Which track will lose Cup date for 2nd date at Kansas?
Because of the current economic climate, ISC says it couldn’t build the entire $705 million complex by 2011 as required by its agreement with the Lottery Gaming Facility Review Board when it was awarded the license in September. As part of the agreement, ISC pledged to do everything possible to move a second Cup date to Kansas.
Because ISC must go through the bidding process again, even if it is successful in obtaining the casino license, it does not expect to have enough time to make a request for a second Kansas Cup date in 2010, ISC spokesman Wes Harris confirmed Friday. The original process took 18 months.
“It certainly won’t be 2010," Harris said. “I’m not that aware the state has to set some sort of timetable [for the new proposals]. … They’ve done some of the heavy lifting already in terms of the bids and the process, so hopefully that will make the process quicker, but I don’t think you’re going to get some sort of resolution in the next nine months.
“We would not petition NASCAR until we’re successful."
ISC officials cited the economic climate for the withdrawal of their original proposal.
"In the three months since the decision of the [board], … there has been an unprecedented crisis and disruption in the global financial and economic markets," ISC President Lesa France Kennedy said in a statement. "We are prepared to immediately move forward with the development of a $400 million, Hard Rock-branded casino as presented to the review board, which will include a state-of-the-art casino and multiple dining and entertainment venues.
“However, in the current financing environment, we require the flexibility, if needed, to phase in the hotel, convention facilities and additional entertainment components. As this was technically not permitted within our existing agreement, and this agreement could not be modified, we were forced reluctantly to withdraw our application. Upon the state reopening bidding, we absolutely plan to reapply with our phased development plan, as well as seek the realignment of a second NASCAR Sprint Cup date and building a road course at Kansas Speedway as part of the resubmitted application."
By making the decision Friday, ISC will get its $25 million application fee returned. It could not have gotten that fee returned if it had signed the final contracts Friday.
“The state was working very closely with us, but they went through a process, and our agreement said we would be completed by 2011," Harris said. “We tried to figure out a way that we could work with them to amend that language, but at the end of the day they felt like they couldn’t amend that language." Scenedaily.com
10/23/08 The NASCAR Frances are looking for a Cup date to move to their own Kansas City track, now that they've got the okay for a Hard Rock Casino at that speedway. And whenever the stock car tour comes to tiny Martinsville Speedway, where the race day traffic madness is expected when the full 86,000 seats are filled, the inevitable question is how much longer can Clay Campbell, whose grandfather built this place, hold on to his two Cup dates. At least two more years, it would seem, with Sunday's announcement that GlaxoSmithKline's Tums/Goodys division will sponsor Cup races here in 2009 and 2010. Winston-Salem Journal
08/25/08 Kansas Speedway Track officials announced Monday that the facility will add an infield road course if the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino proposal the track and its partner in Kansas Entertainment LLC, The Cordish Co., submitted to the Kansas Racing and Gaming Commission is awarded the casino management contract for Wyandotte County (Kan.).
Last week, International Speedway Corp. President Lesa France Kennedy announced if Kansas Entertainment LLC is awarded the casino management contract for Wyandotte County, ISC would petition NASCAR to move an additional NASCAR Sprint Cup Series date to Kansas Speedway from one of its other facilities. SpeedTV.com
08/14/08 International Speedway Corp. isn't saying yet which of its tracks would lose a Sprint Cup date if the parent company is successful in obtaining the rights to a Hard Rock Hotel & Casino on its Kansas Speedway property and moves a race there.
ISC and its partner, The Cordish Co., are among four groups pursuing the casino project. As part of its incentive package, ISC President Lesa France Kennedy, who is part of the NASCAR ownership family, said it would look to realign one of ISC’s current Sprint Cup dates to give Kansas a second Cup race each year. Kennedy announced the proposal at an appearance before the Kansas Racing & Gaming Commission.
The commission will make its decision on the location of the casino by the end of September, ISC spokesman Wes Harris said.
Kansas would get the second Cup date starting in 2010 or 2011, Harris said.
“We don’t have any formal proposals before NASCAR or anything like that right now, but that is what we presented today," Harris said Wednesday. “We have done this [realignment] in the past. We haven’t speculated on [what track] at all."
Harris would not speculate on whether the Cup race would come from ISC tracks that have two dates (Daytona, Richmond, California, Talladega, Martinsville, Michigan or Phoenix) or whether it would close a track that has only one Cup date (Darlington, Homestead-Miami, Watkins Glen, or Chicagoland)
“Clearly we’re in the business of running race events, and we like the markets that we’re in, but that’s all I can really say," Harris said. “We believe in the project, and Kansas has been fantastically successful for us. It’s been a great speedway for us and a real important speedway in our portfolio." Scenedaily.com