Unless the term “NASCAR” is meant to be a stand-in for motor sports in general, the claims by Republican U.S. Senate candidate Steve Pearce that NASCAR has plans to set up shop in Truth or Consequences are just plain wrong.

The latest instance was this week — October 27th to be exact — on Bob Clark’s KKOB morning radio show. During the interview, Pearce said:

“We worked very hard to facilitate NASCAR coming into T or C, halfway between El Paso and Albuquerque, and, fairly close to a decision being made on that. It would be a great, great thing for New Mexico.”

Not sure who’s involved in that decision-making process, but NASCAR’s managing director of corporate communications, Ramsey Poston, told the Independent today that NASCAR in New Mexico is not in the works and never has been.

“We’d never make a promise, guarantee or anything before a track was built. As far as I know, there is nothing in the works to bring any of our national series to New Mexico,” Poston said. “It’s possible that a development race could race there but we wouldn’t even consider that until after a track was built. And we certainly wouldn’t want any facility to be built with the assumption that a NASCAR race would be held at the facility.”

Poston went on to say that NASCAR is very flattered when people want to bring them to their community, but that they believe their “great fan base in New Mexico is well-served with current events in Phoenix, Las Vegas, California and Texas.”

Touting NASCAR

Pearce has touted the development of a NASCAR track in T or C numerous times over the past year as he’s campaigned for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by fellow Republican Pete Domenici. His claims have shown up in print at least twice.

From the June edition of New Mexico Business Magazine:

Pearce seems to revel in helping businesses and creating jobs. He cites the $1.5 billion worth of investments in Lea County in support of nuclear enrichment. He talks about Spaceport America in Sierra County and NASCAR coming into Truth or Consequences.

And from The Las Cruces Sun-News on August 13:

Pearce notes job growth in the Second District — particularly in Eunice with a nuclear enrichment facility and in T or C with the Spaceport and NASCAR. “A big thing we’ve done down here,” Peace says, “is create jobs.”

But then an August 17 St. Petersburg Times article about developer Greg Neal, who is developing the Hot Springs Motorplex in Tor C, broke the news that Neal’s claims about NASCAR, as well as Roush Racing, coming to T or C were a bunch of hot air.

The Times quoted Poston saying there was no interest on the part of NASCAR to come to T or C:

Neal got the land for the motorplex in a complicated trade involving the New Mexico State Land Office. Part of what helped him close the deal was a project overview that contained these impressive claims:

1. “HSMD (Hot Springs Motorplex Development) has proposed to NASCAR that it would be well-served to have a logistics and distribution center in the West, to support the existing races and planned expansion of the sport beyond its historic boundaries of the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic. They are interested …”

They are not, said Ramsey Poston, a NASCAR spokesman. He said there was a meeting, but NASCAR gave no indication of interest.

As the Independent reported in August, the notion that NASCAR as well as Roush Racing would utilize the motorplex was used by Neal to generate support for the project — to the point that the State Land Office promoted the claims in a press release announcing the land exchange/sale of 7,388 acres of land to Neal for the project.

The project would more than double the size of T or C, which has already annexed the land and approved the master plan and zoning for the project.

In light of this, it’s surprising that Pearce would tout NASCAR again this week.

According to Poston, Greg Neal had one meeting with NASCAR a couple of years ago, at which time NASCAR officials wished him good luck with the project, but that was it.