but on concrete it feels like a big vibration because concrete has very small bumps which make shock absorbers very important for a race car setup.”

Q - The Nashville track is not shaped like any other track. Do you think people find it difficult to drive?

“I don’t think it’s a difficult track to drive. Turns 1, 2, 3 and 4 are almost all identical the way you drive them, and most drivers think it’s fun to race on. 

 “I think that the Nashville track is one of the best shaped tracks in NASCAR. I personally like that it’s concrete. A lot of the asphalt tracks change race to race, but the more rubber that’s laid down on the concrete the better it drives. And it’s just a beautiful place to race. The construction is fantastic and every time I go back I’m amazed at how well it races. The competitors always have something positive to say about the facility." 

 Q - Is Nashville a track that favors any particular drivers that you've noticed?

“The Nashville track seems to like drivers who are good at figuring out coil-binding setups. At Nashville, you try to get your car running as low to the ground as possible. Those drivers that run that type of setup will do well at Nashville. There are no big bumps or problems with this track, so you can get the car as low to the ground as possible. Richard Childress Racing always gets around this track really well. That’s one of their best places to shine. The No. 21 car driven at Nashville by Timothy Peters and the No. 2 car of Clint Bowyer, they always seem to be particularly strong.

“Busch regulars are really looking forward to this race as well because most of the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup guys are going to be in Pocono. It’s going to be these guys’ chance to shine. It’s not a companion event and so it’s a great opportunity for Busch regulars to gain some points.”

ESPN2 Nashville Superspeedway
ESPN’s lead auto racing analyst Rusty Wallace returns to the booth for the Nashville telecast. Wallace, the 1989 NASCAR Cup Series champion, took a brief hiatus from ESPN’s NASCAR coverage to work the telecast of the Indianapolis 500 by ESPN on ABC. Dale Jarrett filled in for Wallace. Joining Wallace in the booth this weekend at Nashville will be lead announcer Dr. Jerry Punch and two-time NASCAR champion crew chief Andy Petree. Pit reporters will be Jamie Little, Mike Massaro and Shannon Spake.

Allen Bestwick will host NASCAR Countdown at Nashville, joined in the ESPN Pit Studio by analyst Brad Daugherty. Tim Brewer will be at the ESPN Chevy Cutaway Car.

About NASCAR on ESPN:
ESPN and ESPN on ABC will have comprehensive, multi-platform coverage featuring telecasts of the final 17 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup races including the 10-race “Chase for the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup” championship on ESPN on ABC. Additionally, ESPN2 is the home of the NASCAR Busch Series all season. For the first time in the history of televised motorsports, all programming is produced totally in High Definition. ESPN’s comprehensive, multimedia NASCAR coverage extends to ESPN.com, ESPN Deportes, ESPN Deportes Radio, SportsCenter, ESPN The Magazine, ESPN Classic, ESPNEWS, ESPNRadio, ESPN360.com and ESPN International, among other ESPN platforms. ESPN aired 262 NASCAR Cup Races over a 20-year period starting in 1981. The network's award-winning, live flag-to-flag coverage on ESPN was honored with 17 Sports Emmy Awards, as well as many industry honors. It is widely credited for helping to popularize the sport nationwide. NASCAR races have appeared on ABC for decades, beginning with broadcasts on the award-winning Wide World of Sports program in the 1960s.

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Nashville Superspeedway is owned by Dover Motorsports, Inc. (NYSE: DVD), a leading promoter of motorsports events in the United States. DVD subsidiaries operate three tracks in three states, and present several hundred motorsports events each year. This includes 14 major, national events which include races sanctioned by NASCAR and the NHRA. Dover Motorsports, Inc. also owns and operates Dover International Speedway in Dover, Del., and Gateway International Raceway near St. Louis, Mo. For further information log on to www.DoverMotorsports.com. This release may contain forward-looking statements based on management’s beliefs and assumptions. Such statements are subject to various risks and uncertainties that could cause results to vary materially. Please refer to the SEC filings of DVD for a discussion of such factors.