Kansas Speedway casino project approved; ISC to ask for second Cup date at track
By Bob Pockrass - Associate Editor
Tuesday, December 01, 2009
Hendrick Motorsports' Mark Martin (5) battles teammate Dale Earnhardt Jr. (88) for position at Kansas Speedway in October.
David Griffin
NASCAR Scene
Kansas Speedway is back on track to get a second Sprint Cup race each year after the Kansas Lottery Gaming Facility Review Board gave its approval Tuesday for the construction of a casino overlooking Turn 2 of the track.
As part of its casino proposal, track owner International Speedway Corp. said it will ask NASCAR to move a second Cup date to Kansas. NASCAR approval for the addition of a second Cup race is considered highly likely because the France family operates NASCAR and also owns a majority of voting stock in ISC.
Subject to background investigations and licensing by the Kansas Racing and Gaming Commission, ISC and partner Penn National Gaming plan to break ground during the second half of 2010 and have the casino open in the first quarter of 2012. ISC officials have previously stated they hoped for the second Cup date to be awarded to Kansas in 2011.
ISC has not announced which of its tracks the race would be moved from. It currently has two Cup races at Daytona, Talladega, Richmond, Michigan, Phoenix, Martinsville and Auto Club Speedway in California. It has one race at Darlington, Watkins Glen, Chicagoland, Homestead-Miami and Kansas.
The initial phase of the new facility, budgeted at $386 million, according to a news release, would include a 100,000-square-foot casino floor with capacity for 2,300 slot machines and 86 table games, a lounge and a variety of dining and entertainment options. Additional project phases, including a hotel, expanded gaming space, a spa, convention center and entertainment retail district, have been put on the master plan and will be developed based on market demand. The cost of the additional phases will be approximately $400 million.
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29 responses to " Kansas Speedway casino project approved; ISC to ask for second Cup date at track". Post a Comment.
dirtcar26 said:
Dec 1, 2009 at 6:16 PMTake it from California. Please.
SD_User_007387 said:
Dec 1, 2009 at 6:42 PMWhich track does the France family care the least about? Survey says..... MARTINSVILLE
STP43FAN said:
Dec 1, 2009 at 7:11 PMTake the dates away from Bristol and make it strictly a BGN/Truck track. Kansas can get one Bristol date and Kentucky the other.
sundaemunny said:
Dec 1, 2009 at 7:29 PMThe perfect reason to give a mediocre track a second race date...a casino! If anyone needed more proof that Brian France/Nascar/ISC don't give a hoot about giving fans a better 'product' to keep fans happy, this has to be it.
Phoenix987 said:
Dec 1, 2009 at 8:10 PMKansas sucks already. Giving it a second date would make it even worse.
Take it from Michigan or California if you do.
Robbygordonfan1 said:
Dec 1, 2009 at 8:49 PMISC asking for a second date is like my left hand asking my right hand to come together and clap......No one is fooled here....I agree with posts #4 and #5...... Unless a miracle happens we all know Martinsville is screwed.
hvacdr said:
Dec 2, 2009 at 11:18 AMSweet looks like i'll be making 2 trips to Kansas City per year soon.........
STP43FAN said:
Dec 2, 2009 at 12:17 PMROBBYGORDONFAN1 - for the sake of the argument, why should Martinsville be saved?
STP43FAN said:
Dec 2, 2009 at 12:19 PM"Take it from Michigan or California." Why?
wnlb1950 said:
Dec 2, 2009 at 2:38 PMLets get rid of Watkins Glen or Sonoma. Kansas and Darlington both need 2 dates.
wnlb1950 said:
Dec 2, 2009 at 2:41 PMCalifornia needs to be done away with too. Lets add a second race at Vegas and move in the Chase. Move Talladega out of the Chase and replace it with a second race at Vegas or Darlington
tgeer said:
Dec 2, 2009 at 3:18 PMplease take it from Watkin Glens. That road course is a waste of time for the fans and the race drivers.
rhm1288 said:
Dec 2, 2009 at 3:20 PMDump both the Talladega dates. Move Homestead to the fall 'Dega spot, put Vegas as the last race and give Kansas the other 'Dega spot.
Works for me.
SheilaLovesNASCAR said:
Dec 2, 2009 at 3:33 PMWhat does a casino have to do with racing? We don't need another 1.5 mi. track for the season. There's 2 races at Auto Club that no one goes to. Don't take away a short track for another 1.5 mile track. Vegas only has one race, and they have thousands of casinos. Brian, you are not listening to the fans. Do you really think a casino brings in the fans? Darlington deserves a second date, rather than Kansas. At least there's racing there. Kansas is just another follow the leader race. Who needs it or California?
jerryswiatek said:
Dec 2, 2009 at 3:39 PMOK, get rid of the Glen and California but Talladega thats crazy, get rid of the restrictors and lets have real a race! Make the drivers happy one time.
larisda said:
Dec 2, 2009 at 3:57 PM#3, I know you hate Bristol (can't really understand why) but Bristol is a SMI track and the date must be taken from a ISC track. Sorry.
esuchlandldo said:
Dec 2, 2009 at 4:15 PMAnother boring race at a boring race track. This is just what NASCAR needs. I thought Brian France and Mike Helton were pushing NASCAR as a "family oriented" sport. Where are the kids going to play? In the casino? What a wonderful idea. ISC and NASCAR don't give a crap about the racing. All they care about is how much money can they put in their pockets.
keith308 said:
Dec 2, 2009 at 5:18 PMNA$CAR only cares about money and this proves it. Kentucky won't get a race but Kansas will. Close boring California speedway.
leftturn said:
Dec 2, 2009 at 5:33 PMNothing says NASCAR Racing like the sound of a slot machine off of turn 2. Now when you hear 'let it ride', it may not be a fuel mileage strategy.
Werner said:
Dec 2, 2009 at 5:43 PMperhaps there will be more people in the casino than at that trak...or buy a ticket and get $20 in slot money??....
daviclar38 said:
Dec 2, 2009 at 6:21 PMA casino shouldn't warrant anything good! The cars today are too big for Martinsville, lets face it. Have the drivers do a servey and let them tell you what tracks they think they should run at. Watkins is way better than Sonoma, just ask the drivers.
scary2 said:
Dec 2, 2009 at 6:33 PMBrian France you suck as a leader. I was at Daytona 1965, stands weren't full but your grandaddy was for the fans...you have no feelings for the little guy' just how much you can make beford NASCAR goes under.. come Lisa? and family stop him now
beefjurski said:
Dec 2, 2009 at 9:52 PMok DAVICLAR you realize if the drivers decided what tracks to run there would be no Bristol, Darlington or Daytona. What drivers want is not what the fans like. Drivers like the 1.5 milers because they are so wide and big. you just run your own race and don't worry about anyone else.
Anyone see the Phoenix race couple weeks ago? Take a race from there, saying the only cautions came from NASCAR debris and Junior's lack of skill. BORING
Robbygordonfan1 said:
Dec 2, 2009 at 11:52 PMSTP43FAN: I've seen your posts before so I know you love the 1.5 mile snooze fests.....Let me put you on the defensive and ask you why? I live in California Speedway's territory and never felt the need to go to such a boring race track.
nascarnutsheeler said:
Dec 3, 2009 at 1:32 AMBrian, your greed for money is going to kill Nascar. Your need for money sickens me. I guess its time to look around for some other type of auto racing before you jerks totally destroy everything. Maybe Smith will break away and start up his own stock car racing and give back identity to STOCK CAR RACING, Ford Chevy Dodge and heaven forbid that foriegn junk.
grumpyjim52 said:
Dec 3, 2009 at 9:51 AMWow just what we need, another 1.5 mile cookie cutter track for Jimmie Johnson to gain another edge in the Sprint Cup Chase. Wake me up when he retires.
Bill8848 said:
Dec 3, 2009 at 1:06 PMBig deal it has a casino, another boring mile and a half track.
anthony-mendez said:
Dec 3, 2009 at 1:19 PMPlease, please, please...
Don't give another long, sweeping, relatively flat banked track another date. These tracks are the reason I use my DVR on Sundays. All the races look the same at these tracks. Vegas, Chicago, Kansas, Califoria, Michigan, you name it. These style tracks are the reason people are turning these races off. What is it going to take to make NASCAR realize.
Crashman862 said:
Dec 3, 2009 at 1:33 PMPlease not another long, flat, low banking track on the circuit. These types of tracks, Chicago, Vegas, Kansas, California, Michigan are the reason I use my DVR most Sundays.