The International Speedway Corporation (ISC), in association with NASCAR recently, extended a special invitation to a group of Washington officials to attend the popular Daytona 500 race. Because Kitsap County is one of several locations being considered by ISC as a location for a future motorsports center, I, at my own expense, attended the famed race to see what the buzz was all about.
   A spectator sport, second only to football in television ratings, could pump-up our tourism industry and provide many economic opportunities for our community. Not only is ISC the owner and operator of 12 major motorsports facilities, including Daytona, it is a public corporation affiliated with NASCAR through interlocking corporate directorships. NASCAR also owns the nation’s largest independent sports radio network (MRN Radio), a large food and beverage concessions called Americrown Service Corporation, and the merchandising arms for motorsports-related items.

Commissioner Patty Lent with actor Ben Affleck at the Daytona 500

   NASCAR races feature 770-horsepower stock cars that cost approximately $75,000 each, and each is replaced after just one race! NASCAR was established in 1949 following a tradition established by prohibition era bootleggers in the tobacco belt. Through their history, race drivers have been “colorful” characters, inviting the interest of spectators somewhat like that of professional wrestling. Their events attract families, sponsors, and celebrities, like Ben Affleck and Whoopi Goldberg – two of several celebrities I met while in Daytona.
   First made immensely popular in the south, NASCAR has recently abandoned its tie to big-tobacco sponsors as part of a transformation; they are entering new national markets with an eye to the international marketplace – including their latest search for a site in the Pacific Northwest, California and New York. NASCAR recently sited a motorsports facility in Kansas City. Despite initial community skepticism, ISC’s investment into that track is credited for that community’s amazing economic turnaround.
   So what does ISC see in Kitsap County? To start off, Kitsap is home to one of NASCAR’s most appreciative target audiences – the military. Kitsap’s exceptional recreation and attraction options, including fishing and power-boating, compliments NASCAR’s offerings and lends support to their promotion of Kitsap as a great experience for race-goers.
   Based on the success and impact of NASCAR in other communities, I encourage all Kitsapers to keep an open mind and a positive attitude that our community will find appropriate solutions to make this a reality, should we get the green flag.