There is a "seven-week sprint on" at Daytona Int'l Speedway for the workers on the Daytona Rising project "to deliver the long-promised fan amenities" for Speedweeks in '15, according to Godwin Kelly of the Daytona Beach NEWS-JOURNAL. Michigan-based construction company Barton Malow is in a "brisk race against the clock to finish" the west end of the $400M project in time for January's and February's events, as 40,000 new, wider seats and assorted modern-day extras, such as escalators, upgraded restrooms and concessions are "awaiting final touches." The deadline to "finish this section of the project" is the beginning of January. A national TV spot featuring NASCAR driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. is "adding fuel to the fire of interest in the 20-inch seats." DIS President Joie Chitwood III said that the spot has "helped spark sales." Chitwood said that the renewal rate in that area of the grandstand "was up, and there's interest from new ticketholders." He added that the new seats will be "made of soft plastic and also have arm rests and cup holders." Chitwood said that about 60,000 older metal seats, which varied from 15 1/2 to 17 1/2 inches, will "still be in portions of the grandstand" for Speedweeks. He added that 14 escalators and four new elevators will also be "up and running to help with the flow of race fans into the grandstands." Kelly notes all that remains "as far as steel placement is the demolition of the existing Sprint Tower and a rebuild, which won't happen until March." Work on Daytona Rising began on July 8, 2013, and is "scheduled to be finished" in January '16. Crews also are "busy placing various panels to form the metal skin of Daytona Rising" (Daytona Beach NEWS-JOURNAL, 11/17).
GROWTH INDUSTRY? In Daytona Beach, Eileen Zaffiro-Kean noted DIS recently submitted a 110-page application to state government officials in "hopes of being chosen" for $90M in state sales-tax rebates over the next 30 years. The document shows the "average of all the different admission prices people pay for everything from races to tours" at DIS are about $78 now, and that is "expected to jump to nearly $94 in 10 years and close to $109 in 20 years." Annual ticket sales are "expected to skyrocket" from the current $34.1M to $87.5M in 40 years. The total number of visitors at the Speedway is "expected to climb from the current 1.19 million per year to 1.64 million four decades from now" (Daytona Beach NEWS-JOURNAL, 11/16).
