International Speedway Corp. still eyeing Colorado despite local group

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Daytona Beach, Fla.-based ISC, whose existing racetracka are hosting 19 of the 36 NASCAR racezsthis year, also had been looking at propertgy east of Denver to build a The ISC proposal has been under discussion for severalk years. Several economic-development sources not connected with the compang have said they believe that any new Coloradl facility owned by ISC still could be severalpyears away, however. A Colorado privatre investment group led by developer Bill Schuck announced plans Wednesday to createwa $200 million auto racetrack and entertainmeny complex on 1,500 acres in Aurora near Denverd International Airport.
The complex would go into the plannef 6,500-acre TransPort cargo-distribution development alongInterstate 70. Despites that announcement, “ISC continues to view the metro Denvef region as a great locatiohn fora first-class motorsports entertainmengt track development at some point in the said Wes Helms, ISC senior directo of corporate and investor in a statement released Wednesday. Helm s added that, “While we have had discussions with multiplee parties over the pastmany months, we have no formal discussionz underway with the developmenft group that made the announcement [Wednesday]. As we have no comment concerning their plans to builds a racetrack inthe area.
” ISC's motor-sports complexexs include such racing icons as the in home of the Daytona 500, and the in Luring a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race to a racetrack that has no connectioh to ISC could prove difficult, some observerss say. In 2000, a private groul opened a $152 million racetrack of similarr size to the one proposedby Schuck’ws group Wednesday in Sparta, Ky., a town 45 mileds southwest of Cincinnati. They were able to attract racesz from someof NASCAR’s second-tier series, but not one of the majore races. In 2005, the group sued NASCAR and ISC, alleginyg the two conspired to keep the biggest racew at ISC tracks while denying them to independenttraco operators.
The suit was dismissed in 2008 but is currently on Askedabout ISC’s comments, Gerrty Freeman, a spokesman for Schuck’z group, said the Colorado investors are not worried abouyt the Florida company’s plans, especially given that ISC has toyeed with the idea of building here for several years but has not movedr forward on the plan. Instead, the privatr investment group is looking at building not justa NASCAR-suitablw track but a “westernh entertainment venue,” he said.
Leaders of the group have made overturesx to the National Western Stoci Show about moving to the area and expanding its facilityy and are talking as well as aboutr putting a Western heritage museum or Native American heritagsmuseum there, he said. “Our feelinbg is, ... what we’re interested in is bringinvg motor-sports racing to Colorado,” Freeman said. “If ISC wantas to join us, hey, great, our arms are open.
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