A Speedy NASCAR Cantina in Turn 2?

Here's something that'll make your car Tight in Turn 2!

Offbeat / Fun Stuff

SPEED Channel is opening a new cantina next to Phoenix International Raceway and should be ready for business by the time NASCAR hits the track next month.

SPEED wants to connect with the fans and offer more to them via the cantina so that when people go home, they have fallen victim to the marketing scheme and turn on SPEED when they get home.

The cantina will open on November 7th, the night of the truck race and network personalities will have a presence there. (Now if someone could buy them a lot of drinks, you might get some inside scoops!)

I think this is nice, and not.

From a fans perspective, I'd love a NASCAR themed "joint" to hit up in my local town. Even a SPEED Channel themed place. Staff it with Hooters girls, and the divorce rate would skyrocket in that town!

Fans are a helter skelter collection of hubs on the internet, tracks and the occasional diecast store.

I've hit up Twitter a few times asking folks from my region of The Bay Area in Northern CA if anyone knows of such a "joint" and no one comes up with an answer, so they are lacking. And when I say joint, I don't mean a place with peanut shells on the floor and one hood hanging form the ceiling. I mean a fully NASCAR committed, NASCAR decorated establishment. In fact, they have to have more stuff on their walls than I do at home!

The SPEED Cantina sounds like just the venture. Yet, I have to travel to Phoenix to get it? Nah.

On the dour, business side of things, I get the lack of licensing for such a venture from NASCARs side of things as they want to have quality control over their image and product. They would also probably swing some serious licensing fee$ out of the whole deal too. That in itself is probably a hefty pill to swallow.

And what happens in the off season? Unhappy hour until Daytona kicks in again? At least that's my take.

Charlie, you got anything on NASCAR bars... I mean "joints". Damn... I bars... I meant "cantina". Didn't I? (source)

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Charlie Turner from ON PIT ROW: Well I've been to the NASCAR Cafe in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina a couple times. A Google search of "NASCAR Cafe" turned up one in Vegas at the Sahara Hotel and another at the Universal City Walk in Orlando, Florida. I think there may be more, but I'm not sure.

Personally, I'm partial to the Toledo Speedway Bar and Grill right here in my town.

It's a real racers' place, loaded with authentic memorobilia, including the coolest kind - a real race track right outside the back wall of the place. We broadcast ON PIT ROW live every Tuesday all year long, from the place affectionately known as the BAG. During racing season we also do the INSIDE ARCA show on the same night. One night this season, while we did the show, Brad Kesolowski's no. 88 Navy Chevy could be loudly heard during the show as he tested the JR Motorsports ride, right outside.

There's nothing like a racing bar.

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Bruce sneaks in a counter-reply: Have I mentioned I hate this guy? I'm officially jealous now!

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Over on Charlie's site, On Pit Row, he asks:

Is there any good reason that you see for a Petty Enterprises and DEI merger?