It was an idyllic autumn day last Thursday in Alabama as Chip Wile prepared for his first race in charge at Talladega Superspeedway.
Wile’s home base remains Daytona International Speedway, where he is track president. But continued cost-saving measures have given the 40-year-old oversight of the two most high-profile tracks in the heart of NASCAR country.
Wile, who also will oversee Homestead-Miami Speedway, is up for the challenge. He’s also excited about how his sport continues to retool the schedule to cater to its most devoted fans and push to attract new ones.
The example hit home for Wile following NASCAR’s bold decision this year to move the summer race at Daytona from the week of July 4th to the regular-season finale in late August.