|
In a bid to secure a second Cup Series date, Kansas Entertainment, LLC has partnered with the Kansas Speedway and the Crodish Company to resubmit a bid for the construction of a Hard Rock Casino overlooking Turn 2 at the Kansas Speedway. The proposed casino, hotel, spa, convention center and entertainment/retail district will come at a cost of $700 million. The Hard Rock Casino would be the first stage of planned construction, which has a $390 million price tag.
In addition to the proposed construction, Kansas Entertainment, LLC has agreed to donate one percent of its revenue to the Unified Government of Wyandotte County/Kansas City, Kansas for charitable and civic causes. Two billboards at the track have also been reserved to promote tourism in the state of Kansas, free of cost. With the planned addition of the Hard Rock Casino, International Speedway Corporation (ISC) will go to NASCAR and request a second date on the Sprint Cup Series schedule if the proposed contract is approved. Along with the casino, speedway officials also plan on adding a road course to the infield of the track. With the addition of a road course, ISC will then request a date on the Grand-Am Road Racing schedule. "We are committed to bringing a world-class destination casino to Wyandotte County and Kansas Speedway," Kansas Speedway President Jeff Boerger explained. "With the addition of a Hard Rock Casino and the potential for a second NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Kansas Speedway, our project is uniquely capable of maximizing tourism, tax dollars and national and international media attention for both the state of Kansas and Wyandotte County." "We are tremendously excited to bring this unique entertainment attraction to Kansas and the Kansas Speedway," Joseph Weinberg, a Managing Partner at Cordish, added. "Our firm's development capabilities, combined with ISC's national reach and the power of the Hard Rock brand, will make this a transformative development for the region. As we have demonstrated throughout the country, our firm is uniquely capable of delivering casino destinations in regional markets that exceed all expectations. We demonstrated this in Florida with our two highly successful Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino developments, and again this year in Indiana with the opening of the Indiana Live! casino. In addition, the Cordish Gaming Operations team, led by Partner/CEO Dennis Gomes, is second to none." On the Sprint Cup schedule since 2001, Kansas Speedway is prepared to do what is necessary to take the next step in becoming a top-notch facility on the circuit. With so much revenue brought into the local economy by NASCAR, local and state officials will be weighing the pros and cons and examining the proposal closely. 
|