ISC announced Friday that it has entered into a
development agreement with Donald Trump to develop a
racetrack in the N.Y. area. ISC will retain all future
naming rights to the facility, which will now be called the
Trump Superspeedway (ISC). In Greensboro, Dustin Long wrote
that Trump will "develop the land" and ISC will "operate the
track, which will seat 75,000." The project is "expected to
cost between" $200-$250M, and locations being considered are
in either NY, NJ or CT. ISC Chair & CEO and NASCAR President
Bill France "wouldn't comment on whether or when Trump
Superspeedway would receive a Winston Cup date." Speedway
Motorsports CEO Bruton Smith said that "he's been told that
the track will take a date from an existing track," but
"declined to elaborate" (Greensboro NEWS & RECORD, 3/13).
Smith: "I thought maybe in 15 years I would want to build a
speedway around Manhattan. That way you'd already have eight
million people in the infield." Smith, on the Trump/ISC
partnership: "They'll face numerous environmental and
bureaucratic problems in that part of the world" (ATLANTA
CONSTITUTION, 3/13). Trump says that a location for the
track will be decided upon over the "next five months."
Trump: "The key to this, and Bill will agree, is to be as
close to Fifth Avenue and 57th as possible" (W-S JOURNAL,
3/13). Driver Jeff Gordon: "I don't want to see another race
added. It's not so much for me. It's more for the team.
These guys are just running with their tongues hanging out
right now. The costs are continuing to go up, and that's not
something that's going to help us" (ATL. CONSTITUTION, 3/14).
