Walt Disney World in June "will eliminate the Disney World Speedway," the one-mile tri-oval "built on the edge of the theme park" in '95, according to Steven Cole Smith of MOTORSPORT.com. The closure date for the "only business left at the track, the Richard Petty Driving Experience, is June 28." The track was "constructed on a shoestring budget" -- reportedly just $6M -- to "give the Indy Racing League a Florida venue." Grandstands and "even the bathrooms were temporary." The first event at the track was the inaugural IRL race, but the venue was the "scene of some horrible crashes, most notably" one that paralyzed driver Sam Schmidt while testing in '00. The "central problem with the track" was that Disney "did not want racing during its prime tourist season." However, it became the "busiest location for the Richard Petty Driving Experience, because it was able to stay open year-round, and had plenty of room to house and work on the cars." There was an "arms-length agreement with the theme park -- the track was told to significantly muffle the cars, ostensibly because Disney didn't want guests to be bothered by the noise" (MOTORSPORT.com, 2/12). In Orlando, Sandra Pedicini notes there are "about 70 people working at the speedway." Petty Holdings Exec VP & General Counsel Bill Scott said that some employees "will have the opportunity to transfer" to Daytona Int'l Speedway, which also has the Driving Experience. Disney said that it also will "try to find workers jobs elsewhere in the resort." Scott said that it would be "difficult to find a spot for a new traditional speedway, but Petty Holdings wants to open a road course for another exotic-car attraction in Orlando" (ORLANDO SENTINEL, 2/12).
