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Seattle vs. Denver? International Speedway Corp., which owns 11 Nextel Cup tracks, has said it considers the Denver area an important market. So, if ISC continues to encounter problems in its bid to build a NASCAR track in Kitsap County, Wash., across Puget Sound from Seattle, the group might take a closer look at Denver. ISC has scheduled a May 31 meeting with Washington state lawmakers, who aren't eager to pay almost half the cost of a proposed $345 million, 84,000-seat speedway. ISC officials claim the track and the tax revenue it would generate would more than balance what the public invests. Meanwhile, ISC spokesman Stann Tate said things are proceeding as planned on construction of a track in Staten Island, N.Y.(Rocky Mountain News)(4-19-2006)
Cost of NYC Track going up: International Speedway Corp. could spend almost double in 2006 what it spent last year to pursue its NASCAR dreams on Staten Island. Both ISC and its foes consider this year as do-or-die for the track plan. The motor-sports giant may shell out as much as $25 million here in its 2006 fiscal year, which ends Nov. 30, the company's chief financial officer has told investors. That would amount to some $68,500 a day, compared to the roughly $38,600 a day ISC spent in 2005 to forward its track plan. "We're probably, at this point, in the -- I don't know -- maybe $10 to $15 million range, potentially going up through the end of the year, as we progress and approve additional money," said Susan Schandel, ISC's senior vice president and chief financial officer, in a conference call with investors on April 6. "So maybe we get in the $25 million range for the full year." On top of roughly $14 million in day-to-day spending on the plan in fiscal 2005, ISC also paid $110.4 million to buy the 675-acre West Shore property where it hopes to build the track. Overall, the developer expects its 80,000-seat Bloomfield speedway will cost between $550 and $600 million to complete. Ms. Schandel said she expects the city's approval process to continue into 2007. On April 27, the city will hold a public meeting on the track, to determine the scope of the environmental review process to follow.(Staten Island Advance)(4-15-2006)
NY State pols feeling the heat from NASCAR: Even though the City Council has the ultimate say on whether NASCAR comes to Staten Island, state lawmakers are feeling the pressure to make the first important decision on the track's fate. The raceway's principle developer is hoping to have a tax law in place that would make the track a better sell for the Island's three councilmen by the time they vote on the plan to build an 80,000-seat raceway in Bloomfield. International Speedway Corp. has been lobbying Albany's power players to establish what it calls a Transportation Improvement District -- a proposal that would guarantee some of the track's tax revenue would fund transportation improvements in the borough. And ISC is pushing to get that proposal passed into state law by the time the Legislature recesses in June, or at least before the council's vote, which will likely take place early next year. The proposal would set aside a chunk of the roughly $45 million in sales tax that the track would bring in each year. No one was willing to speculate what percentage of the revenue that "chunk" might be. That money would be placed in a fund that could only be used for borough transportation projects. The track developer's plan could become a reality in one of two ways: Either as a stand-alone piece of legislation, which would require sponsors in both the Assembly and the state Senate, or as an attachment to the state budget, which is due to be passed next month. To get either done, ISC must build support beyond the Island's delegation, since the proposal would siphon tax money away from other areas of the state and funnel it into the borough. So far, ISC has hired a trio of influential lobbyists with clout on both sides of the political aisle to sell the plan. ISC and its lobbyists have already approached Senate and Assembly leaders, the Island legislators and other key lawmakers. To appeal to the Democrats, who control the Assembly, ISC has hired Yoswein New York, a connected lobbying firm run by former Assemblywoman Joni Yoswein, the protege of past Assembly Speaker Mel Miller. On the Republican side, ISC has tapped former Borough President and U.S. Congressman Guy V. Molinari, who now runs a high-profile lobbying firm in West Brighton. The Molinari Group plans to meet with elected officials later this week. Ostroff, Hiffa & Associates, an Albany firm with expertise in transportation issues and contacts with state Democrats and Republicans, fills the third spot in ISC's lobbying stable. But ISC can't bank on its army of valued consultants alone; it needs backing from the Island's lawmakers, who must persuade their political allies to vote for a bill that would not benefit their districts.(more and quotes at the Staten Island Advance)(3-13-2006)
NYC Mayor speaks in favor of NASCAR: NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg spoke favorably of NASCAR as a potential economic boost for the city and for the first time expressed concern about what type of business might move onto its proposed site in Bloomfield if the racetrack is not built there. "There are other uses for that land which may create worse traffic jams than the three weekends a year NASCAR wants to do," Bloomberg told reporters Sunday after marching in the Staten Island St. Patrick's Parade. In some of his most expansive comments yet on the proposed 80,000-seat track, Bloomberg called NASCAR "one of the most popular sports in this country." But the mayor said he has yet to be convinced that the Island's roads could accommodate the traffic that the racetrack would generate. "I like the idea that someone is willing to invest in New York City," Bloomberg said. "I like the idea that people that want to go see NASCAR will be able to do it here. I don't like the idea of more traffic." Bloomberg did not say whether he supports the project or not. In the past, Bloomberg has said he is not a personal fan of NASCAR, and that it is Islanders who should decide if they want the track built here. He has also said the city would not spend public money on the track. Bloomberg yesterday said the Island's roads can't handle the vehicle traffic they have now, and that expanding the borough's road system "is very problematic." However, Bloomberg added, "More traffic is a problem of success that we have to deal with. Most places would really love to have this [project]."(Staten Island Advance)(3-7-2006)
Staten Island Track Hearing: The long process of gaining approval to build a racetrack on Staten Island inched forward last week. A letter from the New York City Planning Commission to International Speedway Corporation arrived on Feb. 14 confirming that a public scoping meeting, or hearing, would be scheduled for sometime in April. "It's truly the beginning," Michael Printup, director of corporate development for I.S.C., said in a telephone interview Sunday. "Scoping is a big hurdle. " I.S.C. is seeking to build an 80,000-seat, three-quarter-mile oval on Staten Island. It could cost up to $600 million.(New York Times)(2-20-2006)
NYC/Washington track news: International Speedway Corp.'s open-wallet approach to building a NASCAR track on Staten Island isn't sitting too well in the Seattle area, where the developer wants the government to help fund a new track. ISC wants to build an 83,000-seat, $345 million track in Kitsap County, Wash., around 20 miles away from Seattle, and it's asking the state to fund half of that cost with bonds and admission fees. The motorsports giant doesn't think Washington compares with New York, but some Northwest track critics see ISC's plan to foot the entire $500 million-$600 million bill for its proposed Staten Island track and wonder why the developer can't do the same thing in Kitsap. The Seattle Times made a similar argument to Sheldon's in a Dec. 18 editorial urging lawmakers to dump the Kitsap proposal. "ISC has committed to paying all of the $600 million for a new track on Staten Island in New York. With the sport awash in fans, Fortune 500 sponsors and television revenues, backers should find a way to pay for all or most of the track here," the paper wrote.(Staten Island Advance)(12-27-2005)
Latest on the New York City race track: Michael Printup, the France family's point man in the fight for political OK of the International Speedway Corp.'s proposed New York City Speedway on Staten Island, said last week's elections were a big plus for the cause. "All the incumbents won. The three city-council people won, and the borough president won, which is good for us," Printup said. "We waited for the elections to be over, because we wanted the political situation to calm down. Hopefully when everyone gets back in a couple of weeks we can start working on getting some political momentum; that's really what we need, for the community to be behind us. We wanted to get 'city-scoping' done in August, but the political scene wanted us to calm down a little bit. We're still on schedule, we're still looking for our first race in the spring of 2010."(Winston Salem Journal)(11-14-2005)
Contractor for the proposed NYC track: Though the project is not close to being a done deal, one of the city's largest construction companies would likely build the proposed NASCAR track on Staten Island if it's approved. Bovis Lend Lease -- which was the prime contractor for the Richmond County Bank Ballpark in St. George -- has been hired by developer International Speedway Corp. to help with environmental cleanup on the site of the proposed raceway, according to Michael Printup, ISC's project manager. But Bovis will likely end up doing more than that. Bovis likely will assist ISC's architects when they design the proposed 80,000-seat racetrack in Bloomfield, Printup said. Bovis, a New York-based subsidiary of Australia real estate giant Lend Lease Corp., has worked with both ISC and its development partner, The Related Companies, on past projects. The construction company was the general contractor for the Chicagoland Speedway -- a 75,000-seat NASCAR track in Joliet, Ill. partly owned by ISC. That track opened in 2001. Bovis was hired by the city in January 2002 to run the cleanup of Ground Zero. Before any construction can begin, ISC must receive approvals from several city, state and federal agencies. The city's land use approval process, expected to take at least 18 months, includes public hearings and an environmental impact review, and ends in a City Council vote. So far, all three of the Island's council representatives have said the speedway developer's traffic plan can't work on Staten Island.(Staten Island Advance)(8-16-2005)
Politician in favor of NASCAR track in Staten Island: State Attorney Gen. Eliot Spitzer, a longtime NASCAR fan, is "absolutely" open to supporting a racetrack on Staten Island's West Shore. Spitzer, a Manhattan Democrat widely seen as the favorite in next year's gubernatorial election, revealed his affinity for racing during a roundtable interview with reporters in the state Capitol yesterday. "Trying to put aside the fact that I've been a NASCAR fan for 20 years, I'm by and large predisposed to see it as an opportunity for economic growth -- not only in Staten Island but the city -- and to draw a major fan base of the sport to the city," Spitzer told reporters. But Spitzer said the proposed 85,000-seat stadium must be approached with "regard to the environmental and economic impact on Staten Island." He has met with some Island leaders, he said, to learn "what the concerns are and what could be done to make sure the economic benefits are not just limited to the track but actually go further out into the community." The Daytona-based International Speedway Corp., the nation's largest operator of auto-racing tracks, hopes to build the 80,000-seat NASCAR stadium on nearly 700 acres in Bloomfield just south of the Goethals Bridge. The City Council ultimately will decide the racetrack's fate; additional hurdles include wetland permits that must be approved by the state Department of Environmental Conservation. The agency would be under Spitzer's control were he elected governor.(Staten Island Advance)(8-2-2005)
Property Values an issue for proposed Staten Island Track: The developers of a proposed NASCAR track on Staten Island [NY] challenged claims made last week by New Jersey real estate agent Tom Adkins that a speedway would tank borough property values. "He's absolutely incorrect," said Michael Printup, Staten Island project manager for International Speedway Corp. Houses across from the California Speedway in the Los Angeles area doubled in value after that speedway was built in 1997, Printup said, while in Kansas, retail and residential development have thrived around ISC's track. "You've got this great appreciation of these housing tracts, and then the housing that was built up around California Speedway after it was built was just amazing," Printup said. He acknowledged that a similar boom in new housing is unlikely on Staten Island because the borough lacks room for that kind of growth.(Staten Island Advance)(7-17-2005)
Indian burial grounds at site of planned NY track: A group of anthropologists have discovered artifacts possibly dating back to 10,000 B.C. at the site of a planned NASCAR track on Staten Island. The International Speedway Corporation was hoping to build an 80,000-seat race track on land in Bloomfield that has been used as an above-ground oil tank farm for more than 70 years. The City Council has yet to vote on the proposal. The president of the New York Institute of Anthropology says the site was once a village and home to Lenape Indian burial grounds. "What we are opposed to is the destruction of the evidence," said Edward J. Platt of the New York Institute of Anthropology. "We want the evidence retrieved and preserved -- not for us, but for future generations -- to learn from and appreciate." The ISC has reportedly told anthropologists that they are concerned about preserving the site and that they are willing to cooperate. The two groups are expected to meet in the next couple of weeks.(NY1)(5-21-2005)
ISC Still Pursuing Expansion: International Speedway Corp. said today it is continuing to pursue development of tracks in the New York borough of Staten Island and in the Pacaific Northwest. The company said it has begun the permitting process in New York and continues to work on its detailed feasibility study to evaluate project costs and the availability of public incentives. It also said it continues to meet with local resident groups and public officials there. Additionally, ISC said it "continues to evaluate suitable locations for the development of a motorsports facility" in the Pacific Northwest, although it did not identify any potential sites. "Several municipalities, along with state representatives, continue to indicate a high level of interest in the project, and the company remains optimistic of its prospects in this underserved region of the country."(NASCAR Scene Daily Newsletter)(4-6-2005)
NASCAR New York Plans: NASCAR's New York speedway plans are becoming clearer. The France family's International Speedway Corp., is planning a three-quarter-mile track, similar in style to Richmond's, on Staten Island. ISC said that it would bring the expected 95,000 race-day fans to the track on a fleet of 950 buses and 100 ferries, from 16 parking lots around the city.(Winston Salem Journal)(3-23-2005)
NY Track Traffic concerns Councilman: After a two-hour sit-down with speedway developers in his borough office, City Councilman [Staten Island/NYC] James Oddo says he needs still more proof that a NASCAR track on Staten Island won't be just a fast ride to traffic chaos. "I essentially have the same concerns as a few months ago," said Oddo, who has expressed skepticism about International Speedway Corp.'s plan to limit traffic to and from the races through a network of park-and-rides, buses and fast ferries. "They believe that this would work. I'm not so sure." Oddo, whose Council district would be home to the proposed 80,000-seat speedway in Bloomfield, on Friday became the third Island politician to meet individually with ISC representatives after company officials unveiled their traffic plan late last fall. So far, the meetings have garnered mixed results for the Daytona Beach-based speedway giant. Rep. Vito Fossella referred to the track plan as a "house of cards" after meeting with ISC representatives Feb. 7. Borough President James Molinaro seemed somewhat more receptive after getting an individual presentation from ISC in Borough Hall on Thursday. "They've got a ways to go to satisfy me, but we're talking," Molinaro said. Oddo -- who said he got the same basic presentation that ISC gave to elected officials in December -- called the meeting "not confrontational at all." Indeed, the tone became casual and jokey at some points, he said. "We focused on the traffic," he said. Oddo could not say what changes would be necessary to allay his concerns about the problem, but he had a couple of suggestions. "I guess limiting the off-Island vehicles, reducing that further will be beneficial," he said. ISC wants to provide just 8,400 parking spots for fans driving to the track, forcing the majority of race-weekend visitors to park off-Island and take buses and ferries to the speedway. Oddo said ISC needs to do more to prove that the bus and ferry plan will succeed. All three of the borough's City Council members sit on its land use board, making their votes pivotal to whether the track is approved by the city.
Two Republican kingmakers are on opposite sides of the track argument: Former Borough President Guy Molinari is a paid lobbyist for ISC, while Fossella, who has feuded with him for years, opposes the track. Molinari joined ISC officials in their meeting with Oddo. Lawyer John D'Amato, a partner in Molinari's lobbying firm, said he believes the meeting with Oddo went well. "We're going to get back to him with some more specifics. I felt it was a positive meeting," D'Amato said.(Staten Island Advance)(3-1-2005)
ISC Buys More Ground in Staten Island: The developers of a proposed 80,000-seat NASCAR race track have completed their second sizable land purchase on Staten Island's West Shore in as many months, a manager from the group's lobbying and law firm told the Advance last night. Speaking at a meeting of the Arlington Community Association in Mariners Harbor, Ethan Goodman of Wachtel and Masyr said a 236-acre parcel in Bloomfield owned by Duke Energy was purchased Wednesday by International Speedway Corp. (ISC) to house part of the proposed track complex. While Goodman did not have an exact cost figure, previous estimates had set the price at $10 million because the land is comprised largely of wetlands, which are hard to develop. The purchase follows the costliest private land deal in borough history, when ISC paid $100 million in December to buy 450 acres of adjacent property, just south of the Goethals Bridge, from Chicago-based GATX Corp. Last night, ISC and its lobbyists, including former Borough President Guy V. Molinari, continued their string of presentations to local civic and community groups, speaking in one of the few neighborhoods in which roads would be utilized for accessing the racetrack. Several of the 40 people in attendance expressed objections to the use of Richmond Terrace as a thruway, especially because its unsturdiness, sinkholes, and poor drainage rendered it "not conducive to traffic," according to one man. Other concerns raised last night included the ability to police such a large influx of people, and objections to elements of Goodman's presentation, which, to some people portrayed the proposition as a choice between the track or some sort of industrial monstrosity. Additionally, several people who lived in the vicinity closest to the proposed track site said they worried about how loud the races would be.(Staten Island Advance)(1-28-2005)
Update on Staten Island Track: The first NASCAR Nextel Cup event on Staten Island could be held by the end of this decade if plans to build a racetrack there continue on schedule. "We're incredibly optimistic," Lesa Kennedy, president of International Speedway Corp, said Monday. "We've put a lot of resources behind it. We're moving forward." Land has been purchased for construction, but Kennedy, the sister of Brian France, the NASCAR chairman, said that the process of obtaining a permit to build could take up to two years. Kennedy said the goal now for I.S.C., the sister corporation of NASCAR, was to convince local officials and residents that a plan to manage traffic was viable. Several officials, including Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, have been invited to attend NASCAR races in the past year as part of the sales pitch. Although Bloomberg has not accepted, Kennedy said James P. Molinaro, the Staten Island borough president; Michael McMahon, a city council member; and the state assemblymen Michael Cusick and John W. Lavelle were among those who had attended NASCAR races. "Once you get them to an event, it's such a different experience," Kennedy said. "Once they get there, their eyes light up, and this is like any other sporting event." Kennedy said I.S.C. also continued to look at properties in the Pacific Northwest, including Seattle, for track sites.(New York Times)(1-25-2005)
Toxic cleanup at NASCAR site to be done by spring: A decade-long effort to clean up petroleum contamination at the former GATX oil tank farm in Bloomfield, NY where developers want to build a NASCAR track, could wrap up as early as this spring. Oil leaks, spills and accidents have soaked tons of soil on the roughly 440 acres of industrial land, which was purchased last month for $100 million by track developer International Speedway Corp. (ISC). But the property's former owner, Chicago-based GATX Corp., has been doing state-mandated environmental work since the early 1990s, and site manager Greg Worobey said the bulk of the work should be finished in April. A gigantic "biocell" area, where more than 110,000 square feet of contaminated soil has been treated with petroleum-eating microbes, should be clear by then, he said. Right now, the biocell, which is about four football fields long, has about 6 feet of dirt on top of it, he said. Underneath the dirt sits what looks like a giant baking pan lined with plastic, environmental officials have said. Last month, workers removed a 2-foot layer of tested, decontaminated soil from the biocell and spread it as top soil, according to state environmental officials. Although the weather likely won't allow similar removals until the spring, only three more layers of soil remain, officials said. Even so, state Department of Environmental Conservation spokeswoman Maureen Wren wouldn't say if the property would be clean enough for a NASCAR track, explaining that the agency hasn't received any formal proposals for the site yet.(Staten Island Advance), maybe they will find Jimmy Hoffa.(1-3-2005)
NYC Mayor not to oppose racetrack: [New York City] Mayor Michael Bloomberg said yesterday he remains concerned that the 80,000-seat NASCAR track proposed for Staten Island's West Shore would create traffic nightmares in the borough whenever it hosts a race. "The biggest problem on Staten Island is that the roads can't handle the current traffic," said Bloomberg, during his weekly appearance on the John Gambling radio show on WABC-AM. Bloomberg has maintained a skeptical attitude toward the International Speedway Corp. (ISC) proposal to build a three-quarter-mile auto racing track on a 686-acre industrial site in Bloomfield. ISC has said the traffic problems created by the speedway would be limited because most racing fans would be required to take ferries or shuttle buses to reach the facility. But Bloomberg and other elected officials have yet to be convinced that races will be able to take place without traffic woes. Despite his concerns, Bloomberg said he wouldn't stand in the way of the speedway if Staten Islanders support it and if the ISC relies solely on private funds to pay for its construction. "We're not putting public money into this," Bloomberg said. The racetrack proposal came up when Gambling sought Bloomberg's reaction to Thursday's news that ISC closed a deal -- for $100 million -- to buy 450 of the 686 acres needed for the track. "I thought maybe you'd come in here in your driving suit today," said Gambling, who apparently thought the mayor was a big fan of the proposed speedway. Bloomberg responded that he wasn't actively involved the speedway project and reiterated his opposition to public financing. "It's got to be done with private money because the city has too many other things to do," the mayor said. The speedway must survive an extensive approval process before it can be built -- including a full environmental impact study, public hearings and a City Council vote.(Staten Island Advance)(12-20-2004)
ISC Buys Land in Staten Island NY: International Speedway Corp. has paid $100 million to buy land in Staten Island to build a New York City racetrack. The company hopes to build a $600 million track on the dormant industrial property near the Goethals Bridge. Officials said Wednesday it could represent the largest construction project the motorsports giant has ever undertaken, nearly triple the amount it spent to build tracks in Kansas City, Kan., and the Chicago area. Lesa France Kennedy, president of the family-controlled International Speedway, said the company has to complete a feasibility study before deciding whether to build the facility. "Whether we ultimately construct a track or pursue alternative options for the development of this prime New York real estate will largely depend on the results of this study," she said. Speedway officials were expected to elaborate on their New York plans Thursday in a call with financial analysts. She said the track probably would not be completed until 2009 or 2010. The parcels that were purchased by a Speedway subsidiary, 380 Development, include a 450-acre waterfront tract owned by GATX Corp. and a 1-acre parcel bought from an unidentified owner. The subsidiary also plans to spend $10 million to buy an additional 236 acres from Duke Energy in January. In all, Speedway wants to acquire 660 acres, which it said would be the largest undeveloped block of land within New York City. The land would house not only a three-quarter-mile track with 80,000 seats but also a 50-acre group of nationally known stores. Speedway officials said a New York developer, Related Retail Corp., will hold a minority stake in the venture.(USA Today/AP/Staten Island Advance)(12-16-2004)
ISC Proceeding with New York Plans: International Speedway Corp. is going ahead with plans to buy 679 acres on New York's Staten Island, where it could build a three-quarter-mile track with seating for 80,000 people, this week's NASCAR Scene reports. ISC Vice President John Graham says the company hopes to close on the purchase of the land within the next three months after completing its studies on ways spectators could be transported to the facility. The traffic plans, which would bring in spectators from as far away as 40 miles, would include the use of 750 park-and-ride buses, 200 charter buses and 100 ferries.(NASCAR Scene Daily Newsletter)(12-9-2004)
So.....what's up with the NYC track? International Speedway Corp [ISC] continues negotiating with New York state and local officials for the purchase of a dormant industrial site on Staten Island for a track that would serve the greater New York area. Leonardo Santiago, ISC's assistant director of investor relations, said the company hopes to close on a purchase of that land before the end of the year, but winning permits for the track probably would be a time-consuming process. Speedway is projecting the track wouldn't be ready until 2009 at the earliest.(Daytona Beach News Journal)(11-24-2004)
ISC Finishing NY Traffic Study: International Speedway Corp. officials expect to complete a traffic study by early next month to determine whether buses or ferries could alleviate traffic congestion concerns around a proposed track on New York's Staten Island, The New York Times reports. "From what we know and believe at this point, and we emphasize the study is not complete, we remain optimistic," said John Graham, ISC's vice president of business affairs. The story says ISC has also commissioned several environmental studies of the site, which has housed gasoline storage tanks. ISC wants to build a facility that might seat 80,000 spectators around a 3/4-mile oval track for NASCAR races, but city officials have expressed skepticism about the project's impact on traffic.(NASCAR Scene Daily Newsletter)(10-26-2004)
Staten Island Neighbors: Keep your NASCAR noise Racetrack lobbyist John D'Amato got an earful last night [Oct 18th] at a meeting with Mariners Harbor residents about a proposed NASCAR stadium on Staten Island [NY]. D'Amato, a local lawyer and the managing partner of the Molinari Group, which is lobbying for International Speedway Corp., urged members of the Mariners Harbor Civic Association to keep an open mind about the plan to build an 80,000-seat racetrack in Bloomfield. "There's too much upside to listen to before you make a judgment that it doesn't belong here," D'Amato said. But the roughly 25 people sitting in the group's Spartan Avenue headquarters peppered D'Amato with skeptical questions and comments, asking about traffic, noise, and what will happen on non-race weekends. A few members downright opposed the track, while others lamented the lack of community centers and social services in the neighborhood. D'Amato revealed few new details about the track proposal, though he hinted that buses carrying fans from New Jersey to Staten Island might rely on the Bayonne Bridge, the least used of the four bridges leading to Staten Island. ISC's full proposal -- which will include detailed traffic, noise and environmental studies, D'Amato said -- is expected to be released by the end of the month. The plan will likely be presented at the association's Nov. 15 meeting, he said.(in part from the Staten Island Advance)(10-19-2004)
Seattle / NYC Reps Attend Kansas: Officials involved with new track projects in Seattle and Staten Island, N.Y., attended this weekend's NASCAR event to see how Kansas Speedway became one of the gems of American motor sports. Built in 2001, the Kansas track sprang from 1,500 acres of farmland at the western edge of the metropolitan area. Now surrounding it is a sparkling retail and tourist center that is transforming low-income Wyandotte County into a thriving area. Seattle officials were also impressed with how property values and noise levels have been addressed here. Plus, there's the attention to detail that sets this speedway apart. Both new tracks are expected to be less than a mile in length. Kansas is a 11/2-mile track.(Indianapolis Star)(10-11-2004)
NYC Not Backing Staten Island Track: Mayor Bloomberg yellow-flagged the idea of NASCAR racing on Staten Island at a community meeting last night. "Personally, I am not an auto racing fan," Bloomberg told members of the Grant City Civic Association, "and I am skeptical that it fits on Staten Island." He said the big problem with putting a track in the borough and drawing thousands of spectators is that local roads "just can't handle the existing number of people here."
"Every time I'm in this borough, and I'm here maybe twice a week, there's a traffic jam," he said. It was Bloomberg's strongest statement to date on the NASCAR issue. In July, the International Speedway Corp. - which owns several NASCAR speedways - agreed to buy two large parcels of land near the Goethals Bridge with an eye toward putting in a 3/4-mile oval and a grandstand with seating for 80,000.(New York Daily News)(10-1-2004)
ISC signs contract to purchase Staten Island land 3/4 mile? 2 1/2 IMS style? AND a map: International Speedway Corp., the country's largest motor sports raceway operator, announced yesterday that it has signed a deal to buy more than 600 acres of Bloomfield land to build the New York metropolitan area's first NASCAR track. Representatives of the Florida-based company told the Advance they signed contracts Wednesday with two companies to buy two adjacent parcels of land in the shadow of the Goethals Bridge, to build an 80,000-seat raceway. ISC officials hope that buying the parcels will lead to bringing NASCAR to a population and media market they've been trying to break into for years. NASCAR president Brian France and ISC president Lesa Kennedy are brother and sister. France has said he's eager to bring stock car racing to the New York City market. However, ISC officials noted they have no guarantee from NASCAR to run any of its premier Nextel Cup races on Staten Island. Once ISC closes on the land, the racetrack plan must still survive a lengthy approval process, complete with public hearings and an environmental impact review, before the city ultimately decides whether the races can begin. Officials insisted the track would only host three big race weekends a year. ISC officials said they'd like to see two Sunday races in the NASCAR's Nextel Cup series, the sport's top level of competition, plus one Indy series race, on the three-quarter-mile track. Some of NASCAR's other races, like the Busch circuit, would likely run on Saturdays during the big race weekends. Besides the races, the track would be available for events like car and boat shows or charity functions, officials said. (Staten Island Advance)(7-24-2004)
AND 2 1/2 miles? Preliminary talks are now taking place for the construction of a major new racing facility on New York's Staten Island. A number of different location have been discussed but the International Speedway Corporation says it is concentrating its efforts on a 440-acre site at a vacant industrial site on Staten Island's waterfront near the Goethal's Bridge, which links the island with New Jersey. The site has a good network of freeways which link to Manhattan and Brooklyn, by way of the nearby Verrazano Narrows Bridge across New York Harbour. The plan is to build a 2.5-mile race track, which would be similar in size to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and could therefore have an infield road course.(Grandprix.com)(7-26-2004)
MAP see another story and a map at the Orlando Sentinel and many more artilces/columns on my Article/Column/Story links page.(7-27-2004)
UPDATE: looks like the 2 1/2 mile track rumor is not true, all reports indicate it will be a 3/4 mile track, which is what the drivers and fans seem to want.(7-28-2004)
Staten Island /NYC Track faces hurdles: Those are the major hurdles facing the developers who hope to turn a 600-acre parcel near the Goethals Bridge on Staten Island into the ideal site for a Nascar speedway with a ¾-mile oval track, an 80,000-seat grandstand and a 500,000 square-foot shopping mall. International Speedway Corporation [ISC], the nation's largest motor-sports operator, is working on the project with Related Companies, a major New York real estate developer. International Speedway has hired a small army of real estate lawyers, engineers and lobbyists, and, according to a local official, it recently offered $100 million for the property. The proposed project, which must go through the city's land use review process, has drawn mixed reviews from residents and landed in the hot soup of Staten Island politics. But whatever the roadblocks, promoters have long sought to bring Nascar racing, hugely popular in the South and Midwest, to the potentially lucrative New York City area. "I remain optimistic, as do all of us at the company, that we will ultimately have Nascar Nextel Cup racing in or around New York City," said John Graham, vice president for business affairs at ISC. "We continue to be very, very interested in Staten Island. But it continues to be very much under study."(New York Times)
AND As a leading opponent of the proposed 80,000-seat NASCAR race track, a project that has generated favorable comment on the editorial pages of the Staten Island Advance, and is being given at least a cursory willingness to move forward by most other borough elected officials, I [the article author/New York State assemblyman for Staten Island's 63rd District - Robert Straniere] want to make absolutely clear the reasons I feel it should be rejected. This should be done now, before we engage in a lengthy public relations exercise, running concurrent with the required series of public permitting and approval events. This process would only serve to divert our attention from more important public issues facing our borough. The Goethals Bridge, which would seem to serve as the entry point onto our Island (for prospective race fans) is a 76-year-old relic incapable of accommodating the endless stream of buses it would take to bring tens of thousands of people from a remote parking facility both to and from the track on race days.(more at the Staten Island Advance)(7-18-2004)
New York City Announcement coming in August? 2nd Chicago race? NASCAR chairman Brian France said Sunday he hopes to have an announcement "in the next month or so" for a track in the New York City area. NASCAR has looked at several sites in the area, with Staten Island discussed more than any other. "There's a lot of momentum in that market," France said. "What I know is they're a lot closer than they were just six months ago. And I think you'll see some positive announcements come, it would be my hope, in the next month or so." In addition to a track in New York, NASCAR has said it is looking for a site in the Pacific Northwest - most likely Washington or Oregon. And France said Sunday that the Chicagoland Speedway, site of Sunday's Tropicana 400, could get a second race. "You can't leave your core fan base on your way to another one, that wouldn't make any sense. There are plenty of races in the Southeast, there are always going to be," France said. "We do have to take the sport, from time to time, where we can impact a bigger audience." A second race at Chicagoland Speedway, about 45 miles southwest of downtown, would help increase NASCAR's visibility. NASCAR makes only a handful of stops in the Midwest, with Indianapolis and Michigan the closest tracks to Chicago.(ThatsRacin.com/AP)(7-12-2004)
ISC Lobby Firm for NYC plans: A Nascar developer has hired Guy V. Molinari, the former Staten Island borough president, as it pursues plans to build a speedway in the New York metropolitan area. The developer, International Speedway Corporation, the nation's largest motor-sports operator, said that it had hired the Molinari Group, a lobbying firm headed by Mr. Molinari, to help it navigate the political roadblocks to building a racetrack in New York City. David Talley, a spokesman for International Speedway, said that if Nascar builds a racetrack in New York City, the Molinari Group will almost certainly be involved with the "education process," setting up meetings with local leaders and community groups to "quell any of the fears they might have about traffic and noise." International Speedway is also retaining the HNTB Corporation, a national engineering and planning firm that helped design speedways in Chicago and Kansas City. "If we need any input from them in the places we are looking in the New York metropolitan area or New Jersey, then they are there," Mr. Talley said. There are no formal blueprints for a race track in the New York region yet, Mr. Talley said. But if a speedway is constructed here, he said, it would have to meet the constraints of building in New York City, limiting its capacity to 75,000 to 80,000 fans. (New York Times)(6-5-2004)
South NJ Track Plans - Not NASCAR: For 6 1/2 years, officials in Cumberland County [NJ - south of Philadelphia, PA] tried unsuccessfully to build a major international speedway in Southern New Jersey. Yesterday, however, they nabbed the next best thing, announcing a deal with a leading auto racing developer to build a $100 million motorsports park and hotel complex next to the Millville Airport. The planned Thunderbolt Raceway at New Jersey Motorsports Park -- construction is projected to begin in the spring, with an opening date in April 2006 -- is vastly different from the country's superspeedways, which have grandstands that can hold 140,000 fans and banked, 2.5-mile tracks where cars zoom at 200 mph. But Siegel, who also built the Mercer Mall, said the track's location just an hour's drive from Philadelphia and Atlantic City and 2 1/2 hours from New York makes it an ideal destination for both amateur and professional racing enthusiasts. "We are going to provide a great service under great circumstances and the people will come," said Siegel, who races vintage sports cars in his free time. Whether it means getting people to tune into the weekly NASCAR race or joining a sports car club, motorsports represent one of the few growth areas of the sports business today. The Millville facility will try to capitalize on the growing popularity of motorsports as a competition but also a leisure activity similar to golf or tennis. The New Jersey Motorsports Park will feature a 4.7-mile road track, a three-quarter-mile tri-oval, a country club with a pool and tennis courts, car paddocks with room for 1,000 automobiles, luxury suites, track-side condominiums, and seating for 15,000 fans. Siegel said the facility is likely to host a half-dozen sanctioned motorcycle, automobile and truck races each year. On the weekends when races are not taking place, automobile clubs that focus on a specific brand, such as Porsche or Maserati, will rent the facility along with large businesses that use such tracks to entertain clients. Last year, Virginia International Raceway lured 250,000 spectators and 50,000 additional visitors.(Newark Star Ledger and more at Daily Journal)(6-2-2004)
Could 'heck' freeze over? France and Smith? NYC Area Track: Bruton Smith and the France family as 50-50 partners in The New York City Speedway? And that's a possible game plan that an amazed Humpy Wheeler laid out yesterday. Wheeler, who runs Speedway Motorsports for Smith, revealed there have indeed been major results from the Ferko settlement two weeks ago aside from just NASCAR's granting a second Cup tour date to Texas Motor Speedway. NASCAR and the Frances' International Speedway Corp. (ISC), Wheeler says, are now discussing with Smith various plans for a speedway in the New York area. That that project might result in a speedway owned jointly by Smith and the Frances is astonishing, given that the two powers have been at odds for so many years. "I'm not saying we're going to do it, but we've talked about it," Wheeler said. "Both companies know exactly where the sites are; there are so few. We've seen the sites." News that Smith's men and France's men are talking about that project and others is revelatory to anyone who knows the depths of the divisions between the two sides, the most powerful in the sport, even more revelatory than the Ferko settlement. "We're talking rather freely right now, and it's wonderful," Wheeler said. "In the last two weeks we've been talking quite often." A joint Smith-France project in New York was speculated when the settlement was announced, and ISC has confirmed another new location for the potential track, a 440-acre Staten Island site just south of the Newark airport. The project, though, is daunting. The Staten Island site, one of several under consideration, appears far from promising. It includes 100 acres of marshland, and it is a former oil-tank farm that would likely need environmental cleanup, similar to what NASCAR did at Fontana. Not only that, the area is densely populated and has huge traffic problems.( more at the Winston Salem Journal)(5-29-2004)
Plans for Connecticut Track to be announced UPDATE: A new plan is emerging for car racing at the Plainfield dog track. WINY-AM in Putnam reports this morning that residents in Plainfield say they've been approached by a real estate firm for a new race track and have been offered money for their properties. The Arganese Group will announce tomorrow its plans to bring a car racing track. It's the same group that tried to bring NASCAR to North Stonington but ran into opposition. Plainfield First Selectman Donald Gladding told WINY that the plan is what Plainfield needs. The radio station says the dog track would continue to operate next to the new track.(WTNH.com)(5-27-2004)
UPDATE: Even before a formal announcement has been made about the proposed NASCAR-style race track and events complex planned for Lathrop Road, opposition to the project has surfaced. Hector Rodriguez, president of the citizens group Save Our Town, said Thursday his group is upset town officials appear to have strongly endorsed the plan before there has been any public debate on the issue. "This project will forever alter the character of the community," Rodriguez said. "It will alter forever the character of the neighborhoods around Lathrop Road. A lot of people are very upset already." Save Our Town unsuccessfully tried to prevent the Lowe's distribution center and warehouse now under construction. Rodriguez said he was especially disturbed by the comments in area newspapers and on television by First Selectman Donald Gladding that indicated Gladding supported the project. The first selectman said Wednesday he saw many positive benefits from the project, which, he said could bring up to $15 million annually in tax revenue to the town. A news conference is expected to be held next Wednesday, at which time the plans may be revealed. Town officials said the conference was originally scheduled for this week, but it was postponed while final details are being ironed out. However, Gladding provided many of the details of the project when he was interviewed by the media Wednesday. Neither developer Gene Arganese of Trumbull nor Karen Keelan of the Plainfield Greyhound Park, which will reportedly become a part of the project, would comment.(Norwich Bulletin)
AND Gene Arganese is the Trumbull developer who wants a Nextel Cup event at his own dream speedway in Connecticut. In December, Arganese announced plans to build a $400 million, 140,000-seat, one-mile speedway in North Stonington. Later, Arganese proposed adding a retractable roof. Over the winter it appeared Arganese and his idea for big-time racing in Connecticut had faded faster than a $10 bankroll on a craps table at one of the nearby casinos. But Arganese is back at the table, ready to roll the dice one more time in eastern Connecticut. June 3, Arganese is expected to announce he is shifting his domed speedway plans to Plainfield Greyhound Park and surrounding property.(Hartford Courant/WTNH.com)(5-29-2004)
NY Track in Staten Island? Racing promoters have held preliminary discussions with Mayor Michael Bloomberg and his administration about constructing a NASCAR track on Staten Island, The New York Times reported Friday. NASCAR has looked at various locations in the region since plans to build a speedway at the Meadowlands in New Jersey foundered, said David Talley, a spokesman for the International Speedway Corporation, which owns 13 tracks nationwide. "Staten Island is one we're looking at," Talley told the Times. "We're looking at a couple of sites in New Jersey as well. We are nowhere close to breaking ground and building a facility." The proposed track would be constructed at a 440-acre vacant industrial site on Staten Island's waterfront, a few miles east of the New Jersey Turnpike, the Times said.(NJ.com/AP)(5-28-2004)
Track in Linden NJ squashed: The Linden City [NJ] Council effectively quashed plans to build a NASCAR-style speedway on the city's industrial southeast side last week by unanimously choosing a competing proposal that called for a massive warehouse on the site instead. "It looks like the NASCAR track is basically out," said council president Robert F. Bunk. For more than a year, developer Morton Salkind has been courting Linden officials with his half-billion-dollar plan to build a racetrack, entertainment center, hotel and six luxury car dealerships on 140 acres in Tremley Point. Linden Mayor John T. Gregorio and the city's council leadership were intrigued by the NASCAR plan. But after months of waiting for details that never emerged, the council concluded the plan didn't have enough horsepower. The warehouse plan -- proposed by a Rutherford-based development firm called the Morris Cos. -- envisions a 5-million-square-foot facility on 300 acres in Tremley Point, the sprawling industrial area straddling the New Jersey Turnpike between interchanges 12 and 13. The idea would require a public-private partnership to fund and includes building a new access road from the Turnpike's Interchange 12 in Carteret to Tremley Point, for which the Turnpike Authority has already allotted $1.3 million. Reached by telephone in Florida, Salkind said he hadn't given up on the racetrack, which he hopes to call Liberty Speedway. He acknowledged, however, that the council's move complicates his plan and said he hoped to work with Morris to find room for a racetrack on the land. But company owner Joseph Morris said that's not going to happen. "No, you can't do a track there," he said. Salkind, a former assemblyman, has said that Prescott Bush Jr., the president's uncle, agreed to be chairman of Liberty Speedway and claimed Gov. James E. McGreevey favored the proposal . But a McGreevey spokesman has said administrators have not taken a stance on the proposal. And while Salkind has touted the raceway as a NASCAR-style track, NASCAR officials have repeatedly disavowed any affiliation with Liberty Speedway.(Newark Star Ledger)(5-28-2004)
Latest news on New Jersey [NYC area] track: He came to Linden [NJ] a year ago with grand plans to build a racetrack fit for NASCAR, as well as a hotel and entertainment center, at a cost of $401 million, on 140 acres in Tremley Point. Now developer Morton Salkind says Liberty Speedway at Linden would be a bigger, half-billion-dollar project including six luxury car dealerships, with buyers allowed to take their new automobile on a complimentary lap around the racetrack. Prescott Bush Jr., the president's uncle, has signed on as chairman and says Gov. James McGreevey is in favor of the proposal, according to Salkind, a former assemblyman. But NASCAR officials continue to disavow any affiliation, and McGreevey's spokesman said administrators have not taken any stance on the proposal. Salkind appeared before the city council Tuesday and said he would be ready to start by the end of the year and would be willing to post money upfront if he was named the developer. He asked city officials to hold other developers at bay for a year and promised his development would bring the city $10 million in host community fees and $6.6 million in tax revenue. City officials already are entertaining other proposals. Linden officials said they would like a firm commitment from NASCAR, but officials from the organization continue to say they have no connection to Salkind. And they continue to stand by last year's letter from NASCAR President Mike Helton distancing themselves from the project. "We have no obligation, commitment or any relationship with this individual or whatever facility he's trying to build," said Gary Crotty, general counsel for NASCAR. "The fact that they (NASCAR officials) haven't signed with us yet is not negative," Salkind said. "It's just that they haven't signed anywhere in the United States."
"If we build it, they will come," Salkind said. "I'm not spending $500 million without them coming." Salkind added that he and partner Herbert Klein, a former congressman, already have spent thousands on the project and would not have done so if they didn't expect to see it completed. Salkind said he has submitted traffic studies to the Turnpike authority seeking a six-lane extension from Interchange 12. There have no changes, however, to the authorities original plans, Orlando said.(in part from the Newark Star-Ledger)(3-18-2004)
So what is up with the NY City area track? Five years after Donald Trump and then-NASCAR chairman Bill France revealed plans to build a NASCAR speedway in the metropolitan area, not a spade of dirt has been turned and there's still no concrete plan for the track. "There is an active interest in the New York, New Jersey, Connecticut area," said John Graham, vice president of business development for the International Speedway Corp., the France-family owned company that builds and operates race tracks for NASCAR. "We would like to be on a site that is hopefully within 50 miles of New York City, and our ultimate situation would be to have that wonderful skyline visible from the speedway." Since France and Trump got together, tracks have been built in Kansas City and outside Chicago, and now there's talk of a speedway for the Pacific Northwest. The plans have been on hold for so long, in fact, that Trump no longer is part of the team. ISC spent a couple years focusing on the Meadowlands, and while that site is not out of the picture - especially with the pending defection of the Nets and possibly the Devils - racing executives are scouting new sites. They've flown over the five boroughs looking for property, and have looked all over the area for a suitable patch of land. "The major problems in the Northeast are convincing elected local boards to approve permits, and the process has many hoops," said Fox broadcaster Mike Joy, a former Windsor, Conn., councilman. Joy believes the best chance to bring NASCAR to New York is for ISC to find a site already dealing with heavy traffic or noise - such as the Meadowlands - or areas looking to boost tourism, perhaps near the Jersey shore or the casinos in Connecticut. "The future of the sport is going to depend on bringing sponsors and new investors into the sport," Joy said. "The easiest way to do that would be to have a track close enough to make some noise in New York City. There's no market you could go to and make a bigger impact than New York." Even if all of the logistical hurdles were cleared today, though, it would take at least two years for a track to be built, but that won't keep NASCAR and its fans from dreaming. "I think it would be great to have (a track) in New York," said Joe Gibbs, the Redskins coach who owns two NASCAR teams. "What we're doing is continuing to climb in the numbers. This sport is still hitting - some of its best years are in front of it. I mentioned the Northwest and New York, if we got that, that would be a whole new quantum leap. If you look at other sports, they're maxed, they're done."(New York Daily News)(2-15-2004)
NJ Road Course News: Despite the objections of Manalapan [New Jersey] residents, the Planning Board has given Old Bridge Township Raceway Park a green light for a 1.3-mile road course. The board's Tuesday meeting stretched on after midnight as Mary Beth Lonergan, a planner representing Manalapan, questioned the safety and the noise level of the track located on Pension Road and the board's jurisdiction in the matter. According to Lonergan, the application required several variances that should have been heard by the Zoning Board. "Raceway Park has existed in Old Bridge for 60 years. I think that Manalapan has made an error in zoning, and I think that Manalapan wants Old Bridge to correct their problem," said board chairman George Koehler. Koehler was referring to the fact that Manalapan's zoning map permitted residences to be built near the pre-existing raceway. Raceway Park President Michael Napp agreed not to hold racing events on the road course until the track received approval from the state police and the Sports Car Club of America. Guard walls and debris fences also will be installed. The 13-turn speedway put down the paved surface for the course more than a year ago without township permission. The township zoning officer then stepped in and stopped work on the project, fining the track $1,000. Napp designed and built the course, which would be limited to muffled vehicles, with advice from the SCCA, which oversees racing events nationwide. Napp has said the course will provide the average car owner a fun track to race on, as well as give auto companies such as BMW a venue for debuting new vehicles.(News Tribune)(12-8-2003)
NYC Area Track News: Was that NASCAR chairman Brian France surveying the New York boroughs by helicopter for a possible new track site? A Staten Island location tops the list of options for International Speedway Corp. in the New York area. Despite the difficulty of building a track near the Big Apple, France says New York would be NASCAR's most desirable market.(FoxSports/Sporting News)(12-8-2003)
Proposed Track in Connecticut MORE: Gene Arganese of Arganese Properties of Trumbull, CT said he has purchased options on several properties along Route 2 and Route 184 that total 400 acres. Arganese said the proposed $400 million racetrack would host NASCAR auto-racing events, monster-truck rallies and other events. Tracey Judd, manager of communications at NASCAR headquarters in Daytona, Fla., said Arganese had been in contact with NASCAR about sanctioning races. She said no agreement had been reached and that there were currently no races available for new tracks. Arganese said he would unveil his raceway project Thursday night at a special meeting of the Economic Development Commission. First Selectman Nicholas Mullane II said Tuesday that the raceway project raised many questions about noise, emergency services, traffic and parking. The project would require approvals from a variety of state, regional and town agencies. Mullane said town zoning regulations do not permit a racetrack. Arganese would have to receive a special permit from the Planning and Zoning Commission.(Boston Globe/AP)(12-3-2003)
AND A Trumbull developer said Tuesday he plans to build a 140,000-seat, $400 million racetrack on Route 2 that would host NASCAR auto-racing events and generate millions of dollars in real estate taxes annually. Gene Arganese of Arganese Properties of Trumbull said he has purchased options on several properties along Route 2 and Route 184 that total 400 acres, including the 72-acre Hayward property across the street from Dunkin' Donuts. He said he plans to build a one-mile track that would host NASCAR-sanctioned races, monster-truck rallies and other events. The track would be modeled on Dover Downs International Speedway, a 140,000-seat stadium in Dover, Del., and that details about his proposal would be available Thursday when he launches a Web site at www.newenglandraceway.com. Arganese said he was trying to secure property along Route 184 to create access points on both sides of the rotary to limit traffic snarls. He said the track would be built on the south side of Route 2. Town Assessor Darryl Delgrosso said the raceway's assessment and its impact on surrounding property values would depend on the frequency and nature of events held at the track.(The Day)(12-4-2003)
NJ Freeholder seeks vote to renew opposition to NASCAR track: Bergen County's [NJ] freeholders may consider a resolution next month to oppose construction of a NASCAR track at the Meadowlands - even though there are no plans to build an auto-racing facility there. "I can say, quite unequivocally, that NASCAR is not coming to the Meadowlands," New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority Chairman Carl Goldberg said Thursday. "In the past, we have had some conversations about that sport being held elsewhere in the state, but even then it would be nowhere even remotely close to Bergen County." Still, Republican Freeholder Richard Mola said he doesn't want to take any chances. The measure likely will receive bipartisan support, because focus groups by both parties have shown widespread opposition to a racetrack related to noise and traffic concerns. Control of the Freeholder Board is up for grabs in November, with three of the five Democrats on the seven-member board running for reelection. Freeholder Chairwoman Valerie Huttle - one of the Democrats running again - said she did not see need for a new resolution and was scratching her head as to why it was being brought up now. Two of the six bids submitted last year for redevelopment of the Continental Arena site featured auto-racing tracks, but both were eliminated long before a $1.3 billion Mills/Mack-Cali entertainment, office, and retail project was selected in February. A developer's agreement for that proposal likely will be unveiled in the next 10 days, and Goldberg said a NASCAR track is not part of the plan. "Our stakeholders group made it abundantly clear that no one in Bergen County was supportive of NASCAR," Goldberg said. "We took that to heart and discarded the idea, and we've had no conversations with anyone from NASCAR subsequent to that date." Goldberg said that an earlier concept for an auto-racing track around the horse track at the Meadowlands also has been scrapped. The Daytona Beach, Fla.-based International Speedway Corp. had spent several years doing feasibility studies on such a proposal.(NorthJersey.com)(9-20-2003)
A Little NYC News: NBC Sports President Ken Schanzer said a stock-car racing track in the New York area is critical for the future of NASCAR, which draws better television ratings than any sport except the National Football League. A track in the nation's top media market is one of NASCAR's chief goals since it has replaced Winston cigarettes with Nextel Communications Inc. as title sponsor and shifted some races to major markets from small Southern towns. Adding a race in New York might expose millions of new fans to the sport and gain the attention of the about 75 Fortune 500 companies in the area. "It would significantly increase NASCAR's presence," Schanzer said. "Drawing 100,000 people to watch a live race would just be a start." International Speedway Corp., which owns and operates 11 of the 23 tracks that host Winston Cup races, has been looking for spots to place a track in the New York area for more than three years. Also looking at possible sites is Speedway Motorsports, another track builder and operator. Jim Hunter, NASCAR's vice president of corporate communications, and Paul Brooks, vice president for broadcasting, didn't return telephone messages left at their offices. NASCAR has grown substantially from its Southeastern U.S. roots. It received a boost four years ago, when it convinced track owners to relinquish the right to negotiate their own television contracts in favor of one for the whole Winston Cup series. That resulted in a six-year, $1.2 billion deal with NBC and Turner Sports, and an eight-year, $1.6 billion agreement with Fox. "No question a track in New York would benefit the sport," Fox Sports President Ed Goren said in a telephone interview. "It would be a positive in selling stock-car racing on Madison Avenue."(Buffalo News/AP)(9-19-2003)
More on NASCAR and NYC/NJ Track: Officials of [NASCAR] racing have decided to open a track in the Big Apple market - a big-bucks project that's put a handful of rich developers in a race to build the speedway. Four sites are on the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing's map: in Queens, Long Island, Westchester and New Jersey. Sources say the site with the inside track is already home to some wild drivers: a stretch along the New Jersey Turnpike in the Meadowlands. "Four sites have been reviewed, but the understanding now is that only two are realistic: the Meadowlands and Aqueduct in Queens," said a source familiar with the project. It's unclear if horse racing would still go on if Aqueduct is chosen. Long shots are Yonkers Raceway and the former Grumman plant in Calverton, L.I. The winner will be announced in a matter of months, the source said. The developers of the Meadowlands proposal are Mills Corp. and Mack-Cali Realty. They've already proposed a $1.3 billion sports and family entertainment park spreading over a swath of the marshlands. The NASCAR track was thrown into their plan as one of several attractions at the extravaganza, called Xanadu. NASCAR's governing officials have agreed to make the New York-area speedway their top priority.(New York Post)(7-30-2003)
Access is key for raceway to be built: A racetrack and family entertainment complex planned for Tremley Point would attract about 35,000 vehicles on race days, according to developer Morton Salkind. That's why the key to the $500 million project is the New Jersey Turnpike Authority's plans to build a connector road from a redesigned Interchange 12 in Carteret to Tremley Point in neighboring Linden. Salkind's Liberty Speedway Inc. project calls for a 1-mile track on the 143-acre ISP Corp. property between the New Jersey Turnpike and Arthur Kill. Salkind hopes to open the facility, suitable for NASCAR events, in 2007. But a spokesman for the East Brunswick-based New Jersey Turnpike Authority said the Carteret-Linden connector road -- with two lanes in each direction -- was not designed with high-draw NASCAR events in mind. Work on the connector road is expected to begin in 2005 and be completed in 2008, officials announced earlier this month. Although a NASCAR spokesman last week said the auto-racing company is not a party to the plan and has offered no commitment to hold an event at the proposed facility, Salkind said he still thinks he'll get NASCAR to come around because of Linden's proximity to New York City and the availability of mass transit. Salkind insisted no state or federal funds would be used to construct his project.(Home News Tribune)(5-24-2003)
NJ Studies Auto Racing: Maybe too late, the state has decided to take the initiative in possibly bringing a motorsports facility to New Jersey. At one time it was believed that if Gov. Christie Whitman would have reached out to motorspeedway developer O. Bruton Smith, there might be a Sports Entertainment District in Cumberland County right now. But that didn't happen and all attempts up and down the state to bring in even a smaller version of racing have failed. Now Assemblyman Jeff Van Drew, D-1st Dist., is getting involved by proposing an 11-member Assembly Task Force on Motorsports. The resolution is co-sponsored by Assemblyman Wilfredo Caraballo of the 29th District. According to Van Drew, the resolution calls for a broad overview and study of motorsports and how they would affect the economy and tourism of the state, as well as the practical application on infrastructure and local government concerns. Most motorsport diehards believe there is room in the state for both a NASCAR-type facility as well as a smaller venue for racing. The resolution does not differentiate between the two and does not target a specific area. It stresses that, "Motorsports are a fast-growing spectator sport with a nationwide annual attendance of more than 10 million, and New Jersey has a long history of motorsports-type activity and a limited number and type of motorsports as well as a limited number of locations for motorsports activities." The proposed task force would consist of 11 members appointed by the Speaker of the General Assembly, six members appointed from the Assembly (no more than three from either political party) and five members from the public who have an interest or expertise in motor sports. Donald Fauerbach, executive director of the New Jersey Conference of Mayors, said that the measure was a long time coming. Currently, there are no proposals for such a facility in Cumberland County, since the Manhattan-based Five Partners Asset Management LLC, headed by Joseph Cayre withdrew its bid. Fauerbach's reference to 1997 -- Jan. 28, 1997 to be exact -- was the first time NASCAR racetrack developer Smith -- who built Texas Speedway -- came to South Jersey. The quest -- the first in this area -- was in Galloway at that time. For there, it moved to the Hamilton Mall area and eventually to Cumberland County. At the same time, the Meadowlands became the new hot spot for a major racing facility, seemingly knocking Cumberland County out of the box. A study was commissioned, but the plan never found favor with the horsemen and those who wanted more shopping development. The latest proposal was in Linden a few weeks ago.(Bridgeton News)(5-23-2003)
More on NYC/NJ Track: If Mort Salkind, a former mayor of Marlboro, has his way, the Union County city of Linden will have an automobile racing facility in operation by April 2007 in an elaborate brand-new center. It is Salkind’s hope to attract a major NASCAR race to the metropolitan area. The concept for Salkind’s proposal for the racetrack — to be constructed by Liberty Speedway Inc. and initially have a 100,000-seat grandstand — was approved by the Linden Planning Board on May 13. "I am very happy that we got that approval from Linden’s Planning Board," said Salkind, 71, who now resides in Rocka-way, Morris County. "It’s a major step forward, but there is much more to be done." There are still approvals at both the municipal and state levels that must be obtained, he said. Salkind, who deals in real estate and is a builder and developer, outlined a schedule that is ambitious, but practical for the construction of the auto racing stadium and related facilities. The project would also include a 20-story hotel and conference center, and a 400,000-square-foot entertainment center, Salkind said. He said the raceway grandstand would have the potential to be increased to 140,000 seats. Salkind originally submitted a similar plan last fall for the Meadowlands complex in East Rutherford, but that has been rejected, he said, and the developer, who was the mayor of Marlboro in the early 1970s, said he believes Linden will be an even better location for the proposed raceway. New York City, which would provide a large market for the speedway, is less than a 30-minute drive from Linden, a city with a population of approximately 40,000 people, according to Linden Mayor John T. Gregorio. The two nearest facilities where major NASCAR races are presently held are in Long Pond, Pa., and Dover, Del. [and Watkins Glen] "One of our goals will be to secure NASCAR Winston Cup Series dates," Salkind said. "We will have a 1-mile track and this raceway will be the best in the state. We think this would be the perfect location to hold NASCAR races. This facility will be the garden spot of the Garden State. This project will be my last hurrah."(News Transcript)(5-21-2003)
More on the North Jersey/New York City area racetrack: Developer Morton Salkind's plan for a $401 million racetrack in the Tremley Point [Linden, NJ] section, suitable for NASCAR events and a theme park, is a step closer to reality. The Planning Board last night endorsed a conceptual plan for a proposed 1-mile racetrack on the 143-acre ISP Corp. property between the New Jersey Turnpike and Arthur Kill. Salkind's Liberty Speedway Inc. project calls for a track with 100,000 seats, expandable to 140,000 seats; a 20-story hotel and conference center; a 400,000-square-foot family-entertainment center; six-level parking garage for 5,000 vehicles; restaurants; and sports-car dealerships. Salkind said he expects to return June 10 to the Planning Board for a public hearing and a resolution to the City Council, recommending the city's redevelopment plan be revised to include a racetrack and additional properties adjacent to the ISP site. "We want this to be the garden spot of the Garden State," Salkind said of his project in industrial Tremley Point. Salkind, a former state lawmaker and ex-Marlboro mayor, said he hopes to have construction begin in April 2004 and the first race held in 2007. His presentation to the board last night lasted about an hour. NASCAR officials could not be reached for comment yesterday. Race-car driver Mario Andretti has said he's not affiliated with the Linden project, although Salkind mentioned him as a celebrity backer. And property owner ISP, based in Wayne, said a racetrack is not part of its plans in Linden. Peter Ganz, ISP senior vice president and deputy general counsel, said the company has not had any discussions with Salkind. "There's no change from our end," Ganz said late yesterday afternoon. Ganz said the company still plans to put a warehouse and distribution center at the Tremley Point property. ISP bought the land from GAF Chemical Corp. in 1991, he said. Under Salkind's project, which he likened to a "21st-century version of Disney World," Linden would get between $10 million and $15 million a year in host-community benefits, money that would be used for tax relief, officials said. NASCAR's Winston Cup series is the nation's largest spectator sport, drawing hundreds of thousands of fans and millions in advertising dollars from sponsors. NASCAR has broken into almost every major market in the United States, except the New York-New Jersey metropolitan area.(Home News Tribune)(5-15-2003)
NASCAR distances itself from Lindon, NJ track project: Developer Morton Salkind says he wants to build a car track in Linden, NJ (North New Jersey, outside of New York City). Salkind says his track could one day host a NASCAR race. Not so fast, says NASCAR. The stock car racing sanctioning body recently sent a letter to Salkind distancing itself from the plan. In April 24 letter, NASCAR President Mike Helton told Salkind, "Although NASCAR cannot and will not advise you on the development of your stated project, you must do so without any expectation or reliance that NASCAR will ever sanction an event at (the) facility if and when it is completed." Helton's letter was in response to comments made by Salkind to The Star-Ledger in which he said NASCAR would "happily" sanction a race in the region. In his strongly worded letter to Salkind, Helton said, "NASCAR has absolutely no affiliation or connection with you or your company and has made no commitment or representation of any kind to hold a NASCAR sanctioned event at your facility if built." Salkind's proposal for Liberty Speedway on Tremley Point in Linden calls for a 0.92-mile racetrack with 100,000-seat grandstand, expandable to 140,000 seats. The plan also calls for a 400,000-square-foot entertainment center and a 20-story hotel and conference center. Salkind would build the Liberty Speedway on a 140-acre site that once housed GAF, a chemical company. He said the $401 million project would be built with private funds. Despite NASCAR's distancing itself from the Linden proposal, the association in the past has said it would like to sanction races in the New Jersey-New York area, the No.1 media market. "A track in the New York area would be absolutely huge for us," said Rob Copland, a NASCAR spokesman based in the sport's Midtown Manhattan office. ISC is a publicly traded company, but the France family, which owns NASCAR, controls nearly 70 percent of ISC's common stock. ISC owns 12 racetracks scattered across the country, from Daytona International Speedway in Florida to the California Speedway east of Los Angeles, along with a 37.5 percent share of Chicagoland Speedway. "Our enthusiasm for being at the Meadowlands has not dimmed," said John Graham, ISC vice president of business affairs. "But recognizing that we have been looking and talking (for) a long time, we do believe it's in our interest, and the interest of the sport, that we are beginning to explore other sites in New York and New Jersey."(Newark Star Ledger)(5-11-2003)
New York NASCAR's #1 Priority: Over the weekend, Brian France, NASCAR senior vice president and a member of the organization's board of directors, told a group of newspaper sports editors gathered in New York that he would love to see races in the New York and Portland/Seattle areas. France called staging a Winston Cup race near New York City a "No. 1 priority."(Kansas City Star)(5-3-2003)
NASCAR Site Eyed in New Jersey: With a proposal for NASCAR racing at the Meadowlands making little headway, a developer is pushing to build a race track in Linden, in an industrial section off the New Jersey Turnpike. Liberty Speedway at Linden would include a 100,000-seat grandstand -- expandable to 140,000 seats -- a .92-mile speedway in accordance with NASCAR regulations, a 400,000-square-foot entertainment center and a 20-story hotel and conference center, said developer Morton Salkind, who has included a number of celebrities and politically connected people on the project. Among them are actor and race car driver Paul Newman, race car driver Mario Andretti and political operative James Carville. If built -- significant hurdles remain -- the track would be the only NASCAR facility in the North Jersey-New York metropolitan area, a lucrative market for a sport that is second only to football in television viewership. If the proposal sounds familiar to racing fans, it is. Salkind, a former state assemblyman, submitted a similar plan last fall for the Meadowlands complex in East Rutherford. While that proposal is technically still on the table, Salkind said the Linden site has more advantages. Salkind's case was not helped by the fact that the Meadowlands Commission was more interested in a proposal submitted by International Speedway Corp. But the ISC plan appears to be stumbling because it required hundreds of millions of dollars in state funding. Local concerns over noise from the track didn't help matters, either. Salkind's race track, hotel and virtual reality entertainment center would be built on a 140-acre site off the Arthur Kill, on the old GAF property in the Tremley Point section of Linden. He recently took his $401 million proposal to the Linden City Council, members of which have wanted to see the aging industrial area redeveloped for years. The project would be privately funded and not require any subsidy from the city. In addition to reaching an agreement on the purchase price for the Tremley Point property, there is a problem with NASCAR itself. "All of our dates are taken," spokesman James Hunter said. "We just could not put any races down on that track." But Salkind said he was sure an arrangement could be reached with NASCAR. "They'll make open dates for the New York metropolitan market," he said. "They have reserve dates for themselves, which they can share. They'll give us the dates happily." The closest NASCAR tracks to New Jersey are Watkins Glen, Pocono Raceway and Dover International Speedway. If this track becomes a reality, racing will have come full circle in New Jersey. In 1954, one of the earliest Grand National races was held on the grounds of Linden Airport, which had a two-mile road course.(Newark Star Ledger)(4-22-2003)
NASCAR in NJ....not Cup but a sanction: NASCAR officials will join Wall Township Speedway personnel in Tinton Falls this afternoon, reportedly to announce a widely rumored partnership. Though NASCAR and Wall officials are remaining tight-lipped until the 2:30 press conference at the Tinton Falls Holiday Inn, several of Wall's regular drivers and countless Internet rumormongers are anticipating the announcement of a NASCAR sanction for the third-of-a-mile asphalt track. "I keep hearing that we're going NASCAR," said small-block modified racer Tommy Farrell of Neptune, echoing the sentiments of several other drivers contacted by The Star-Ledger Monday night and yesterday. The guest list for today's event seems tailor made for such a pronouncement. Among the invited are Chris Boals, the director of NASCAR's regional touring and Weekly Series programs, and John Blewett III of Howell Township, a top driver on NASCAR's Featherlite Modified regional touring series. Wall general partner Tim Shinn also will be present. For the record, both the track and NASCAR are saying only that a "major announcement about the 2003 season" will be made. If Wall is granted a sanction, it will likely become part of NASCAR's Dodge Weekly Series, a coalition of nearly 80 short-tracks (most half-of-a-mile or smaller) split into eight regions nationwide. Drivers at NASCAR-sanctioned short-tracks are eligible for regional and national titles and part of a $1.7 million points fund. Last year's NASCAR national Weekly Series champion, Peter Daniels of Lebanon, N.H., won more than $165,000 in prize money. The series has other benefits: the use of the NASCAR name, the hottest name in motor sports today; an excellent insurance policy for racetracks and competitors; and the possible opportunity to host regional touring series events like NASCAR's Modified Series. "It looks like there are a lot of advantages to it," said six-time track champion Dave Michel. "It will be interesting to hear what's announced and learn more." If a NASCAR sanction is announced today, it will be the first time the NASCAR banner has flown at a New Jersey speedway since Flemington Speedway closed at the end of the 2000 season.(Star-Ledger)(3-19-2003)
New Jersey official not optimistic about NASCAR at Meadowlands: George Zoffinger, chief executive of New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority, which owns the Meadowlands in East Rutherford, New Jersey, said on Thursday that International Speedway Corp.’s proposal to build a stock-car racetrack around the existing horse racing track is unlikely to work. "Actually, I’d like to interest them in maybe some other sites other than around the racetrack," Zoffinger told the Orlando Sentinel. "We’re going to help them any way we can." The decision on whether to build a NASCAR track ultimately lies with the authority board, but Zoffinger plans to recommend against such a move. Building the track would require the Meadowlands to halt Standardbred racing, which would add to the costs. "You’ve got to factor in the impact on our main business," said Zoffinger, alluding to the Meadowlands’ premiere Standardbred race meeting. Sportsman’s Park in Cicero, Illinois, tried racing both automobiles and Thoroughbreds, but that experiment failed, and the National Jockey Club now runs its races at nearby Hawthorne Race Course while plans are formed for development of the Sportsman’s property.(Thoroughbred Times)(3-15-2003)
ISC not giving up on NYC area track: Though its proposal for a racetrack near New York City has been rejected, International Speedway Corp. is continuing its courtship with the nation's No. 1 media market. Brushing off suggestions to build elsewhere in the Northeast, Daytona Beach-based ISC says it still wants to have a racetrack in New Jersey's Meadowlands Sports Complex. Last week, ISC's proposal to build a racetrack didn't make a list of finalists to develop the part of the Meadowlands now occupied by the Continental Airlines Arena, which is due for demolition. "When you looked at all the proposals, NASCAR seemed to have the most detractors," said Dan Emmer, spokesman for the New Jersey Sports & Exposition Authority, which operates the Meadowlands. Now, ISC has turned back to a 2-year-old proposal that skeptics say is also doomed. The company envisions stock-car races on a Meadowlands site where horse races are held. Landowners in other spots have contacted ISC this week, but the company plans to continue negotiating with the Meadowlands. It envisions an arrangement similar to that of Dover International Speedway in Delaware, where cars zoom by on a separate track around the one where horses race.(Orlando Sentinel)(12-2-2002)
Two NY/NJ Racetrack proposals not chosen: The competition to redevelop the 104-acre Continental Arena site was narrowed to three bidders Thursday, with projects by Mills Corp., Hartz Mountain Industries, and the Westfield Group advancing to the final stage. The New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority eliminated three other proposals: a pair of motorsports projects by Liberty International Speedway and International Speedway Corp.; and a massive residential plan by Triple Five LLC. International Speedway Corp. backers said they will continue with a two-year-old study to build a potential NASCAR site around the Meadowlands Racetrack, while Liberty head Morton Salkind said he would look west of Bergen County as a future home for his speedway. Salkind said he already has received feelers from communities seeking to be home to his track. Final offers are due by Dec. 30, and Goldberg said a mass-transportation plan and environmental impact will become a major focus when a winner is picked in January.(northjersey.com)
AND The New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority announced Thursday that ISC's proposed track is not one of three finalists for a redevelopment project for the soon-to-be demolished Continental Airlines Arena site. ISC will now focus on convincing the authority to allow it to build a track encircling the horse racetrack in the New York City suburb. It appears that proposal -- a $400 million project -- faces significant opposition. In a meeting of elected officials and authority members last week, there was little enthusiasm for the motorsports track with concerns over traffic and noise dominating discussion. Authority president George Zoffinger said his group is open to discussions on the proposal encircling the horse track. He couldn't predict whether ISC will be successful in convincing politicians and the public it can handle the perceived noise and traffic problems. An agreement allows only ISC to negotiate a motorsports track at the Meadowlands until August 2003.(Daytona Beach News Journal)(11-22-2002)
New York City/North Jersey Area Track Project dead? Half of the six proposals for redevelopment for the Continental Arena property in East Rutherford were dealt seemingly fatal political setbacks Wednesday, including twin bids to bring NASCAR racing to the sports complex and a massive housing plan. At the same time, one of the remaining three bidders - Xanadu, the ambitious, $1.2 billion joint proposal of the Mills Corp. and Mack-Cali - picked up an unconditional endorsement from outgoing Republican County Executive William "Pat" Schuber along with a tentative endorsement from his replacement, Democrat Dennis McNerney. At the same time, Assembly Minority Leader Paul DiGaetano, R-Nutley, an influential member of a nine-member advisory committee reviewing the redevelopment plans, expressed doubts about the central feature of each of the remaining competitors - the convention center in Hartz Mountain Industries' $825 million proposal and the office complex in the $989 million plan being pitched by the Westfield Group. The busy day of Meadowlands redevelopment news kicked off at Giants Stadium with a meeting of dozens of local politicians and key members of the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority, which manages the site. That session was immediately followed by a 90-minute private session of the advisory committee, which includes representatives of local business, environmental, labor, and mass-transit groups. At one point, the elected officials were asked if they were for or against a NASCAR proposal for the Meadowlands such as ones proposed by Daytona Beach, Fla.-based International Speedway Corp. (ICS) and by Liberty Speedway. One of those present said not a single hand went up in favor. Another person thought one hand might have signified approval. Dozens of hands went up against the idea. "The NASCAR issue, to me, is dead," said Assemblyman Paul Sarlo, D-Wood-Ridge. "People here just never warmed up to the idea, no matter how hard anybody tried to change their minds."
"I think it's done," Assemblywoman Rose Marie Heck R-Hasbrouck Heights said of the NASCAR proposals. NJSEA President George Zoffinger and Carl Goldberg, a member of the NJSEA board, said they will not announce which of the six plans are finalists until Nov. 22; the NJSEA board is expected to vote on an ultimate winner in January. Both confirmed that there was significant opposition to NASCAR racing expressed by local mayors, who are concerned about traffic and noise levels on the several weekends per year in which races would be held. DiGaetano said he also has had longstanding doubts about having a NASCAR track in such a congested area of north Jersey. Such talk frustrates Morton Salkind, who heads the Liberty Speedway proposal. "We're still the only proposal that meets all the environmental concerns, so we shouldn't just be thrown to the wind in favor of a shopping center," said Salkind. "But I know this issue [of Meadowlands auto racing] has been a political thorn long before I got into the act." David Talley, a spokesman for ISC, said his organization will "wait and see what the final outcome is" on Nov. 22. "We've put a lot of energy into the Meadowlands, so it's not something we'll just throw away," said Talley.(Bergen Record)(11-14-2002)
AND A proposal to bring NASCAR racing to the Meadowlands appears to have hit the wall due to opposition from local officials who fear noise and traffic problems from an auto race track. While a final decision won't be made until next week, several participants in a meeting Wednesday of dozens of local officials and members of the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority said the idea got a resounding thumbs down in an informal poll.(Newsday/AP)(11-15-2002)
New Jersey Track Proposals: Companies competing to redevelop the Meadowlands arena site pitched updated plans ranging from a convention center to a noiseless NASCAR track Tuesday. Officials said they hoped to begin construction next year. The developers had already submitted written proposals to redevelop the highly prized Meadowlands site in East Rutherford, about 10 miles west of Manhattan. But some updated their plans for Tuesday's presentations after the New Jersey Sports and Exposition, which controls the site, reiterated its specification that proposals keep to within the 104-acres encompassing the Continental Airlines Arena and its parking lots. By Nov. 26 the field will be narrowed to three or four finalists. They will be asked to submit more detailed proposals dealing with traffic, engineering and other issues in a final offer due Dec. 30.
Of the seven proposals, the two include a race track:
--Liberty Speedway, by a team including Morton Salkind and the actor Paul Newman, for a NASCAR track, with wetlands in the infield and a "virtual" racing theme park. Salkind touted a sound wave technology that would mute the sounds of his race track, which he called, "Bristol North," referring to the Bristol Motor Speedway in Tennessee.
--Sports City America, by International Speedway Corp., for a speedway with 80,000-seat grandstand, a hotel, convention center and theme park, with a light rail stop.(NJ.com/AP)(10-23-2002)
North Jersey Track Proposed: International Speedway Corp.[ISC] revealed a $1.5 billion plan Thursday to build an 80,000-seat racetrack, plus offices, museums and a convention complex in New Jersey's Meadowlands complex. The plan, which would be Speedway Corp.'s most expensive venture ever, would begin with construction of an oval-shaped track, a store, a hospitality village, a cafe, two parking garages and a museum similar to Daytona USA, a corporate spokesman said. Those structures, costing roughly $500 million, would be built east of the existing horse track and football stadium, where the New York Giants and Jets play, in the 700-acre East Rutherford, NJ, complex. A light rail line would help bring in fans who preferred not to fight traffic on the New Jersey Turnpike. In later years, the Speedway project would add more grandstands to the track, plus a 500-room hotel and convention center, an office tower, a movie theater, a cluster of restaurants and additional museums devoted to horse racing and the National Football League. The future phases would pump up the project's total cost to $1.5 billion. Speedway Corp., which has been trying to build a track in the New York area since 1999, calls its newest property Garden State International Speedway. The overall development would be dubbed Sports City America. However, the company's dream of entering the lucrative New York area market depends on getting a green flag from the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority. Four other developers have submitted big-ticket proposals, ranging in cost from $41 million to $1.2 billion, for redeveloping the same piece of land. The sports authority is scheduled to pick finalists in October and settle on its favorite plan by the end of December. Speedway Corp. spokesman David Talley said the company has not formed any partnerships with other companies and is prepared to carry out the Meadowlands project by itself. Developer Donald Trump is continuing on the project as a consultant, Talley said. Construction likely wouldn't begin until 2005, the year when Continental Arena, an existing structure on the site, is scheduled to be demolished. Sports teams using the arena are making plans to move into a new facility in Newark.(Daytona Beach News Journal)(9-20-2002)
ISC to submit NJ track Plan: International Speedway Corp.(ISC) was expected to be one of four businesses to submit plans today for redeveloping the Continental Arena site in New Jersey's Meadowlands Sports Complex, according to the Bergen (N.J.) Record. The paper says ISC is expected to be joined in its bid by real-estate developer Donald Trump but adds that any plan for a track that could host NASCAR events would likely face concerns about traffic and noise. The paper says some of the four bidders will advance to a second round for oral presentations on Oct. 10 and 11. A recommendation is expected by December.(Winston Cup Scene Daily Newsletter)(9-17-2002)
Trump talking racetrack in New Jersey: Donald Trump and International Speedway Corp., NASCAR's development arm, want to build the country's biggest interactive racing park along with a proposed speedway at the Meadowlands Sports Complex. Trump, who has been working with NASCAR to bring a major racing facility to the New York Metropolitan Area, said the interactive racing park would be NASCAR's version of Disneyland and could become one of the top destinations for fans of a sport that has exploded in popularity during the past decade. Trump said he is working on the proposal with International Speedway Corp., NASCAR's development arm, and will submit it next month to the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority, the state agency that operates the Meadowlands. A top official in the McGreevey Administration confirmed that executives of ISC have held several meetings with members of the Governor's staff to discuss a plan for the 104-acre Continental Arena site. The Sports Authority has set a deadline of Sept. 17 for developers to submit their plans for redeveloping the land where the arena now stands. The Meadowlands speedway would be a blow to NASCAR boosters in South Jersey who want to bring a major speedway to their region. "There is a massive majority that wants this project in the Atlantic County area to help tourism in New Jersey," said Don Fauerbach, executive director of the New Jersey Conference of Mayors. The Meadowlands plan also has received a mixed reception in southern Bergen County, where residents have visions of race-related traffic jams in an area already clogged with traffic.(Star Ledger)(8-27-2002)
NYC Update - Meadowland Complex News: Bergen County residents will have a chance to sound off on the future of the Meadowlands Sports Complex. Assemblywoman Rose Marie Heck, R-Hasbrouck Heights, will lead a public hearing on the subject today in the freeholders' chambers at One Bergen County Plaza in Hackensack. The hearing begins at 7 p.m.(NorthJersey.com), part of the plans include a motorsports complex, but not listed in this story.(8-13-2002)
UPDATE: An eclectic mix of Meadowlands residents, elected officials, lobbyists, and union and environmental activists showed up at a hearing Tuesday in Hackensack on the future of the Meadowlands Sports Complex.(NorthJersey.com), once again, no mention about the motorsports complex at all.(8-14-2020)
ISC Still looking at NYC/NJ area: "Right now ISC is totally focused in terms of external development on the New York area," spokesman David Talley said from Daytona Beach. "We've been doing a feasibility study at the Meadowlands the last couple of years."(Denver Post)(8-7-2002)
ISC still looking at New York City area AND: International Speedway Corp. remains "very focused on New York," an official said during a conference call with investors this week. H. Lee Combs, senior vice president of corporate development for ISC, said officials still hope to build a track near New York City. ISC has ownership of 12 racetracks that host races for the NASCAR Winston Cup circuit. Both ISC and NASCAR are controlled by the France family. "It would be an important place for the company to conduct business," Combs said of New York. "We've always known it was going to take some time, since what we are trying to accomplish there is trying to be within sight of the skyline of the city. That is a difficult row to hoe in any metropolitan area, and New York in my mind would be the toughest in the country to pull off."(Catchfence/Virginian Pilot Print Edition)(7-12-2002)
AND see a story in the Asbury Park Press: Sports-arena hearings start , talks more about sports arena's but mentions NASCAR os looking at an area in the Meadowlands.(7-13-2002)
New York Billionaire Looks to NASCAR Development: Adam Hochfelder has a passion you don't usually find in the sole owner of a Manhattan commercial real estate empire valued at $2.5 billion: stock-car racing. And now that he's taken full control of Max Capital Management Corp., he plans to steer it into some unlikely new directions. Like maybe, one day, possibly, someplace, a NASCAR track. "We've been looking at development sites to build a retail and entertainment site that could include a facility for NASCAR," he told the New York Post. Not in the five boroughs, or even necessarily close: For the first time, Max Capital is thinking on a national scale. As CEO, Hochfelder doesn't take his cues from Jeff Gordon or the sport's other daredevils. From his 17th-floor office at 230 Park Ave. that was once Harry Helmsley's, he presides with proper reserve over 300 employees and a portfolio of 7.1 million square feet of Manhattan office space backed by Max Capital's institutional investors, RMB Realty (owned by the Bass family of Texas), CS First Boston and J.P. Morgan Chase. Hochfelder plans to "expand the Max Capital brand and platform" to other cities. But NASCAR? How did a New York-type guy raised in Old Westbury, L.I., get into a mid-American thing like stock-car racing? "Five or six years ago, I was dragged down to a race by a friend who had all-access passes in the pit," Hochfelder said with a smile. "It's easy to get hooked. I fly down to three or four races a year and I hang out with NASCAR teams."(MotorsportsTV.com)(6-19-2002)
New York/North Jersey Track dead? That Meadowlands deal for a super-speedway appears to be dead. Voters turned out to defeat the proposed and complicated deal to build a track on the south side of the George Washington Bridge. It has International Speedway Corp.(ISC) and real estate developer Donald Trump behind it.(NE Racing/TV Times)(12-3-2001)
Long Island Track? A Riverhead advisory board has given the green light to a motor sports proposal on the former Grumman site in Calverton (NY on Long Island), but local residents aren't cheering. The Riverhead Development Corp., which screens proposals to redevelop the site, recommended the plan by a 5-2 vote. But it's not in the winner's circle yet; now the proposal goes before the town board for approval, and at least two members have indicated they'll have some questions for the group. The proposal, whose backers do business under the name Calverton Motorsports Park, would cover 200 to 250 acres on the site where Grumman once tested fighter planes, but it's still unclear exactly where the racetracks would be located. Two other motor sports proposals have been introduced in recent years, but only this one has had the financial credentials to move forward. The plans include a quarter-mile drag strip and a five-eighths mile oval track in addition to a 2.5-mile racing track and a 2,000-foot course for go-karts. The drag strip would seat about 15,000 spectators, and the oval would accommodate about 7,500, according to Sheryl Heather, a spokeswoman for the group(Newsday)(7-27-2001)
NYC/NJ Track: Should Bergen County taxpayers have to pay for improvements to county roads or extra police officers in order to accommodate a plan to build a shopping and entertainment village and possibly a NASCAR speedway at the Meadowlands Sports Complex? But the question is already drawing fire from other county and local leaders who say it would solicit a knee-jerk reaction from voters and serve no credible purpose. Should Bergen County taxpayers have to pay in order to accommodate a plan to rebuild the Meadowlands Sports Complex? That's what some Bergen freeholders want to ask county voters on the Nov. 6 ballot. It's their attempt to gauge public sentiment about acting Gov. Donald T. DiFrancesco's proposal for the future of the Meadowlands after the Nets and Devils abandon Continental Arena for a new arena being planned in downtown Newark. DiFrancesco wants to demolish the 20-year-old Continental Arena by 2004.(The Record)(7-27-2001)
NJ Bill Shot Down: A bill that would create sports and entertainment districts to help pay for YankeeNets LLC's proposed arena in downtown Newark and the redevelopment of the Meadowlands Sports Complex failed to pass on the next-to-last day of the Legislature's session. The bill was approved by the Senate 27-10, but wasn't heard in the Assembly, which may meet in a special session before the Nov. 6 election to consider it. The $355 million arena would be home to hockey's Devils and basketball's Nets. Acting Governor Donald DiFrancesco proposed a new stadium to replace the 25-year-old Giants Stadium, a Nascar track, and stores and entertainment outlets as part of a 10-year plan for the Meadowlands Sports Complex in East Rutherford.(Bloomberg)(6-29-2001)
NYC/North Jersey Track: a story about sports venues in North New Jersey mentions the proposed 'NASCAR' race track: 'Show me the money,' says Schuber at the Bergen Record, includes a graphic of the Meadowland Complex, including the track(6-24-2001)
NY City Track Update: story at Newsday with an image: NASCAR on Fast Track to New York. The New York-based newspaper Newsday reports that International Speedway Corp. continues to study the possibility of building a speedway in the Meadowlands. Research for the project has been extended to July 1. The newspaper reports that, based on construction of new tracks near Chicago and Kansas City, a Meadowlands speedway would cost upward of $200 million, seat at least 75,000 fans and take up about 400 acres(5-15-2001)
Meadwolands News UPDATE: The New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority is willing to move horse racing from the Meadowlands to Monmouth Park to allow a NASCAR track to be built at the complex. But James DiEleuterio, the authority's chief executive, reiterated Thursday that the state would not subsidize construction of the $400 million track with taxpayer money, although low-interest loans have not been ruled out. International Speedway Corp., the company of NASCAR's France family, which owns or has an interest in several major racing venues, has been studying the viability of building a stock-car racing facility around the existing track at the complex. If plans for the NASCAR track are approved, the horse race dates would be moved to Monmouth Park for a year, while the motor sports facility is built.(That's Racin'/AP)(4-6-2001)
UPDATE: The New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority denied it would consider temporarily moving horse races from the Meadowlands Racetrack to build a NASCAR speedway at the complex. “While discussions are ongoing with the International Speedway Corporation, the Sports Authority has no plans to alter its racing schedule or relocate live racing to Monmouth Park,” the agency said in a statement Friday. The statement, attributed to the agency's chief spokesman, John Samerjan, said a “recent press report” on the topic was “inaccurate.”(Orlando Sentinel/AP)(4-7-2001)
ISC NYC: The sport's two largest and most influential entities - International Speedway Corp(ISC) and Bruton Smith's Speedway Motorsports Inc(SMI). - have been investigating the possibility of building a track at the Meadowlands Sports Complex, to go along with Giants Stadium, Continental Airlines Arena and a horse racing track. And despite a recent report that New Jersey officials decided not to support a $400million proposal to build the facility, ISC says it will still pursue the track. SMI, however, will not. Nor will it go after a potential spot in the southern part of New Jersey, near Atlantic City(That's Racin')(11-1-2000)
Meadowlands Extended? A Superspeedweay at the Meadwolands(NJ) may not be dead. Just a week or so ago International Speedway Corporation officials, operators of 10 speedways around the nation including Daytona International Speedway, were saying that plans for an ISC owned track at the sports complex in North Jersey were dead. Now, according to the Sports Business Journal, ISC has been given an additional six months to study the concept of an auto racing facility at the Meadowlands. The State of New Jersey does not seem willing to give the tax breaks and financial support needed to make it happen. Will that change?(RaceComm) and According to an ISC release, the New Jersey extension "was approved at a public meeting of the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority (NJSEA) board. It becomes effective after the standard 15-day period for the governor to review the minutes of the meeting."(SpeedVision)(10-26-2000)
North Jersey Track Dead? UPDATEs: The proposal to build an automobile racetrack at the Meadowlands Sports Complex is all but dead, state officials and race industry leaders said. The deal-breaker for a proposed NASCAR speedway at the Meadowlands came last month when New Jersey officials refused to subsidize the $400 million track with taxpayer money and low-interest loans. Gov. Christie Whitman's spokesman, Peter McDonough, confirmed that the major sticking point to a 100,000-seat venue at the East Rutherford complex was the state's refusal to subsidize construction. The speedway also was seen as a potential savior for the sports complex, which could lose four of its five major tenants during the next decade(Newark Star Ledger)(10-11-2000)
UPDATE: Amid talk that plans for NASCAR racing at the Meadowlands Sports Complex are all but over, a spokesman for the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority said Wednesday that they are still alive. John Samerjan said International Speedway Corp., a major racetrack builder, is holding talks with the Sports and Exposition Authority on developing a Meadowlands NASCAR site. He said the firm initiated the discussions early this year and, as far as he knows, is continuing to study the idea. For months, NASCAR officials expressed keen interest in bringing the nation's fastest-growing sport to the potentially lucrative New York-New Jersey market. See full story at the Bergen Record: NASCAR driving hard bargain in N.J.. PLUS a full story on the situation at RaceComm: The Fat Lady (Not the Governor) May Have Sung by Ernie Saxton(10-12-2000)
Denver and NY/NJ still on track: International Speedway Corporation still is considering adding race tracks in New York and Denver. President Jim France said the company has been concentrating on getting the new Kansas City and Chicago tracks completed. He said that ISC has spent about a year working on the Meadowlands to see if it was feasible to relocate there(Times Dispatch)(9-9-2000)
NYC/Meadowlands Update: H. Lee Combs, senior vp for corporate development at ISC, said they are in the ``due diligence'' phase with owners of The Meadowlands sports complex in New Jersey to look at the viability of constructing a racing facility just across the Hudson River from New York. ISC and The Meadowlands will take the rest of the year to sort out the proposal that would see a 1.25-mile oval built with seating for 80,000 fans(Autoweek)(6-30-2000)
NYC: The proposed super-speedway in or near New York City could be built around the horsetrack at the Meadowlands Racecourse, according to published reports. That's nothing new with Dover International in Delaware doing this back in the late 60's. Then Chip Ganassi did the same at Sportsman's Park in Cicero, Ill. Also, Pikes Peak International Raceway in Fountain, Colo. is a former horse track that was once known as Continental One. Expect to see more horse tracks being converted over to the racecars because most of the infrastructure is in place(TV Times)(5-2-2000)
NJ/NYC News: Bill France Jr. desperately wants a major speedway built within sight of Manhattan, and he's had Donald Trump checking out real estate for the past year. France has had officials working hard on the prospect of putting a track in at New Jersey's Meadowlands while Speedway Motorsports Bruton Smith has been looking at property at nearby Atlantic City, NJ(Millville). Humpy Wheeler, who heads Smith's Speedway Motorsports Inc., said that he and Smith have rejected the Meadowlands(two years ago), considering it unsuitable for a major Winston Cup event(PitNow)(3-5-2000)
NJ/NYC Track News: In a wide-ranging discussion yesterday(2-29) with the Asbury Park Press editorial board, sports authority officials confirmed they are currently talking with International Speedway Corp., which owns Daytona International Speedway(and many more), about building the first top-flight auto racetrack in the New York metropolitan area. While no formal deal for a NASCAR track has been reached, authority officials made it clear they are interested in exploring auto racing -- especially, they said, after seeing market and demographic information that the sport has enough of a fan base in this area to easily support a facility. They also made it clear that if a NASCAR track were to be built in South Jersey, a move being explored by Speedway Motorsports Inc., it wouldn't be a sports authority project(Asbury Park Press - home of the Boss)(3-2-2000)
NJ News: from the Bridgeton (NJ) New in part: While Cumberland County(South Jersey) officials are practically begging racetrack developers to build here, those from Bergen County(North Jersey near NYC) are less than thrilled at the prospect of getting a motorsport-type facility. The two counties are being considered by track developers who want to bring the popular sport to New Jersey and the metropolitan region. In Bergen County, track developers are conducting a feasibility study to determine how compatible the Meadowlands complex would be for a track. The Cumberland County Improvement Authority is moving forward with its own study, looking at several sites in the county. Local residents and leaders in Cumberland County have overwhelming backed the push, but representatives from North Jersey are more than skeptical. In fact, many don't need a study to tell them what they already know: They've put up with enough already. Fols in Bergen County do not feel the are can hanlde it(the traffic, etc). A racetrack would bring even bigger traffic problems to an already congested area, plus there are noise and pollution concerns as well. Municipal leaders there recently caught word of International Speedway Corporation of Daytona Beach's study, although many of them don't know the details. It is figured it is because the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority doesn't want "bad publicity" before the study is complete(Bridgeton News)(2-21-2000)
NJ Track Story: 2 Sites vie for NYC-area NASCAR by David Scott of the Charlotte Observer(2-10-2000)
NJ Battle: Battling to get into New Jersey? That's the scenario for Bruton Smith's Speedway Motorsports, jostling NASCAR rivals International Speedway(ISC) and the France family for access to the much-desired New York area. France & Co. previously announced a partnership with the N.J. Sports & Exposition Authority to explore track possibilities there, but now SMI is back in the hunt. One report speculates that Smith wants to make a run for the Meadowlands complex in East Rutherford, including Giants Stadium and the New Jersey Nets' home arena. SMI president Humpy Wheeler says that's unlikely, but allows that "we're still searching. It really comes down to who finds a site first. That's 50% of the problem. It's a race."(Business Journal of Charlotte)(2-7-2000)
Bruton to buy the Meadowlands? TNN's Inside Winston Cup said this AM that Bruton Smith is looking into buying the Meadowlands Sports Complex, including Giants Stadium and building a race track there. ISC is presently doing a feasibility study of building a track at the complex with the State of NJ(1-23-2000)
Meadowlands News: NASCAR has expressed an interest in pumping $250 million into a super speedway at the Meadowlands. The authority last week authorized a prominent track management company to conduct a yearlong feasibility study. See the rest of the story at the Star Ledger - Bergen exec sees 'dominoes falling' around the Meadowlands which deal more with the sports teams wanting to leave the Meadowlands(1-20-2000)
South Jersey Track News: A developer has won approval from the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority to conduct a feasibility study to develop a motorsports facility at the Meadowlands Sports Complex, all but dashing hopes for a site in southern New Jersey. The news Friday enraged Cumberland County Freeholder Louis Magazzu, who has been pursuing the racetrack facility for a site in Millville, NJ. After a site near Atlantic City dropped out of the race for the track last year, the Meadowlands complex in northern New Jersey has been the only viable competitor to the Millville site. Proponents of the Millville site say that wetlands restrictions limit the Meadowlands. If it isn't sited in Millville, they claim, New York will snare the project away from New Jersey(Press of Atlantic City)(1-15-2000)
North NJ Track News: ISC announced it will conduct a feasibility study to investigate developing a facility at the Meadowlands Sports Complex in East Rutherford, N.J. The Meadowlands, located in a densely populated area eight miles west of downtown Manhattan, includes an NFL football stadium, a coliseum for NBA basketball and NHL hockey, and a horse racing complex. ISC appears to consider having a facility in the New York City area as its top priority, potentially providing the corporation with a "presence" in the nation's largest market. The agreement announced Friday was between New York International Speedway Corporation (NYISC), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Daytona Beach, Fla.-based ISC, and the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority, which operates the Meadowlands(SpeedVision)(1-14-2000)
New Jersey Race Track? UPDATE: Stock car racing, the nation's fastest-growing spectator sport, wants to bring its ear-numbing, bleacher-rattling sport to New Jersey and is studying potential sites. The Meadowlands sports complex and a former airport in southern New Jersey are being considered as sites for a new stock car racing track that could seat 200,000 fans. The Star-Ledger of Newark reported Tuesday that NASCAR and at least two companies that build and manage racetracks would spend at least $250 million construct a facility on one of the sites. John Samerjan, sports authority spokesman, confirmed International Speedway(ISC) approached the authority about its East Rutherford complex, which is home to five pro sports teams and a horse-racing track. The report quoted industry officials, politicians and officials from the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority(Yahoo Daily News/AP and the Star Ledger)(12-7-1999) -- UPDATE: See the story at That's Racin' concerning problems with both sites, "Stock car racing wants to come to New Jersey, but whether New Jersey is ready for the high-speed, fast-growing sport is far from certain": Meadowlands site being considered for NASCAR track(12-9-1999)
NYC/Trump: Stay in Winston Cup racing long enough and you rub shoulders with celebrities and big money. Denis McGlynn, president and chief executive officer of Dover Downs International Speedway, combined the two last Sunday.Among the prominent visitors for the MBNA Gold 400 Winston Cup race was none other than Donald Trump. Real estate developer, possible presidential candidate, squire for beautiful women, future NASCAR track owner...that's The Donald. Trump attended the race in Dover to gather information as he continues with plans to build a racetrack in the metropolitan New York City area. "It was just a familiarity [trip]," McGlynn said. "I didn't spend a whole lot of time with him." McGlyn said Trump didn't drop any hints as to whether he is close to finding a site for his racetrack(Philadelphia Daily News/Bill Fleischman)(10-1-1999)
Trump, team owner? Speedwords is hearing that "The Donald" Trump is interested in more than just co-owning a track with NASCAR. Sources in Charlotte say representatives of Trump are quietly investigating opportunities to buy an established team or facility in which to start a new team(Speedwords)(6-18-1999)
Trump passes on land: When the deadline passed Monday afternoon for offers on the 2,900-acre former Grumman property, the New York real estate baron was left outside the barbed-wire-topped gate. Mr. Trump, who only weeks ago submitted a $55 million bid for the property, didn't respond to the town's request for additional information, so his isn't among the 12 offers that the Riverhead Development Corp. (RDC) will consider when it meets next Monday. See the story at The News-Review - Trump-less in Calverton. In his offer, Mr. Trump told town officials he planned to build a huge NASCAR race track plus a golf hotel and industrial park. He later announced a new partnership with owners of several of the county's best-known auto racing tracks, but then hinted against building in Calverton, which he said was too far removed from New York.(thanks Jim)(3-30-1999)
NY/Trump: The proposed New York superspeedway ha

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