Finally!                             

Could my relocation to Concord, N.C., and the construction of the dragway be purely coincidence? Hardly.
It’s fate.

Finally, there will be a drag strip in the Charlotte area, and what better place is there to build a dragway — one that is slated to be the “Bellagio of drag strips” — than in the heart of motorsports country?
Oh, they teased and they tempted, first by listing a new event on the 2008 NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series schedule with a ‘TBA’ next to its location. Then when word came that Speedway Motorsports, Inc. officials had begun work on a drag strip next to The Dirt Track @ Lowe’s Motor Speedway — a glorious day, indeed — dreams of nitro burning Funny Cars and Top Fuel dragsters were shot down by residents’ complaints and rezoning ordinances by city officials.
Like watching a close basketball game moving toward its conclusion, I waited on pins and needles for the fate of the drag strip. Would city officials make way for the drag strip? Would Bruton Smith tear down that beautiful, historic 1.5-mile speedway and its smaller dirt-track cousin across the street and relocate to a more drag racing-friendly community?
Oh, the drama!
Now, all of that hoopla seems silly. Move LMS? Not in your lifetime. Deny a drag strip that will bring an additional $9-10 million per year into the area? Madness. My drag strip will be built and it will be grand.
Yes, that’s right. My drag strip.
When I moved to the area to take this job a year ago, I couldn’t tell you anything about drag racing; to be honest, I wasn’t even sure why NSSN covered it. My opinion changed and I even found myself saying, “It would be great if they built a drag strip here.”
And then, as if out of the blue, it was so. Could my relocation to Concord, N.C., and the construction of the dragway be purely coincidence? Hardly.
It’s fate.
So, that is why I propose that fans vote to name The Dragway @ Lowe’s Motor Speedway Sheena Baker Raceway Park by logging onto www.lowesmotorspeedway.com/name_the_dragway/. SMI officials have given the fans the choice of naming the track. Why not name it after someone who has developed a true appreciation for the sport and for the soon-to-be built drag strip?
I don’t care about the VIP treatment that the contest winner will receive for the inaugural NHRA Carolinas Nationals in September; I’ll be there anyway, prowling through the pits and watching run after run. Whoever gets my name affiliated with that glorious facility can keep the tickets, the money — everything — or better yet, he or she can donate them to a charity so that others may enjoy what some are saying will be one the premier events on the NHRA circuit.
I don’t even care about whatever publicity may come from having a state-of-the-art track named after me. Fans can see how much press Jim Stewart received for having his name on the spring NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Richmond Int’l Raceway.
If you just asked yourself, “Who is Jim Stewart,” I’ve made my case.
All I want is something that will forever symbolize the bond between me and the drag strip.
OK, OK, so the chances of getting my name on anything associated with The Dragway are highly unlikely, but a girl can hope, right?
After all, I did get my drag strip, didn’t I?

Vote here!