Sabates is right: His apology wasn't to NASCAR

ThatsRacin.com's reports from late January don't directly contradict the quotes in Tom Sorensen's Feb. 11 column, in which Felix Sabates asserts that “NASCAR doesn’t care what you say. Nobody in NASCAR has ever criticized anything I’ve said. Not once.”

Michigan International Speedway is owned by International Speedway Corp., which is a publicly traded sister company to the France family's NASCAR.

ThatsRacin.com contributor Brant James on Jan. 25 posted an article based in part on Sabates' remarks during the NASCAR Sprint Media Tour in which he criticized the NASCAR schedule and proliferation of NASCAR-themed TV shows.

Roger Curtis, the Michigan track president, responded Jan. 28 to Sabates' quotes. An apology from Sabates appears below, followed by the remarks of MIS's Curtis, then Brant James' post of Jan. 25:

Felix Sabates, Jan. 29

"In an attempt at humor I made some comments about the city of Detroit and the people of Michigan that were in poor taste and that I sincerely apologize for.

"I have worked directly or indirectly with the auto industry for over 40 years as both a auto dealer and a NASCAR owner and it was never my intention to put down the auto industry, its workers, the city of Detroit or the state of Michigan.

"I have such respect for all of them. I am so frustrated over the challenges that this tough economy has brought to everyone in this country that I inadvertently joked about one of the areas hit the hardest. Those of us that have the luxury of getting to work in such a great sport like NASCAR owe a great deal to the city of Detroit and their support of the auto industry because without either, the sport of NASCAR would not be what it is today.

"In fact, Michigan International Speedway, even in this tough environment, drew an impressive 100,000 fans to the track at their last race. My sincerest apologies to anyone that I might have offended, it was certainly not my intent."

MIS president Roger Curtis, Jan. 28:

"It's a shame Felix Sabates doesn't see Michigan race fans are some of the most loyal, hard-working people in the world. He clearly doesn’t appreciate the natural beauty of our state or understand the challenges that Michigan, its residents and the city of Detroit will overcome.

"Perhaps his car sponsor Chevrolet, Jack Roush, Roger Penske, all fine examples of Michigan’s resilience, can explain it to him.

"If not, I’m sure the hundreds of thousands of loyal race fans that annually attend MIS events twice a year can.

"In fact, I will give him and his family tickets in our grandstand so he can experience why MIS fans are so loyal to our racetrack and this sport. Maybe that will help him remember it’s the hard-working and loyal race fans – even those he dismisses as 'unemployed' – that make NASCAR what it is."

Brant James' post, Jan. 25:

Felix Sabates understands supply and demand. That understanding puts the linen shirts on his back and the yacht under his finely crafted loafers.

And NASCAR, the longtime Sprint Cup car owner and partner with Chip Ganassi and Teresa Earnhardt said, is supplying more than fans demand right now. Hence stock car racing's recent attendance and television ratings problems.

"I think we grew too fast," said Sabates, whose business-marketing ventures have included yachts and the Teddy Ruxpin bear. "Some of these race tracks put in 140,000 seats, 120,000. That's crazy.

"We had no business increasing those seats. Bruton (Smith) probably started that with (Charlotte Motor Speedway) because NASCAR, the France family, hadn't done anything to Daytona for a long time. And tickets there are hard to get.

"(In Charlotte), there's always tickets for sale. And Bristol, if I was Bruton, I would cut the two top rows off. When you can only get 100,000 in there, man it's like “My daddy died and I inherited the ticket." Now, who cares? You can go down and buy a ticket. Too many seats."

There also are too many NASCAR television shows, Sabates said.

"We got like 27 of them now.":

And then the thorny issue: There are too many races, he said. Six should go, cutting the Cup schedule to 30.

Sabates' list of the expendable events (and the tracks at which the infield parking spot for his motor coach is likely to change):

Pocono Raceway. "Nice people," Sabates said, "but we don't need to go to Pocono twice." At all, actually, he said.

That'd be at least one down.

Michigan International Speedway. "I mean, there's nobody left in Detroit other than the police and the unemployed. I'd cut Michigan off the schedule altogether. Michigan – I'm talking about the state – is never coming back to what it used to be, so why go there and throw good money after bad money?"

Auto Club Speedway at Fontana, Calif., one.

Atlanta Motor Speedway, one.

Phoenix International Raceway, one.

Fixed.

Indianapolis made his cut only because of attendance, Sabates said.

"Too many of everything," Sabates said.

"I came from the Mercedes dealer this week. We have cars that have limited production. We got people that wait six months for one of those.

"And then we've got cars that you can get all you want. Go to my lot, I've got 60 of them over there. Supply and demand."