LAS VEGAS, Nev. -- Short track racing’s industry leaders from throughout North America kicked off what some are calling the largest seminar/trade show combination in the history of motorsports.

NASCAR, the only sanctioning body to have fully supported weekly short track racing at a grassroots level throughout its 56 years, is among the dozens of sponsors of the inaugural Short Track Racing Summit through Saturday at the Orleans Arena.

“We are promoting enthusiasm and the positive aspects of short track weekly racing,” said Jim Hunter, Vice President, Corporate Communications & Dodge Weekly Racing Series for NASCAR.

“There has been enough that has gone towards the few negatives. We want to accentuate the positive with our sport, get all of our short track and weekly people fired up again, and exchange ideas that work for everyone,” he said.

Chris Powell, Vice President and General Manager of Las Vegas Motor Speedway, welcomed the attendees. The speedway not only hosts NASCAR NEXTEL Cup, IRL and CART events but plays a major role in Nevada weekly and short track racing with its “Bullring at LVMS.”

H.A. “Humpy” Wheeler, President of Lowe’s Motor Speedway and considered one of the top motorsports promotional minds, taped a presentation and discussed promoting short track racing.

“We can build all the superspeedways we want but you building and running the short tracks of America is the backbone of our sport,” Wheeler told the attendees. “That’s where our customers come from; that’s where our drivers of tomorrow come from.”

Wheeler stressed the importance of playing to the “base” of the sport, yet remaining vigilant in determining the best ways to move forward.

“We are a middle-class sport and we have always prided ourselves on being a middle-class sport,” he said. “Still, we have to do what short track operators have always had to do. As the economic climate changes, we have to change the model.”

He used the example of a 12-year-old boy coming to a track for the first time, noting that track operators have to think differently with him because “with video games, television and all of that, he is the most highly-entertained individual in the history of civilization.”

Wheeler pointed out ways to do just that, how to cater to families, how to build fields and cut costs, but reminded the conference participants, “You are selling an adrenaline rush.”

Brett Yormark, NASCAR Vice President for Corporate Marketing, spent nearly an hour with the conference participants, discussing methodology and fulfillment from the sponsorship standpoint. With his comments customized for the short track segment of the industry, he led a dialog about everything from where to find new corporate sponsors to the costs involved.

“Short track racing is an efficient way for a corporate sponsor to reach a heavy concentration of avid, brand-loyal fans,” Yormark said. “There are things short tracks and weekly tracks bring to the table that nobody else can.”

Yormark’s presentation marked the first time a highly-successful motorsports marketer had essentially laid out the “inner circle details” to a group in a seminar/trade show atmosphere. The uniqueness was not lost on the participants, who were visibly appreciative of Yormark’s presentation.

Bob Dillner of www.51sportsracing.com and Clare B. Lang of XM Radio addressed the participants in the afternoon session. Dillner offered tips on setting up track web sites, from promotion to selling tickets through the sites. Lang discussed XM Radio, the national satellite radio corporation, and the use of radio by short tracks.

“This summit is something different, something that gives participants strong information and ideas to use throughout the year,” Hunter said. “Short track and weekly racing are the backbone of everything we do with NASCAR, so the stronger we make these tracks, the better off we are as a sanctioning body and the better off the industry is as whole.

“We didn’t want to do the regular ol’ booths with vendors but a combination of a trade show and a series of seminars,” he added. “This gives the best possible value to the people participating, and gives the best value to motorsports throughout the country.”