The Kansas Speedway has provided a second major incentive for the state to select their gaming proposal as Wyandotte County’s sole casino.
Officials announced Monday a 2.25-mile road course would be built inside the speedway’s main track if their Hard Rock Hotel & Casino proposal is selected.
While some NASCAR and IRL races are on road tracks, Kansas Speedway President Jeff Boerger said the Speedway’s road track would not be used for that purpose.
“It allows us to bring a Grand American race to Wyandotte County,” he said. “This will bring in more race fans into Wyandotte County.”
If the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino is selected, the road course would be completed by 2010. It would cost approximately $8-10 million to build, and its opening would coincide with the completion of the casino.
During the Kansas Racing and Gaming Commission Review Board meetings, Speedway officials announced they would petition NASCAR to bring a second race to Kansas City, Kan. But competing tracks around the nation also desire a second race, so even if the casino proposal is selected, a second race is not guaranteed.
International Speedway Corporation President Lesa France Kennedy said NASCAR often looks at successful tracks when granting a second race. She said the track has been successful and “exceeded” her expectations.
Now, they’ve promised an addition that would bring more tourism to Kansas and Wyandotte County, Boerger said.
“By bringing in these races, more people will come to Wyandotte County and spend more money here,” he said. “Our (Kansas Speedway) fan is skewered higher in net income than normal race fans.”
The casino itself would open in October 2010 and would bring 3,000 slot machines, 140 table games, a 300-room hotel, a large convention center and over 275,000 square feet of retail shops. A temporary casino would be opened in 2009 and would include 2,000 slots and 75 table games. It would be located near Turn Two of the track.
If the scenario unfolds as Boerger and Speedway officials hope, the road course would be only the second one in Kansas.
Jim Julow, president and CEO of the Sports Car Club of America, or SCCA, said the construction of a road course at Kansas Speedway would help attract races to Wyandotte County.
“As the largest active motorsports membership organization in North America, SCCA would certainly welcome and support another venue to host events,” he said. ”Any time ISC has included a road racing course within one of its facilities, it has been nothing short of first class.”
Boerger said there are a large number of clubs similar to the Topeka-based SCCA.
“It would be a first class road course,” he said. “We are trying to bring the best to Wyandotte County and will continue to do so.”
