TALE OF TWO TRACKS: KANSAS & CHICAGOLAND TO OPEN THIS SUMMER

          NASCAR's national footprint will grow this summer with
     the opening of two new tracks, the 75,000-seat Kansas
     Speedway and the 75,000-seat Chicagoland Speedway.  Both
     tracks were built in partnership with ISC and have landed a
     Winston Cup race on this year's schedule. 
          KANSAS: Kansas Speedway is located in Wyandotte County,
     KS, and is a wholly-owned subsidiary of ISC. The $280M
     venture is seen as a key development stimulus to the area
     and plans include a $200M retail center near the track,
     which is estimated to create 3,300 new jobs and $420M in
     projected annual sales.  KS Speedway VP & GM Jeff Boerger
     said the benefit from the track "has been immediate," as a
     mall, nearly 1.3 million square feet of retail space, and
     several restaurants are in the development stage.  The track
     will host an IRL race in July with a Winston Cup stop in
     September. In its marketing, Boerger said the speedway's
     philosophy was "to control the market, keep demand high and
     supply low."  With no other track in the region, sales
     executives saw a region-wide opportunity to promote the
     speedway.  The speedway's 68 corporate suites were leased
     quickly to area companies and sponsors for at least $32,000
     per year, while 40 companies are currently on a waiting
     list.  Boerger said the speedway is about 98% "sold on
     everything from chalets to suites to tickets, even in our
     infield RV spots."  Meanwhile, in establishing a ticket
     package, the speedway developed an "RPM Ticket Plan," which
     includes tickets to five races over two race weekends and
     features the Dayton Indy Lights, NASCAR Craftsman Truck
     Series and IRL in July, and the BGN and Winston Cup Series
     in September, and costs $250-330 for the package. The ticket
     packages went on sale last August and were sold out in early
     April, with 73% of the ticket buyers coming from outside the
     14 county bi-state Kansas City area.  The speedway has
     ticket sales from 46 different states.  Meanwhile, both
     Kansas Speedway and Chicagoland Speedway have implemented
     similar seat-license ticket plans, but refer to them by
     different names.  Kansas Speedway offers a Founding Fan
     P.A.S.S. (Permanent Access Speedway Seating) for a one-time
     fee of $400-1,250.  The P.A.S.S. is good for as long as the
     holder continues to purchase the "RPM Ticket Plan."  Boerger
     said 20% of the Speedway was sold to P.A.S.S. holders.
          CHICAGOLAND: Chicagoland Speedway is owned and operated
     by Raceway Associates, an ownership group consisting of ISC,
     IMS and Route 66 Raceway, a dirt track adjacent to the
     Speedway.  The $130M facility is located in Joliet, IL,
     about 35 miles from downtown Chicago.  A recent economic
     impact study concluded that the new speedway could create
     nearly 3,400 jobs and pump an estimated $320M into the area.
     Speedway VP & GM Joie Chitwood said the speedway has
     directed much of its ad dollars toward its "Track Pack"
     program, which consists of four premier races -- two race
     weekends -- that includes the ARCA RE/MAX and IRL races in
     July, as well as NASCAR Busch and Winston Cup races in
     September.  The "Track Pack" costs between $175-240 for the
     four races.  Chitwood: "We've found that that's very
     reasonable in motorsports and for the market in Chicago,
     that is an extremely reasonable ticket."  Chicagoland has
     also sold all of its approximate 10,000 Founders P.A.S.S.
     tickets, which has a one-time fee of $500-1,500.  The
     Founders P.A.S.S. is good for as long as the holder
     continues to purchase the "Track Pack."  Meanwhile, the
     speedway's 75-tent hospitality village is close to being
     sold out before the summer races.  The speedway's 32
     corporate suites were sold out as part of the track's
     corporate packages.  Chicagoland Speedway is sharing the
     market with Chicago Motor Speedway, which is about 30 miles
     away and hosts a CART race and a Craftsman Truck Series
     race.  But Chitwood said, "The market is so large with all
     of the stick and ball sports that there's more than enough
     opportunity for both facilities."

This story appeared in The Sports Business Daily's Special Motorsports Marketing issue published on May 25, 2001.