In Birmingham, Cheryl Wray notes the NASCAR Sprint Cup Geico 500 at Talladega Superspeedway in May will give fans an "even better look at race action via new, larger, permanent video boards along the track." There will be "five larger screens on the frontstretch and a video screen will be placed along the Alabama Gang Superstretch." Two of the video boards "will now be mammoth 40' x 80' in size and will have permanent homes behind pit road in the tri-oval area -- one atop Gatorade Victory Lane and one in front of the Media Center." The other permanent structure "will be a 26' x 52' video board which will be located at the exit of Turn Four" (BIRMINGHAM NEWS, 4/9).
MEET ME HALFWAY: ESPN.com's Ben Goessling reports the construction process on the Vikings' new stadium in Minneapolis "is now halfway done." The $1B+ facility is "changing the city's skyline along with a series of new developments designed to revitalize the east part of downtown." Vikings President & co-Owner Mark Wilf said, "It's amazing how quickly, day-to-day, things change. It transforms before our eyes, and I think the second half of the construction, the fans are going to start seeing and feeling what they're going to experience when they go watch a Vikings game. It should be great" (ESPN.com, 4/8).
INCREASING SUPPORT: In St. Louis, David Hunn, writes the Regional Business Council and Civic Progress are both "throwing their weight behind the proposal to build a new football stadium downtown." The region’s two largest business associations "wrote separate letters" to NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell in recent days, and both groups "made certain to mention their members’ current suites, seats and sponsorships." St. Louis Sports Commission Chair Dave Peacock said that the letters "were just one sign of support he expected in coming weeks" (ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH, 4/9).
REBELS WITH A CAUSE: In Las Vegas, Alan Snel reported the UNLV Foundation "has entered a deal with Wells Fargo to buy a 42-acre site at Koval Lane and Tropicana Avenue" for $50M for a "potential football stadium or other uses." The UNLV Foundation "won’t actually close on the land deal but instead transfer the option on the property" to the school. The Board of Regents "would have to approve any land purchase" (LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL, 4/7).
