Washington track gathers momentum
How a new oval in Kitspa County, Washington, might look
Picture: race2wa.com
Stars from NASCAR and the IndyCar Series have given their backing to a proposed new track in Washington State, at a special event in Tacoma.
More than 5,000 people turned out to the Tacoma Dome to show their support for the construction of a new oval raceway in neighbouring Kitsap County, close to Seattle. NASCAR stars Greg Biffle, Kasey Kahne, Darrell and Michael Waltrip joined IndyCar aces Sam Hornish, Al Unser Sr. and Johnny Rutherford to sign autographs and discuss racing and the track project with fans and reporters.
International Speedway Corporation subsidiary Great Western Sports is the company that wants to build a $345 million oval to host NASCAR and open wheel races, and branded the Tacoma event 'Back the Track Night'.
"We believe that this event will help legislators and other business leaders in Washington understand that motorsports truly has a dedicated following in this area and that there is considerable support for our proposal to build a track here," said Grant Lynch, Vice President of ISC and project lead for GWS. "And we know that it isn't just local fans who will visit the track - racing fans from all over the country will come to a world-class facility in Washington State."
Homemade signs that read, "We Want NASCAR in the NW" and "Please Support Bringing NASCAR to the Northwest" were waved by fans eager to see their favorite sport at home instead of traveling across the country to watch top-level auto racing in other states. Lynch revealed that there are more than 11,000 separate ticket accounts in Washington, Oregon and Idaho with each account representing more than one ticket purchased for other races all over the country.
Great Western Sports' finance proposal includes its contribution of $166 million, or nearly half of project costs. A Public Stadium Authority would use sales tax revenue from spending by out-of-state fans to fund $166 million of facility construction costs. An existing local admissions tax on fans attending races will contribute $13 million.
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