Will NASCAR try again in Washington?

Sen. Brian Hatfield, D-Raymond, says he won't quit lobbying lawmakers to fund a NASCAR speedway, though it won't be a fast job.

International Speedway Corp. gave up this week on building an 83,000-seat, $368 million racetrack near Bremerton. When none of the nine lawmakers who represent Kitsap County backed the track, there was little chance to pass a $188 million tax package to help build it.

Although the NASCAR-associated company said it will look for another site, withdrawing from Kitsap County kills the issue for this session, which ends April 22.

NASCAR has now struck out twice in Washington. Racetrack developers initially selected a site near Marysville in Snohomish County, but that plan fell through.

Hatfield, who sponsored the tax package in the Senate because no Kitsap County senator would, said he believes NASCAR won't hurry to identify a third site. "Rushing into sites has gotten them in trouble in the past," he said. More at TDN.com