Bruton Smith NFL Owner?? Wait for the Half-Time Shows!! King Involved with NFL?

Hold on to your hats NFL fans. It's half-time at the playoff game and Bruton Smith, new owner of the Carolina Panthers, has an exciting half-time show featuring Beyonce strapped in a flaming school bus jumping 100 outhouses lined up from red zone to red zone!!

That's the kind of scenario being imagined by Charlotte sports columnists after a Bruton Smith radio interview yesterday in which he said he'd buy the NFL team to keep it from moving out of Charlotte and fund $300 million in stadium renovations out of his own pocket.

Bruton's statement comes in response to the Charlotte City Council approving a food & beverage sales tax hike to raise $144 million to give to current Panthers' owner, Jerry Richardson, along with an additional $62 million Richardson is seeking from the State of North Carolina for renovations to his Charlotte football stadium.

I'm not sure it might not be fun to have Bruton in the NFL and take some of the sanctimonious NFL attitude down a peg or two.

Maybe Bruton would give away free tickets to the NASCAR Hall of Fame down the street and help boost its attendance.

Bruton Smith as Carolina Panthers owner? Halftime would be a blast
By Tom Sorensen
Posted: Wednesday, Feb. 13, 2013

Bruton Smith told WBT-AMs Keith Larson on Tuesday that hed buy the Carolina Panthers if the price is right. He also said he would not ask for public money and would keep the team in Charlotte.

In 2007 Bruton, who owns Charlotte Motor Speedway and many other things, threatened to move the race track if he didnt get what he wanted when he wanted it. He was serious. He told me so.

I have no idea if Bruton is serious about buying the Panthers. But I can see why he would be. NASCARs attendance and television ratings are in perpetual free fall. The NFL is the most successful enterprise in the history of U.S. sports.

Bruton would have to adjust. NFL rules are written in ink, NASCAR rules in sand.

But the showmanship and improvisation that characterize Brutons race tracks could work at Bank of America Stadium.

The first change: All fans would be allowed to remove their shirts, and some would be encouraged to.

Imagine the pregame show. Before Charlotte races I have witnessed a flaming bus jumping over outhouses, or maybe a bus jumping over flaming outhouses. I have seen simulated race-track wars in which the good guys always win. Panthers safety Haruki Nakamura plays so far behind the line of scrimmage that he could defend freedom and make Bank of America Stadium safe for democracy by lining up in the end zone.

One afternoon in the speedway infield I saw a man shot out of a cannon, and he enjoyed the ride. The first Panther shot out of a cannon should be reserve quarterback Jimmy Clausen. The inactive list is boring. Getting shot out of a cannon is not.

The Panthers would be the only team in the league whose players have to pass drug tests and inspection.

Officials will throw flags and wave them.

Nobody capitalizes on commercialism like NASCAR. It sold space on cars and on uniforms and, long before the NFL caught on, it sold the name of the track.

Steve Smith no relation to Bruton still would be 89. Hed also be whoever wanted to sponsor him.

The Havoline Bud Light Wrangler Lowes Stanley Tools GoDaddy.com NAPA AARP wide receiver splits wide.

After every victory, Carolina quarterback Cam Newton would slip into Victory Lane to thank his offensive line, the boys at the shop and each and every one of his sponsors. To get them all in, of course, a winning streak would be required.

Love to see the campers pull onto Mint Street four days before the game. Love to walk into the infield and by Sunday know everybody by name. No more funnel cake for me, thanks.
The debates would continue, but the names would change. At the speedway, its Ford vs. Chevrolet. At the stadium, its BMW vs. Mercedes.

The Panthers have had two Kings tight end Jeff and defensive end Shawn. One senses there would be a third .

I dont know how Bruton will pull off qualifying
.
But hell find a way.

And if you dont like it?

Hell move the team to Indian Trail.

And here's the story that led to the column above:

Bruton Smith: Id consider buying Carolina Panthers
Speedway Motorsports CEO interested in Charlotte NFL franchise if Jerry Richardsons willing to sell

By Steve Lyttle
slyttle@charlotteobserver.com
Posted: Tuesday, Feb. 12, 2013

Speedway Motorsports CEO Bruton Smith said Tuesday in a radio interview that hed be willing to buy the Carolina Panthers from owner Jerry Richardson and Smith said he wouldnt make city or state taxpayers pay for improvements at Bank of America Stadium.

Smiths comments came near the end of an interview with WBT-AM morning talk show host Keith Larson.

Larson said the interview was prompted by remarks hed made Monday, in which he referred to Smiths threat several years ago to move Charlotte Motor Speedway out of Concord in a dispute with local officials over his plans to build a drag raceway there.

Smith finally got approval to build zMAX Dragway.

Larson had expressed skepticism on air Monday about whether Smith really would have followed through with his threat, and Smith said Tuesday in the interview: My intent was to relocate the speedway.

Larsons comments had come in light of negotiations between Richardson and officials from both the city of Charlotte and the state, over Richardsons plans to make nearly $300 million worth of improvements at the stadium. The Panthers owner wants local and state money to pay for a chunk of the project.

One background factor in the negotiations has been the possibility that the team could be sold to out-of-town ownership and possibly moved after Richardsons death.

Near the end of their interview, Larson asked Smith if he would be interested in buying the team. The speedway owner answered: Well, it depends. Do you think he is interested in selling?

If the price is right, Id be interested.

Then, apparently in a reference to a deal between Richardson and city officials that calls for a guarantee that the Panthers will remain in Charlotte at least 15 years, Smith said, I would commit to the city and I would not ask for money.

When Larson asked him to repeat what hed said, Smith replied: I would not ask for money.

For the record, Smith said there have been no talks between him and the Panthers.

I have not approached him, Smith said of Richardson.

A spokesman for Speedway Motorsports told the Observer later that Smith was tied up in meetings Tuesday afternoon and evening and was not available for comment.

One, Bruton is all about self-promotion. Right? I really have no reason to believe he'd actually pull the trigger on something like this. In his current sports promotion role, he really has only 1 other adversary - a faceless ISC. The NFL has Jerry Jones, Dan Snyder, and a handful of prominent, influential and in some cases flashy players.

Two, what a short (or non existent) memory this writer has. I get his tongue-in-cheek, throw away effort at what might be at a Bruton half-time. But he is basing his parody on Humpy Wheeler's head-shaking stunts vs. Bruton's. Just sayin...

Third, Bruton says he could operate the team without twisting the taxpayers arms for capital improvements to the NFL stadium. What he DIDN'T say is whether he'd leverage his control over the team to get more tax subsidies for his primary properties in Cabarrus County. "I want more roads, legalized gambling, bridges, moving sidewalks, employment subsidies, etc. for my tracks." Politicians: No, we don't think so. Bruton: Fine, then I'll move my little NFL team to LA. Politicians: Um, uh, heh heh *wet themselves* no no! That was just a little joke. Here's your money Mr. Smith.

When I read the line in the column about Bruton adding another " King " at Bank of America Stadium if he buys the football team, I thought.... nah... that won't happen. Richard Pettygave up on football (I thought) after breaking his finger playing ball and missing the 1966 Peach Blossom 500 at Rockingham.

But, then, I saw in the news where he has hooked up with with NFL quarterback, Tim Tebow... you just never know.

Tim Tebow, Richard Petty restore NFL stars college car
Wednesday, Jan 9, 2013
Bob Pockrass Sporting News

Richard Petty's Petty's Garage is restoring Tim Tebow's college car for the Tim Tebow Foundation (Tim Tebow Foundation Photo)

Tim Tebow has hired a pretty famous person to restore his old college carThe King, Richard Petty.

So the New York Jets quarterback and the NASCAR legend are now partners of sorts.

Soon after Tebow was selected 25th in the 2010 NFL draft, he didnt need his 1995 Ford Thunderbird anymore. So he parked it at his parents house in Florida and left it there untouched for three years.

Tebow, who starred at the University of Florida, recently decided that he should get rid of the car so he wondered if his charitable foundation could use it. The foundation decided that it couldnot for transportation, but as a fundraiser.

There was only one problemthe car wouldnt even run.

Tebows car likely could attract a high price from a passionate University of Florida fan, even in shoddy condition. But it likely would bring much more for his foundation if it were restored.

Enter a man who knows something about building and rebuilding carsNASCAR Hall of Famer Richard Petty.

While Pettys old Petty Enterprises team is no longer operationalPetty now co-owns Richard Petty Motorsportsthe teams famous shop in Level Cross, N.C., still exists, with 15-20 cars being restored at any one time at Pettys Garage.

Tebows foundation knew Pettys people from previously working together. And Tebow, having grown up in Florida, obviously is familiar with stock-car racing. Petty knows a thing or two about college football as well and has been making suggestions on things to do with the car. His employees are one month into the two-month project of refurbishing it.

This is a 95 Thunderbird that (eventually will have) went from rusty and covered in cat prints to an amazing machine because of Pettys Garage, said Tim Tebow Foundation Executive Director Erik Dellenback. The car isnt real special but it will be soon. Timmy knows very well who Richard is. Hes a big fan.

The restored car likely will be unveiled at Daytona International Speedway during Speedweeks and shown at various Tebow foundation events before being auctioned off at the end of the year. A car such as this one, designed for charity, could go for well into six figures at a car auction such as the Barrett-Jackson.

Tebow will pay for the restorationthey are giving us a phenomenal deal in the car, Dellenback said about the Petty partnershipand his foundation tentatively plans to use the proceeds for its work in the Philippines, where it supports an orphanage and is building a hospital.

Were excited because obviously the legendary status of Richard Petty is a great tie to us, Dellenback said. Originally our goal was just to auction it off and as we started seeing what this was going to look like and the interest of people wanting to see it, we decided to use it for a year on promotional tour. The dollars we can raise off that could literally affect thousands of children.

Pettys Garage also plans to use the car as part of a mobile tour of rebuilt performance cars.

Hopefully when were done, Tim and his folks will be proud of it and can use it for their charity events, Petty said. I know were going to use it for some of our Pettys Garage mobile tour and that will be a good piece for us to show off.

Weve been talking with Tim and his foundation folks for a while now and things have come together for us to do this. Its been good for everyone and I think well all get something good out of it.

The car, which had around 80,000 miles on it, will take about 800 manhours to rebuild. It was gutted and will have a new 5.0-liter Coyote Ford engine (500 horsepower) with automatic transmission. It will have new front and rear suspension with big brakes to make it a high-performance vehicle. It will have new custom seats.

The shifter from the old car and parts of the cars body will be used as part of the rebuild.

When the foundation and the Petty people picked up the car, it still had music CDs in it as well as the air freshener that people might recognize from an ESPN documentary just prior to the draft where Tebow is shown driving the car. The car had cobwebs in it and lots of notesfrom phone numbers of scouts to notes likely just left on Tebows car while on the Florida campus.

It was not your typical college football players car by no means, Pettys Garage CEO Jeff Whaley said. We found a list (of numbers) of when he was being courted to go to school, but there were no beer can lids, no cigarette ashes.

Tebows people believe the car will be a hit.

This is a one-offTim Tebow is one of the hottest commodities going right now and to have him and Richard, if both of them were standing there at Barrett-Jackson (auction) and you had the right Florida Gator fan or Tebow fan or Richard Petty fan, theres no telling what this vehicle would bring in, Whaley said.

It was truly his college car. How can you say that about anything else?

Like a lot of the NASCAR guys, I think King is a bit of a Washington Redskins fan. So signing on with Bruton to champion the Panthers? Hmm, don't know about that.

Plus, I think he has been-there,done-that with pro sports in that area. Wasn't he part of the ownership group along with Felix Sabates and others in minor league Charlotte Checkers hockey? And I know he once drove the Zamboni at a Carolina Hurricanes NHL game.

Back when Charlotte was first pitching the NFL, Bruton proposed a domed combination NFL stadium/Track that revolved and flipped over on the site of the current CMS.

I guess he forgot the disaster that befell Bristol when they tried to combine NFL football with stock car racing. Maybe he wants to reinvent Soldier Field in Chicago. He could have Tom Pistone come over and we could race stock cars inb the Panthers stadium!

Yes. the Checkers name was derived from that racing affiliation.

Thanks to Google News Archives, here's a link to an Associated Press story from 1985 detailing Bruton's plans for playing NFL Football at Charlotte Motor Speedway... with or without taxpayer assistance:

http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=VUhOAAAAIBAJ&sjid=lRMEAAAAIBAJ&pg=5948,6342437&dq=bruton+smith+charlotte+football&hl=en

1985?

2013?

2018?