Saying the possibility of a 100,000-seat NASCAR
racetrack at the Meadowlands "is not dead," NJ Sports &
Exposition (NJSEA) officials on Friday extended a contract
with ISC to "complete a feasibility study" (see THE DAILY,
10/11), according to Shannon Harrington of the Bergen
RECORD. ISC will have an extra six months, or until June,
to complete its study of whether a speedway "could be built"
at the sports complex. NJSEA spokesperson John Samerjan
said that the contract with NJSEA "prohibits" ISC from
"entering an agreement on another site" within 50 miles of
the Empire State Building (Bergen RECORD, 10/21).
OPEN FOR BUSINESS: In Newark, Matthew Futterman cited
NJSEA Chair Raymond Bateman as saying that he "intends to
keep" Continental Airlines Arena (CAA) open even if the Nets
and Devils leave for a possible new arena in Newark. NJ
Gov. Christie Whitman spokesperson Pete McDonough said that
Whitman "would support" keeping CAA open but "only if it was
not directly competing against the planned" development in
Newark. McDonough: "It's entirely possible to operate the
arena in a way that's profitable and that doesn't compete
with an arena in Newark" (STAR-LEDGER, 10/21).
