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Kansas Speedway president would like night race for proposed second Cup event
By SceneDaily Staff
Friday, September 26, 2008
Jerry Markland
Getty Images
KANSAS City, Kan. - Kansas Speedway president Jeff Boerger says that he is intent on the 1.5-mile track “becoming the Mecca of Motorsports.”
At least one matter is already certain: Boerger and track executives are moving forward in their plans to acquire a second Sprint Cup date at their facility by 2011, and possibly by 2010.
The track recently won the rights to a Hard Rock Hotel & Casino scheduled to be completed by the time of the proposed second race date.
As part of the proposal by parent company International Speedway Corp. to Wyandotte County leaders and the Kansas Lottery Gaming Facility Review Board, ISC President Lesa France Kennedy has indicated that ISC would petition NASCAR for two Sprint Cup dates if ISC was awarded the casino contract.
“As far as approaching ISC internally we’ve started those suggestions and it’s just a matter of when we work that out, what time of year,” Boerger said on Friday. “But NASCAR really doesn’t develop their schedule till the spring [before] the next season. So we’ve committed that we’re going to ask for a second date at Kansas and it’s going to be here by 2011. That’s when the casino is supposed to be completed from the track’s perspective, and [as] a track operator, I’d love to see it sooner.”
As for when the second date might be, Boerger says that remains to be determined.
“There are higher powers that will decide that than me but we’ll definitely be in the discussions,” he said, noting that he doesn’t know which other track will lose a date to Kansas. “It could fall in the spring. It could fall in the summer. But we fully anticipate from the track perspective … that [the race] will be under the lights. Our media partner will probably demand it. I think that’s another great thing.”
Kansas has never hosted a night race since it was added to the Cup schedule in 2001. Boerger expects that to change sooner than later, though.
“We need to push hard to get lights depending on what second date falls,” he said. “But I think that’s on the horizon.”
In addition to the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, the track also plans to erect a 2.25-mile road course in the infield that will host Grand-Am events, Boerger said.
Boerger said that the track hopes to use the casino concept to draw more tourism to the state and add to the state’s revenue by attracting up to eight million more visitors annually to the greater Kansas City area.
“It’s like getting another franchise near the Kansas City market and driving that many folks and tourism and tourists to this area,” he said. “It’s a phenomenal thing.”
The casino is a joint venture of ISC and The Cordish Co. The 1.5 million square-foot casino, with a cost of approximately $705 million to construct, will include a 300-room luxury hotel, 3,000 slot machines and 140 gaming tables. It will also have 275,000 square feet dedicated to retail, restaurants, convention facilities and an entertainment venue.
The amount of revenue the casino will generate for shareholders, combined with its strategic location, make Kansas worthy of a second Cup date in Boerger’s mind.
“We have created now with the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino a $705 million investment that truly becomes a destination for race fans,” Boerger said. “We have value and then, plus, it’s in the Midwest. “We have great, great race fans and we’ve proven to NASCAR and the whole nation that we can not only support motorsports, but it’s sustainable.”
2009 Sprint Cup Race for the Chase Standings
Driver Standings after the Checker O'Reilly Auto Parts 500
| 1 | Jimmie Johnson | 6492 |
| 2 | Mark Martin | -108 |
| 3 | Jeff Gordon | -169 |
| 4 | Kurt Busch | -211 |
| 5 | Tony Stewart | -285 |
| 6 | Juan Pablo Montoya | -289 |
| 7 | Greg Biffle | -321 |
| 8 | Denny Hamlin | -352 |
| 9 | Ryan Newman | -411 |
| 10 | Kasey Kahne | -476 |
| 11 | Carl Edwards | -520 |
| 12 | Brian Vickers | -666 |
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Comments
4 responses to "Kansas Speedway president would like night race for proposed second Cup event". Post a Comment.
David Marks said:
Sep 27, 2008 at 3:13 PMI am all for taking a race from a ho-hum track to give a second date to an exciting track.
Report as AbuseBut another race at the 1 1/2 mile cookie-cutter D-shaped Oval?
Can't someone out there PLEASE build another short-track??
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» Confirm Abuse ReportLarry Taylor said:
Sep 27, 2008 at 4:11 PMAt a minimum, please replace a cookie-cutter race track date with the added cookie-cutter race date at Kansas City. Please do not take away a short track date, as there are so very few left on the schedule. Ideally, it would seem that the "less than stellar" left coast facility could easily give up a "cookie-cutter race date as their two race dates put together do not draw 100,000 paid attendees, and at 92,000 seating capacity, is one of the smallest seating capacities on the circuit and yet is easily the lowest attended race, even with the 10,000 sponsor tickets given away at each race. Besides, if you take away a "left coast" race date, NO ONE will notice.
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» Confirm Abuse ReportDewayne Hatfield said:
Sep 27, 2008 at 4:53 PMWho wants to gamble at a casino owned by Nascar? Only idiots. The house is heavily favored in any games of "chance". And given Nascar's past history of "stacking the deck" only a fool would gamble with them. Oh well, you know what they say about a fool and his money. Nascar must think there's an abundance of fools in/near Kansas City.
Report as AbuseOh and the racing there is about as much fun to watch, as kissing your mother inlaw.
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» Confirm Abuse ReportAndrew Briscoe said:
Sep 27, 2008 at 6:09 PMOr, they could just put lights up and have the one race they have now be at night, and not have the debacle of a race last year.
Report as AbuseI don't approve of the whole "date swapping" so that some tracks get 2 dates, because it almost always takes something away from a decent track.
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» Confirm Abuse Report