ISC intends to ask NASCAR for a second Cup date at Kansas Speedway
International Speedway Corp. officials announced Wednesday their intention to ask NASCAR to realign one of ISC's current Sprint Cup Series dates to give Kansas Speedway two Cup races.
The Cordish Company is building a Hard Rock Hotel & Casino on Kansas Speedway property. Should the track and The Cordish Company be awarded a casino management contract for Wyandotte County, ISC will then ask for a second Cup race.
"We're very excited about the prospect of a second Sprint Cup Series race at Kansas Speedway," Kansas Speedway President Jeff Boerger said in a news release. "A second Sprint Cup race and a Hard Rock Hotel & Casino would be a tremendous benefit to not only Wyandotte County, but to the state of Kansas. An additional race weekend and our Hard Rock property would increase tourism in the area and have a significant economic impact on both Wyandotte County and the state."
Boerger said the track currently has an economic impact of $243 million to the area, with an additional $111 million if a second Cup race is granted.
An ISC spokesman said the company would ask to have a date from another of its tracks moved to Kansas, though he did not say from which track it would be moved. ISC owns 12 tracks, including seven that have two Cup races: California, Daytona, Martinsville, Michigan, Phoenix, Richmond and Talladega. ISC tracks that have one date are Chicagoland, Darlington, Homestead-Miami, Kansas and Watkins Glen.
The development of the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino is estimated to cost more than $700 million and will include a 300-room hotel, a casino, retail space and restaurants. It is slated to be built outside Turn 2 overlooking the 1.5-mile facility.
"Kansas Speedway not only attracts hundreds of thousands of fans throughout the year but also serves as a catalyst for new development," ISC President Lesa France Kennedy said in a news release. "Many positive changes to the community have occurred since our arrival, and we believe our Hard Rock Hotel & Casino proposal will continue the momentum we started and benefit the taxpayers of Kansas."
