Opinion: Bruton Smith WAY out of line.

Fans, as we all know NASCAR's top three series have ended their seasons together during Ford Championship weekend at the Homestead Motor Speedway since 2002. Many of the drivers and teams use the trip as a post-season vacation after the championships have been crowned in the final racing weekend of the year. But not all people,especially where their money is concerned, are not happy with the idea.

One of those is a one Bruton Smith, president of Speedway Motorsports Incorporated, which owns most of the tracks on the NASCAR circuit. Bruton Smith, in a conversation with the Associated Press, said that its improper to hold the final race of the season in Homestead, and says that NASCAR would be better suited to have the final Cup race at his Las Vegas Motor Speedway, which according to Smith, will host the Izod IndyCar's last race in Las Vegas next October, although that detail is not set in stone, as Indy Car's schedule will not be officially released until this Friday.

Smith's want for NASCAR's final race at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway has been known for years, but when he went so far as to call the South Florida area "North Cuba", which I'm guessing has something to do with the high population of Latinos living in the area, crossed a line. We all know that the final race of the Season, with all the pomp and circumstance surrounding it now with the Chase for the Cup format, means big bucks for the organization that hosts the race, not to mention the Title Sponsor, Ford Motor Company. But as to go so far as to insult the people of Homestead Miami, not to mention the original owners, Ralph Sanchez and Wayne Huizenga with his statement is uncalled for.

From this fan's view, Bruton Smith's comment, however in jest it may have been, drips with a bit of prejudice, and with NASCAR struggling to shake the "good ol' boys" stigma attached to the sport, the sanctioning body can not stand by and let comments like this slide , even if its just from a track promoter. If I was the owner of NASCAR, and I heard a track owner affiliated with my league insulted a region in which we are holding a race, so that we can switch that date with a track of his own, I would seriously have to make a phone call to remind him how his words could reflect negatively on the leagues that run at his tracks.

I understand Bruton Smith has to make money, I understand that he wants to make "Sin City" a major racing hot spot, but trashing the association's decision to end their year at a certain track is not and should not be tolerated, especially when he trash-talks a region of your fan base.

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