NASCAR Super Speedway Coming to the
NorthWest
News Articles on NWRacer.com
Friday, September 24, 2004 - Page updated at 10:00 A.M.
A developer of NASCAR racetracks has selected Snohomish County as its preferred site for a Northwest speedway, county officials and executives from International Speedway Corp. will announce Monday.
The decision eliminates a site in Kitsap County and at least two near Portland that were vying for the track, a source said. A speedway has been coveted by the communities because of the income and jobs it is expected to bring, thanks to NASCAR's growing popularity. A site near Yelm, Thurston County, was removed from the list last week.
Snohomish County and Marysville officials had been trying since April to lure International Speedway Corp. (ISC) to 600 acres of farmland between Marysville and Arlington, east of Interstate 5. An economic study indicated the proposed ¾-mile track, which would seat about 75,000 people, would generate between $87.3 million and $121.8 million in new revenue every year.
Snohomish County Executive Aaron Reardon yesterday said he couldn't confirm or deny that ISC's preferred site was in Snohomish County. He told a reporter that he could say more if a story on the decision could be held until Monday. He didn't give a reason for delaying the announcement, but said he would take the story to other media if The Seattle Times didn't agree to hold it.
He later called the reporter to see if a story on the decision would be delayed. When told it would not, he then said ISC will be in Snohomish County on Monday to announce its decision. But he insisted he didn't know what the decision would be.
"I feel good about it," he said of the impending announcement. "I think it's a positive sign that they're coming to Washington state."
But after his telephone conversation with a reporter, Reardon inadvertently left his phone off the hook and could be heard telling other county officials in his office that he was only "playing dumb" and that he had told another official Marysville would be the site.
NASCAR in Washington
International Speedway Corp., a company that develops NASCAR tracks, is expected to announce Monday it has chosen a Snohomish County site for its newest track. ISC's effort to locate a track in the region began more than a year ago. Spring 2003: ISC officials contact the city of Everett, scouting for an approximately 1,000-acre site for a 70,000- to 80,000-seat track. Without a site that big, city officials refer ISC to Seattle and King County.
June 2003: Seattle Sports Commission talks with ISC; ISC later trims its site requirement to 500 acres.
September 2003: Darrington officials pitch a site off Highway 530; Snohomish County officials said to be in talks with ISC about other possible properties.
October 2003: Snohomish County leaders meet with ISC and propose larger, more accessible properties besides Darrington. The Snohomish County Economic Development Council, local elected officials and Kitsap County representatives visit a NASCAR track in Kansas City, Kan., to learn about the impacts of a track and the effort required to land one. Those involved with the effort say a track could bring 160 permanent and 2,000 seasonal jobs, $87 million in annual revenue and $58 million in state and local taxes.
February 2004: Said to be in the running for the track in Washington are sites in Thurston and Kitsap counties and three areas in Snohomish County: Darrington, Monroe and land between Arlington and Marysville. ISC leaders visit lawmakers in Olympia to spell out the impacts of a track and say they will pick a site by the end of the year. Legislators start talking about incentives.
April: Snohomish County leaders, hailing a NASCAR track as an economic boon akin to the Boeing 7E7, narrow the sites they're proposing to two in the Arlington/Marysville area and send a formal proposal to ISC. Neighbors worried about noise, traffic and other impacts soon form an opposition group. Sites in Portland also confirmed in the running.
May: Snohomish County officials pin down one site — near the Arlington Airport — as their chosen site.
Sept. 13: Thurston County economic-development officials announce ISC has eliminated the county's proposed site near Yelm because it's too far from Interstate 5.
Monday: Snohomish County and ISC are expected to announce that the preferred site for a NASCAR track in the Northwest is between Arlington and Marysville.
Source: Seattle Times files
A source familiar with the decision said ISC surprised local officials by choosing a site so early. They had expected the company to narrow the sites to one in Oregon and one in Washington and see which state would offer the best incentives.
Tom Valley, the director of corporate development for the Florida-based track developer, said ISC's board of directors met Wednesday but didn't vote on the site. "I don't know if there's going to be an announcement next week," he said.
None of the company's 14 board members could be reached last night for comment.
Snohomish County Council Chairman John Koster, R-Arlington, who represents the area where the track would be built, said the company's lobbyist contacted him yesterday afternoon to set up a meeting because of the Monday announcement.
"It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out what that means as far as location goes," Koster said. "You know, Marysville is in my district, after all."
Marysville officials were cautious in their response.
"It would be really good news," Mayor Dennis Kendall said. "I'm holding my reaction until I actually see the proposal or something that says Marysville is the selected site."
Koster and Reardon both stressed that a track wasn't a sure thing for Snohomish County even if the speedway developer announces plans to build here. Koster, especially, is hesitant to express support for the idea.
Before Snohomish County and the state agree to help finance a huge racetrack, Reardon said, the county will have to make sure it pays off.
"I'm not willing to take a loss to have NASCAR come here," he said last week in a separate interview. He added that he didn't think the county would have to take a loss.
Local officials hope the state Legislature will approve special financing that would let public agencies borrow money to help build the track, then pay back the loans with tax revenue generated by the track.
Wyandotte County, Kan., used similar financing to build the Kansas Speedway in 2001. State and local governments there offered a $120 million financing package to ISC that included buying 146 residential lots and farmland and waiving the track's property taxes for 30 years.
Officials in the county credit the track with bringing jobs, businesses and retail revenue.
Some Washington state legislators have already said they wouldn't support that kind of financing for a sports facility. Sen. Mary Margaret Haugen, D-Camano Island, opposes the track, which she has said would be a "hard sell" in the Legislature.
After last year's $3.2 billion package to persuade Boeing to build the 7E7 jetliner in Everett, some lawmakers may shy away from another big-budget bill to lure economic development to Snohomish County.
Sen. Tim Sheldon, D-Potlatch, who chairs the Senate Economic Development Committee, has said he expected the state would need to shuffle planned transportation projects or pass transportation bills if ISC wants to locate here, a technique Kansas used.
Sheldon, a track supporter, said the state also could offer ISC master-planned permitting, which would allow the developer to obtain all of its necessary permits up front, so as to save time later.
ISC is scheduled to make a presentation to the state's Joint Legislative Audit and Review Committee on Oct. 6. That could help clarify what the company wants from the state.
The company would have to buy the land, which has 29 different owners. The Snohomish County Council would have to add some of the land to Marysville's urban-growth area, and then Marysville would likely annex the site.
The site is about 600 acres, with another 150-acre area for possible expansion.
The proposal for a racetrack has been controversial in North Snohomish County. Residents of the neighborhoods to the east and west of the site formed a group called Snohomish County Citizens Against the Racetrack, or SCAR. They say the development would be noisy and are concerned about traffic congestion and harm to the environment.
A group of local business leaders and others who supported the idea of a track formed FUN — Fans United for NASCAR. They see the track as an engine for economic development and job creation in the northern part of the county. The site will likely be developed anyway, they say, and a racetrack is a way to keep the land in the hands of a single owner and ensure the development is well-designed.
Seattle Times staff reporter Christopher Schwarzen contributed to this report.
Emily Heffter:
..
Proposed NASCAR-caliber track could rev up Wash. economy
| 05:13 PM PST on Sunday, February 15, 2004 |  |
KING
Dennis
O'Keefe believes the Seattle area could support a NASCAR
track. |
BOTHELL, Wash. - Sunday was the biggest day of the year for NASCAR fans.
"It's kind of like the Super Bowl for football ... Daytona is for my sport," said Dennis O'Keefe, a prime example of why the word "fan" is derived from the word "fanatic." The inside of his home is a NASCAR/Jeff Gordon shrine.
O'Keefe says the Northwest, Snohomish County to be specific, could really do well to have a racetrack hosting NASCAR events.
"Oh I think it'd be great. We have so many fans up here it's unreal … we just need a chance to do it, you know, I mean we could drag Oregon, Montana, Canada, I mean, boy, we could really pack it in," he said.
The Seattle Times reported Sunday that State Sen. Tim Sheldon, Snohomish County Executive Aaron Reardon, and possibly Lieutenant Governor Brad Owen, were in Daytona to watch NASCAR's most prestigious race.
Their main goal was to convince track developer International Speedway Corp., the company that built Daytona International Speedway, to build a $250 million track in Snohomish County.
The track would create about 2,200 jobs and generate nearly $90 million in revenue and about $58 million in state and local taxes.
Track development executives call the Pacific Northwest an under-served market as far as motor sports go.
Just about any NASCAR fan from the Northwest will tell you the same thing.
"The closest track is like California, it costs a lot of money to get the airfare the hotel, the tickets, the memorabilia, and all that stuff, I mean it'd be nice to have one up here," said O'Keefe.
There is a positive sign that a racetrack may be built in Washington state. According to the Seattle Times, track developer, International Speedway Corp., will take part in a state senate hearing to explain how a track would operate in Washington.
http://www.king5.com/localnews/stories/NW_021504WABnascarwashSW.23049df3.html
State in running for auto racetrack with seating for up to 80,000
| By
Jane Hodges Seattle Times Snohomish County bureau Sunday, February 15, 2004 - |
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A delegation of Washington state politicians and economic-development leaders will be among the 180,000 people who will join President Bush at today's NASCAR Daytona 500.
The Washington group — which as of Friday included state Sen. Tim Sheldon, D-Potlatch; Snohomish County Executive Aaron Reardon; and possibly Lt. Gov. Brad Owen — will watch cars race by at speeds approaching 200 mph and bask in the roar of the crowd at the Florida track.
But more important, members of the group will meet with track-development executives from International Speedway Corp. (ISC), which built the Daytona International Speedway, to discuss how a track capable of hosting large-scale NASCAR events could rev up Washington state's economic engines.
ISC has visited Washington several times since September to review prospective sites in Snohomish, Kitsap and Thurston counties where it could build a roughly one-mile track with seating for up to 80,000. ISC told local officials that a track could generate $87 million in annual revenue as well as $58 million in state and local taxes and create 160 permanent and more than 2,000 seasonal jobs.
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The company acknowledges it is interested in Oregon as well as Washington. There are indications, though, that ISC is particularly serious about this state. The company quietly has begun preparing to pitch the business case for a track to Washington state leaders. It hired local law firm Preston Gates & Ellis last fall to learn about state business laws, and met with representatives of Gov. Gary Locke in mid-December.
Earlier this month, ISC hired lobbyist Mark Greenberg, who also represents NASCAR sponsor Anheuser Busch, in preparation for a Feb. 27 state Senate hearing at which Greenberg and ISC officials will explain how a track might operate in the state.
"These hearings are for us to hear from (track) proponents and discuss the economic ramifications," Sheldon said.
The trip to Daytona isn't the first ISC track visit state officials have made. In October, executives from Snohomish and Kitsap counties went to ISC's Kansas Speedway to attend a race and learn how Kansas and Wyandotte County worked with ISC on a deal.
There, state leaders approved speeding up $40 million worth of already-budgeted road projects and also passed legislation to allow for $95 million in tax-increment financing and new forms of bond financing.
Sheldon said it would be premature for legislators to discuss parallel legislation in Washington during the 2004 session, since ISC has not disclosed a preferred site here. He noted the upcoming Senate hearing is mostly educational.
However, he said that after this year's session adjourns, a legislative committee will discuss track-related bills that could be introduced during 2005 if ISC makes a decision.
In the meantime, local business leaders who have formed a "Checkered Flag Task Force" to help with the ISC pitch are funding a $25,000 study to provide more financial details about a track's potential.
Jane Hodges: 425-745-7813 or jhodges@seattletimes.com
Daytona 500 draws Snohomish county contingent
| By |
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International Speedway Corp. of Daytona Beach, Fla., invited officials from
the state, including Snohomish County leaders, to see up close one of the
sport's most famous racing events.
A similar group visited the company's Kansas Speedway last year.
"It will give us an idea of what support services are necessary and what
a track can draw in, as far as businesses," said Lt. Gov. Brad Owen, who
will fly to Daytona on Feb. 14.
International Speedway is considering several sites in Washington and Oregon
for a new racetrack that would accommodate at least 70,000 spectators.
In Snohomish County, two sites are prime candidates: Monroe and an area
between Marysville and the Arlington airport. Last year, Darrington tried to woo
the motor sports firm. Additionally, International Speedway has talked to
leaders in Kitsap and Thurston counties.
Owen is the lone state government representative going to Daytona in advance
of the Feb. 15 race. He said several leaders from Snohomish and Kitsap counties
also are going, including Snohomish County Executive Aaron Reardon.
Mark Funk, spokesman for Reardon, said a decision about the county's
representation hasn't been made. Deborah Knutson, president of the Snohomish
County Economic Development Council, said she was invited to Daytona, but hasn't
decided whether she will go.
Owen said he is interested in talking to International Speedway officials
about what help it might want from the state of Washington. Other states have
helped finance new tracks, as well as road improvements on freeways leading to
the tracks.
"If, in fact, Washington state is going to be making an investment ...
is there an opportunity to get a return on that investment?" Owen said.
David Talley, spokesman for International Speedway, said it usually takes
several years to get a racetrack planned, approved and built.
First, the owner of Daytona International Speedway and a dozen other tracks
nationwide has to settle on a site, and the competition is likely to be fierce.
International Speedway says a new track could generate annual revenue of $87
million and another $58 million in state and local taxes.
Other studies have estimated the direct and indirect economic benefits of a
major NASCAR track at more than $200 million.
David Porter, executive director of the Kitsap Regional Economic Development
Commission, said he thinks sites in his county are competitive with locations in
Snohomish County.
"We think we're still in the game," Porter said. "That's what
we've been advised."
The Daytona 500 opens the NASCAR racing season and is considered the most
prestigious race in the Nextel Cup series. This year, payouts at the race will
exceed $15.9 million, the biggest purse in stock-car racing history.
Along with the Washington state delegation, visitors to the race will include
President Bush. Overall, more than 200,000 people are usually on hand for race
day, according to International Speedway.
Reporter Eric Fetters: 425-339-3453 or fetters@heraldnet.com http://www.heraldnet.com/Stories/04/2/7/18154082.cfm
More Links to
Articles below relating to Nascar coming to the NW with a Super Speedway plan Asian/Pacific
Islanders assemble political clout Commercial
flights out of Paine Field? Daytona 500
draws county contingent Kitsap
still in race for NASCAR track Briefly:
Racetrack delegation to visit Florida during Daytona 500 ... Campaign money
flows to Reardon Airing
out the potential of passengers at Paine Reardon
addresses county Reardon's
focus is on the future (Portland, Oregon) The country's largest operator of stock car tracks
is scouting sites in the Northwest for a major raceway. International Speedway Corp., based in Daytona Beach, Fla., is looking for a
500- to 1,000-acre site in the Seattle or Portland area. International, a
publicly traded company generating $543 million in annual revenue, owns 12 U.S.
racetracks. Such raceways have become much sought-after developments for many
communities, comparable to a major league football or baseball stadium. NASCAR
stock car racing started in the Southeast, but it is rapidly growing and moving
west from its roots. "The economic impact could be huge," said Portland International
Raceway Racetrack Manager Mark Wigginton. PIR is a road course and not an ideal
stock car venue, Wigginton added. Racing events at venues across the country draw as many as 70,000 spectators
from 600 miles around for a race, and racing fans often stay for several days.
The closest track to the Northwest is located in Northern California. A 2001 analysis of Phoenix International Raceway revealed that in 1999 that
facility generated $272 million in direct and indirect annual economic
impacts--the equivalent of 550 jobs--and $21 million in direct and indirect
state and local taxes. The study was conducted by the Arizona State University
College of Business. David Tally, a spokesman for International Speedway, said the track in
Daytona--home to the Daytona 500, one of the largest NASCAR races--pumps $1.8
billion annually into the economy. Brantley encouraged International Speedway officials to combine a
racetrack project in the Eastern Oregon city of Boardman with their own, but
said ISC's preference is to locate a track west of the Cascades in a major
population center. http://portland.bizjournals.com/portland/stories/2004/01/19/story5.html?t=printable Jan 9th 2004- Believing a NASCAR race track could benefit the
regional economy nearly as much as winning the Boeing 7E7, business and
government leaders are working to bring a stock car speedway to Western
Washington. A group of business leaders has formed a working group, the Checkered
Flag Task Force, that is working to attract the track. The task force also is funding a $25,000 study by Breck and Associates of
Seattle to measure the jobs and other economic activities the track may
bring. The results will be available by mid-February. "I think in the grand scheme of things it's equivalent to the 7E7
over the long term," said Jeff Sax, a member of the Snohomish County
Council who is a leader in the county's efforts to attract the NASCAR
project. "In real value, in absolute dollar terms, it will be a great
infusion for the Puget Sound area." Such raceways have become much sought-after developments for many
communities, comparable to a major-league football or baseball stadium.
NASCAR stock car racing started in the Southeast, but it is rapidly growing
and moving west from its roots. International Speedway Corp., based in Daytona Beach, Fla., is looking
for a 500- to 1,000-acre site for a raceway somewhere in the Northwest.
International, a publicly traded company generating $543 million in annual
revenue, is the largest operator of stock-car tracks. A 2001 analysis of Phoenix International Raceway revealed that in 1999
that facility generated $272 million in direct and indirect annual economic
impacts -- the equivalent of 550 jobs -- and $21 million in direct and
indirect state and local taxes. The study was conducted by the Arizona State
University College of Business. Because a site as large as 1,000 acres probably isn't available in King
County, the track is more likely to be located in Snohomish County. International wants to build a paved oval of about a mile, as well as
grandstands and other support infrastructure. Construction of the track
would bring another $227 million into the area, according to ISC figures. A Northwest track could host one or two nationally televised stock car
races annually. The only other West Coast ISC track is in the Los Angeles
area. Following the model that won assembly of the 7E7 jetliner in Everett,
racetrack proponents assembled a coalition of business and government
interests, similar to the team that won the 7E7, to help bring the racetrack
to Washington. Martha Choe, director of the state Department of Community, Trade and
Economic Development, is leading the state's pursuit of the raceway. Gov.
Gary Locke largely credited Choe for landing the 7E7. "It's probably one of the 10 largest things we're looking at,"
Choe said of the raceway. She said her office is trying to determine the
statewide significance of the project, and agency officials are using some
of the alliances that were put together during the 7E7 campaign. "We're trying to take a lot of what we learned and build on
that," Choe said. "I think the way we approached the 7E7 was to
understand the situation and try to fashion a proposal that made sense for
the company and the circumstance." Several sources said International Speedway also is looking at sites in
Oregon, although a representative could not be contacted by deadline. "They are very seriously interested in Washington. If a viable site
can be found, I think there's a very good chance," said a
private-sector source close to the discussions, who asked to remain unnamed. The races are popular elsewhere in the country. Racing events can draw
hundreds of thousands of spectators from 600 miles around for a race, and
racing fans often stay for several days. Richard Chapman, vice president of the Economic Development Council of
Seattle and King County, said he's particularly interested in a track's
power to attract fans who also are national executives, and who may become
more aware of Washington's potentials after coming here for a race.
"I'd love to have those people in the region," he said. Chapman added that he believes the King County economy will benefit from
a raceway even if it is built in Snohomish County, which is why the King
County EDC is supporting it. "If it is a $200 million impact, I'm sure King County will see about
$50 million of that," he said. http://seattle.bizjournals.com/seattle/stories/2004/01/12/story3.html
Possible NASCAR track
in Puget Sound area tantalizes officials
By Jane
Hodges O'Keefe traveled to three NASCAR races this year and returned from Phoenix
last week with $300 in gifts — diecast cars, dog toys and ceramic figurines of
driver Jeff Gordan. When he goes to races he spends well over $1,000 for himself
and a companion to stay at least three nights in a hotel, dine out and shop
between 12-hour days at the track.
When he's not at the races, he buys products endorsed by NASCAR and its
drivers — like Kellogg's cereals and Close-Up toothpaste — and cheers for
Gordan, his favorite driver, when buddies stop by on Sundays to watch races on
TV.
So if International Speedway Corp. (ISC) builds a one-mile racetrack here
with seating for 70,000 to 80,000, O'Keefe will be thrilled.
He won't be the only one. Local government and economic-development officials
know that where ISC builds tracks, NASCAR and other motor events typically
follow, bringing with them fans who dump buckets of cash into local businesses
and communities.
Officials familiar with ISC talks have said a track here could generate $87
million in revenue and $58 million in state and local taxes a year. It could
also create 160 full-time and more than 2,000 seasonal jobs.
No deal has been signed, and ISC spokesman David Talley said the company also
is considering Oregon in its Pacific Northwest site search. However, ISC
officials have visited Washington at least three times since September to tour
prospective 1,000-acre sites where the company could develop a track, parking
area and space for related businesses.
As talks continue, and local officials begin to see the economic potential,
they've begun organizing to woo the track developer. The courtship has worked
both ways: Last month, ISC hosted Snohomish and Kitsap county politicians and
economic-development executives at the Kansas Speedway in Kansas City, Kan., so
they could experience a race weekend and learn how Kansas and Wyandotte County
worked with ISC to finance a $250 million race facility.
For once-ailing Wyandotte County, which merged its government with Kansas
City's in October 1997, the 80,000-seat speedway and its 1.5-mile track have
already been a boon — and could become more so when ISC expands track seating
to the track's 150,000-seat limit.
Speedway President Jeff Boerger said the track draws fans from a six-state
region. In addition to NASCAR events, it holds trade shows and community events.
For NASCAR events, the Speedway sells only four-race season tickets, and many
ticket holders spend more than $1,500 on a long weekend at one of 1,200 RV spots
on a nearby campground, a terraced area that provides track views, or on the
speedway's in-field.
ISC not only built the racetrack, but it spurred the development of a
400-acre tourism district around the speedway that draws 10 million visitors a
year to the state, Boerger said.
The tourism district, called Village West, includes two large retailers — a
188,000-square-foot Cabela's outdoor-supply store that is now the state's
top tourist attraction and a 712,000-square-foot Nebraska Furniture Mart owned
by Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway Group — as well as a forthcoming luxury
mall expected to contain a minimum of 600,000 square feet of shopping and a
planned movie theater.
A Hampton Inn opened last summer in the district, joining Great Wolf Lodge,
which has an indoor water park, and a planned Anniversary Inn, which will offer
themed hotel rooms. Famous Dave's Barbecue has opened and will soon get
competition from an Applebee's, scheduled to open next month, and a Longhorn
Steakhouse.
The area is also home to a new baseball field and team — the Kansas City
T-Bones — who kicked off their 2003 season with a schedule that includes 45
home and 45 away games.
The Seattle Times- Business & Technology- Possible NASCAR track in
the Puget Sound area
Page Updated Feb 20th 2004
NASCAR looks to Northwest
By HOLLY CAIN
SPECIAL TO THE POST-INTELLIGENCER
Friday, February 6, 2004
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- When Kasey Kahne and Greg Biffle left Washington state a
few years ago to pursue NASCAR racing careers, they figured family and friends
better have a good television set. The closest Nextel Cup race was a two-hour
plane ride away in Sonoma, Calif.
Turns out their hometown supporters soon may not have to travel far to watch
them work.
International Speedway Corporation, NASCAR's sister company and the owner of
tracks such as Daytona and Talladega (Ala.) super speedways, has confirmed its
intentions to build a racing facility in the Northwest -- preferably along the
Interstate 5 corridor in Washington.
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/motorsports/159554_cain06.html
KING5.com (subscription), WA - 23
hours ago
... O'Keefe says the Northwest, Snohomish County
to be specific, could really do
well to have a racetrack hosting NASCAR events. "Oh I think it'd be
great. ...
State
in running for auto racetrack with seating for up to 80000 - Seattle
Times
Females
are off to the races, too - Orlando
Sentinel (subscription)
People
of color stand out, but they also are starting to fit in - San
Jose Mercury News
and
more »
Seattle Post Intelligencer, WA - Feb
12, 2004
... After watching presidential hopefuls woo NASCAR
dads, blacks in South ... of Everett,
chairman of the Asian Pacific Islander Coalition of Snohomish County
...
Seattle Times, WA - Feb
4, 2004
... and Lynnwood conference centers, and visitors to the
2010 Olympics in Vancouver,
BC, and a proposed local NASCAR track ... Reese said 13 Snohomish
County ...
Everett Herald, WA - Feb
7, 2004
... estimated the direct and indirect economic benefits
of a major NASCAR ... he thinks sites
in his county are competitive with locations in Snohomish County
...
Bremerton Sun, WA - Feb
7, 2004
... Others include Snohomish County, Lewis County
... Sheldon, who will attend his first
NASCAR race next week, wants to glean a better understanding of the ...
Seattle Times, WA - Feb
4, 2004
International Speedway, a Daytona Beach, Fla., track developer
that is considering
building a track for NASCAR and other motor races in ... Snohomish
County ...
Everett Herald, WA - Feb
7, 2004
... RJ Reynolds has been a major player in NASCAR,
and officials from International
Speedway Corp. have been eyeing locations in Snohomish County for
a new ...
Seattle Times, WA - Jan
30, 2004
... Snohomish County Executive Aaron
Reardon said he does not ... He is not amused that
a string of county ... from the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver,
BC, NASCAR ...
Everett Herald, WA - Jan
29, 2004
... civilian workers. Reardon said he will also continue
pursuing the idea
of bringing a NASCAR race track to Snohomish County. He
pledged ...
Everett Herald, WA - Jan
28, 2004
... family members. He said he would continue to explore
the idea of bringing
a NASCAR racing track to Snohomish County. Reardon pledged ...
Racetrack operator eyes N.W. for NASCAR course
Race for dollars: Recruiters hit high gear for NASCAR
Sunday, November 09, 2003
Times Snohomish County bureau
Dennis O'Keefe, a 50-year-old NASCAR fan whose Bothell home is a shrine to motor
sports — even the bathroom, where a gear shift doubles as a toilet handle —
may symbolize the future of economic development in part of Washington state.
JIM
BATES / THE SEATTLE TIMES
Dennis
O'Keefe, the ultimate NASCAR fan, has his
Bothell house decked out in NASCAR memorabilia,
mostly Jeff Gordon, from wall to wall. At each
out-of-town race he attends, he spends about
$1,000 on lodging, meals and shopping for
himself and a companion.
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During that time, ISC met with leaders from Snohomish, Kitsap and Thurston
counties. It has hired Seattle law firm Preston, Gates & Ellis to advise it
on state business practices.
Kansas
Speedway economics
Cost of construction: $250
million when stadium is built to
150,000 seats
Developer funding: $130
million commitment from ISC
State funding and incentives:
$40 million of state
transportation budget was
shifted to projects around the
speedway, about $25 million in
bonds issued against future
sales tax revenue, about $70
million in tax increment
financing
Number of events: About
200 in 2003
Number of visitors: About
650,000 are expected at the
speedway this year; about 10
million to the tourism district
around the speedway
Revenue from events: $89
million in 2001 ($70 million
from out-of-town visitors, $11
million from event participants,
$8 million from local visitors)
Revenue to surrounding four
counties: $136.1 million
increase in spending ($64.6
million as local income)
Sources: Kansas Speedway;
Kansas City Sports Commission
& Foundation; Wyandotte
Development
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