Kansas Speedway is in a bidding competition against three other Companies to build and manage a casino in Wyandotte County, Kansas. The Speedway has said that if their bid is accepted then the group will ask NASCAR if they can host a second Sprint Cup race on a planned road course addition. Kansas Entertainment LLC owns the Speedway and if they win the bid, the Company would have a fifteen year contract.

The Speedway President, Jeff Boerger stated: "This just furthers the economic development we can bring to Kansas and adds to our motor sports portfolio by allowing other forms of racing. We can cater to a whole new demographic with car clubs."

The road course addition would be two and one fourth mile long and cater to the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series and also various sports clubs. The cost to build such a course has been estimated from eight to ten million dollars. Boerger has stated that the addition would “provide the best opportunity for Kansas and create wealth for the state”.

The proposed bid from Kansas Entertainment LLC is a $705 million Hard Rock Hotel and Casino. The casino would be located on the Speedway grounds. The other Companies bidding for the contract are: Golden Heartland Inc, Pinnacle Entertainment Inc, and Legends Sun.

Next month, the board will be hearing from Kansas Entertainment about their plans for the casino in presentation form. Boerger pointed out that last year the Speedway earned $111 million just from the Sprint Cup race and adding a new race track would mean millions more in revenue. The group would also like to add a temporary casino until the new one could be built. The temporary casino would house 2,000 slot machines and would be ready for customers in June of next year.



- 2008-08-26