IndyCar team owner Roger Penske said that corporate sponsorships for the May 31 Chevrolet Detroit Belle Isle Grand Prix "are sold out," according to Dustin Walsh of CRAIN'S DETROIT BUSINESS. Sponsors include Cars.com, Chevrolet, Comerica Bank, MotorCity Casino Hotel, Meijer, Deloitte, Coca-Cola and Quicken Loans. Sales of corporate chalets and seats "remain a large push for Penske and his team," as the group this year "installed 17 double-decker corporate chalets along the final straightaway." The chalets "were the same used" at the '12 London Games. Penske said that they "hold 3,000 and are sold out." Meanwhile, construction crews "laid new pavement walkways around the grandstands, which will hold up to 14,000 fans, and completed a new walking bridge over the track to connect the chalets to the main paddock." Penske said, "For us to create a successful event, we have to create access. The stick-and-ball sports can't offer access like we can, so we are taking advantage of it." Walsh wrote Penske "inspects every detail" of race preparation because he "knows what's at stake." State oversight of the island, "in place since February, is controversial in a bankrupt city." The event and its $50M in economic impact "will be judged, locally and nationally" (CRAINSDETROIT.com, 5/11).
