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Henry in talks to buy Loudon speedway

LOUDON, N.H. (AP) - The owner of New England's largest sports venue - New Hampshire International Speedway - has been talking with Boston Red Sox owner John Henry about selling the track to the NASCAR team Henry partially owns.

Both track and team are playing down any suggestion a sale is around the corner, however.

Bahre discussed the sale of the track over the past month with Henry and Sox Chief Operating Officer Mike Dee, he told FoxSports.com. He described it as his latest contact with a long list of potential buyers for the highly successful track.

"There's always somebody talking," Bahre said. "I've talked to Mike Dee and John Henry, and they act like someday they might want to do something. They called and said they want to talk, so we talked. I'm going on 81, so someday I want to do something with the track."

Bahre bought the old Bryar Motorsports Park in 1989 and transformed it into a 1.058-mile superspeedway the next year. The track, about 80 miles north of Boston, seats 101,000 and is home to two Nextel Cup races a year, including the Sylvania 300 this weekend.

Henry's partner in Roush Fenway Racing, Jack Roush, was also quoted by the Web site. He said he had not been party to any meetings or serious discussions, but if the partnership was interested in a race track, "I would have to say that New Hampshire would probably be at the top of my list."

Bahre's son, 44-year-old Gary Bahre, had been in line to move from track president to owner, but his father said recent health concerns undercut that plan.

"He'd never want to run it alone, I'll tell you that now," Bob Bahre said last year. He predicted his son would sell the track promptly if he inherited it.

The father said things are going well at the track now, but, "Let's face it, someday, something will happen. Someday you're going to sell your house."

Kentucky Speedway offered $360 million for the track early this summer, the last documented attempt to buy the track from Bahre.

With 101,000 seats, NHIS hosts the largest sporting event in New England, and historically it produces some of the best racing in NASCAR.

Geographically, the track draws diehard sports fans from throughout New England and Canada.

The word of a possible sale comes as NHIS is set to host the Sylvania 300 this weekend, one of two annual NASCAR Nextel Cup races at the track.

Yesterday, Speedway media relations director Fred Neergaard said a sale of the speedway "is not imminent."

"They are not in negotiations or anything like that," Neergaard added.
Bahre told FoxSports that someone's always looking to buy the track, and he's talked to "about eight" different groups.

Posted by Mike McDermott  at 11:24 AM | Permalink