Texas Motor Speedway President Eddie Gossage said "construction has begun" on the track's new videoboard. Gossage: "You won't see anything when you get here, but all the work is taking place underground, pulling obviously lots of power to it, and 24 strands of fiber-optic cable, all those things that it requires to run." Gossage said the project will "start coming up out of the ground" after Sunday's NASCAR Sprint Cup Series AAA Texas 500. He added, "We're going to build the steel structure of a 12-story building above the back straightaway grandstands" (NEWSOK.com, 10/30).
CALL THE COPS: In San Jose, Mike Rosenberg notes Santa Clara officials are "looking to hire 120 police officers" for Levi's Stadium. Officers will be needed for 49ers home games, "plus big special events such as concerts, college football games" and Super Bowl L in '16. The Santa Clara City Council on Tuesday "approved $200,000 in contracts for two outside firms just to perform background checks on candidates." The pay for the "part-time gig is $55 an hour" (SAN JOSE MERCURY NEWS, 10/31).
MORE HORSE POWER: In Kentucky, Janet Patton notes Keeneland racetrack "ended its race meet Saturday with records in fall attendance and in all-sources betting." Attendance was "up for the fourth consecutive race meet," with total on-track attendance of 266,466 up 2.6% over '12, while average daily attendance was 15,674, up 2.6%. All-sources wagering on the track's fall meet, "including wagering at Keeneland on imported simulcast signals, was a fall meet record" of $142,999,271, up 1.47% over the previous record set last year (KENTUCKY.com, 10/29).
A BIRD'S EYE VIEW: Churchill Downs on Monday announced that the track's new "Skye Lounge" will debut at the "Downs After Dark" nighttime racing event on Nov. 16. Tickets cost $40 for the lounge, which is located on the fifth floor of the Skye Terrace and will have mutuel tellers, self-service wagering machines and multiple TV monitors (Churchill Downs).
