Bahre defends cuts in Speedway staff

Thursday, July 24, 1997 | 9:23 a.m.

In many ways, says new Las Vegas Motor Speedway vice president Gary Bahre, a speedway is a lot like the cars that run upon it.

Both operate best while streamlined, with all non-essential weight removed.

And that, he said, is the reason the Las Vegas Motor Speedway staff was pared from a ballpark figure in the 90s to roughly 60 employees this week, with more dismissals probably to come.

"The story isn't that a certain number of people are gone," said Bahre, who co-owns New Hampshire International Speedway with his father, Bob, and was hired by LVMS chief executive officer Richie Clyne to assume day-to-day operations of the 1.5-mile superspeedway complex in mid-May.

"The real story is that some people had been hired that weren't necessary."

It has taken the Bahres only a few short years to turn remote NHIS into a beehive of auto racing activity, with not one but two NASCAR Winston Cup dates. And they've done it, Gary Bahre said, with just 21 full-time employees.

With its 24 distinct racing venues, Bahre said LVMS simply is too large to be run by a staff that small. But with much of the construction in and around the $200 million facility done or nearing completion, he said many jobs became expendable.

"Many (jobs) in those areas have been eliminated," Bahre said. "Beyond that, in our opinion, the staff was larger than it needed to be. Therefore the opportunity existed to reduce some numbers."

Bahre was quick to add that the dismissals had little or nothing to do with job performance.

"By no means is this a reflection of the people out there ... because there are some really talented people out there," Bahre said of the widespread cuts that, among others, claimed track publicist Mike Henle, business manager Craig Garland and Gordie Bonin, the former NHRA drag racer who was a member of the track's marketing team.

"It's just that with the exception of Indianapolis or Daytona, I don't think I've ever seen a facility with as large a staff."

Bahre and his father are longtime friends and associates of Clyne, a relationship kindled by their shared passion for antique cars. The Bahres have been serving as official consultants to Clyne almost from the inception of LVMS.

But when former LVMS general manager Ray Wilkings and vice president Lex Dudas resigned earlier this year to pursue other racing interests, it provided an opportunity for the Bahres and Clyne to strike an official partnership.

That union, according to sources, is expected to hasten LVMS landing a coveted Winston Cup date, probably as soon as next year.

"I can tell you that only one person can address the NASCAR Winston Cup situation," Bahre said. "Until (NASCAR president) Bill France says you've got a NASCAR Winston Cup date, then there's nothing."

In the meantime, the Bahres -- and Clyne -- will continue working toward bringing NASCAR's best to town.

While this week's firings suggest the Bahres now are calling the shots at LVMS, Gary Bahre said Clyne remains very much involved in the Speedway's operation.

"At this point in time it's a joint effort," Bahre said. "I don't think we're going to do anything substantial without saying to him, 'What do you think of this?' or 'What do think of that?'

"We're going to primarily (operate that way) over the next few months until we can put together a team that Richie's comfortable with, so that he can take himself into the future."