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SBD/June 22, 2012/Facilities
Kentucky Police To Manage Traffic, Parking For NASCAR Race At Speedway
Published June 22, 2012
Kentucky State Police “will take the lead under the overhauled parking and traffic management plan that will be in place for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race and two support races next week at Kentucky Speedway,” according to Kevin Kelly of the CINCINNATI ENQUIRER. Kentucky Speedway GM Mark Simendinger said, “I’ve seen the document the Kentucky State Police [have] prepared as the traffic management plan. It looks like Bill Belichick’s playbook. It’s extensive.” The plan “takes lessons learned last year and incorporates the more than $11 million spent since then by the state and speedway on infrastructure improvements around the venue.” Kentucky State Police “will be in charge of traffic and parking.” Simendinger said that the speedway is “paying for the state manpower” (CINCINNATI ENQUIER, 6/22).
REFLECTION: SMI Chair & CEO Bruton Smith is featured in a Q&A in Monday's issue of SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL. Staff Writer Tripp Mickle asked Smith about the upcoming Quaker State 400 on June 30:
Q: What do you wish SMI had done differently before the inaugural Cup race in Kentucky last year?
Smith: I wish we could have convinced the highway patrol of Kentucky. I kept trying to explain what a huge crowd we had coming. The biggest thing that hurt us was the rain. It converted the parking we had into an impossible situation.
Q: What do you have to do to reconnect with fans?
Smith: I made promises on what we would do and we've done it. And I've done it with the state of Kentucky. The governor of Kentucky came forward and got the state to approve a lot of things. We have what was a two-lane road operational at seven lanes. They also installed a 12-foot-wide pedestrian walkway, and the state built a tunnel under (Kentucky highway) 35 so that people can walk right on through the tunnel and onto the speedway side.
Q: You don't apologize often. Why did you apologize for this race?
Smith: We hated that we didn't do a better job. Here again, I'm not going to knock Kentucky, but they were not aware of what was going to happen. This time (the state highway patrol) went to school on it. They know what to expect and they will do an outstanding job.
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"an outstanding job" in controlling traffic this year |
Q: What do you wish SMI had done differently before the inaugural Cup race in Kentucky last year?
Smith: I wish we could have convinced the highway patrol of Kentucky. I kept trying to explain what a huge crowd we had coming. The biggest thing that hurt us was the rain. It converted the parking we had into an impossible situation.
Q: What do you have to do to reconnect with fans?
Smith: I made promises on what we would do and we've done it. And I've done it with the state of Kentucky. The governor of Kentucky came forward and got the state to approve a lot of things. We have what was a two-lane road operational at seven lanes. They also installed a 12-foot-wide pedestrian walkway, and the state built a tunnel under (Kentucky highway) 35 so that people can walk right on through the tunnel and onto the speedway side.
Q: You don't apologize often. Why did you apologize for this race?
Smith: We hated that we didn't do a better job. Here again, I'm not going to knock Kentucky, but they were not aware of what was going to happen. This time (the state highway patrol) went to school on it. They know what to expect and they will do an outstanding job.
