February 25, 2005

By Janice Parker

International Speedway Corp. (ISC) has proposed building an 80,000 seat track in New York on Staten Island. Exact figures have not been quoted, but estimates place the land alone at over $110 million dollars for 680 plus acres of property purchased in two pieces. The company has hired two lobbying groups - one to help with their lobbying efforts seeking incentives from New York City economic officials, and another firm to help them with their presentations to City officials.

The current proposal calls for an 80,000 seat ¾ mile race track. Published reports vary as to whether it will be in use for one weekend a year or three weekends a year. No other racetrack is set so close to a metropolitan area. Chicago land and California speedways are more than 40 miles away from each city's downtown area. Current placement for the Staten Island track puts it just a ferry ride away from lower Manhattan or about 10 miles from Ground Zero.

Local Staten Island papers site concerns regarding the local infrastructure changes that would be required to eliminate or reduce traffic to the track site. Proposals for tying fast ferry or "park and ride" operations to ticket sales have been mentioned as alternatives to moving fans to and from the race. These options would change the normal "feel" of race weekend that most NASCAR fans are used to. Would those types of deals create enough incentive to entice fans to forego their usual rides to the track thus eliminating the amount of cars normally associated with 80,000 spectators at any sport? Would this help to make the local Staten Islanders approve of the plan?

The placement of this track on an island where traffic is considered nightmarish on normal weekends makes the thought of more than 80,000 spectators trying to make their way even using mass transit an issue of significant proportions. Even once these obstacles have been addressed there is no guarantee of a date for the NASCAR Nextel Cup or NASCAR Busch series. I realize that ISC and NASCAR are more or less an intertwined pair of entities, but even with that kind of promise, I am concerned about the ability to land a date.

Giants Stadium in the Meadowlands was an alternative that ISC was said to consider for a New York Metropolitan track. For easy comparison, there are over 25,000 parking spots for the 80,000 fans that normally attend football games there. Quotes from officials involved in the Staten Island project currently state their plans call for only 10,000 parking spots at the track. It would be difficult to tailgate with such a minimal amount of parking available and forget taking your RV to the track for the weekend.

This week the 13 member team from the International Olympic Committee is in New York City looking over the city in its bid for the 2012 Olympics. Considering that there has been a lot of local uproar raging regarding the new Jets football stadium proposed for the East side of New York with virtually no parking, as an Olympic venue this issue of parking, and people unwilling to deal with the associated crowds in their neighborhoods as a major drawback to the fans for that stadium as well as a local racetrack. Staten Island's reputation as a bit of the upper echelon or more upwardly mobile crowd lends one to wonder how they will feel when NASCAR fans descend on their "turf" a few times a year.

Then again, this is New York and nothing is ever done exactly the same way as other places. Our football teams play in New Jersey, if you want to get technical. I know there are NASCAR fans in New York, but more often than not though I get querying looks when they see my custom plate for my favorite NASCAR driver - "Who?"

How many actual jobs can this stadium provide on a permanent, not seasonal, basis? You are always dealing with the NIMBYs ("Not in my back yard") types. People never want to be put out by any business; while realizing that that area on Staten Island is currently dormant, not producing anything, much less taxes or jobs that will help the local economy. Locally, I believe we could use another outlet for entertainment that doesn't involve a lot in the way of scandals, after what I've seen in baseball and football this past year it would not be a bad thing.

Other considerations

Only 32% of NASCAR's racetracks are under 1 ½ miles long, of those there are only three tracks on the current 2005 NASCAR Nextel cup circuit under a mile in length. This makes another smaller track appropriate for balance if you consider it in those terms.

I would really think that in a diverse city of 8 million - more if you include the surrounding suburbs, you will find fans to fill those seats. I believe the track should have more seats though as 80,000 around here will sell out fairly quickly. We would hope it wouldn't become another elitist establishment like the Giants or the Jets football where the waiting lists for season tickets is many years long.

While environmental studies and permits still must be completed we will see where this proposal goes. Initially, I viewed the entire thought of a race track on Staten Island with a great deal of skeptism, but after considering the facts and the many benefits that would arise out of this project both as a NASCAR fan and as a New Yorker, I have come full circle and believe that this track would be a good thing, both for New Yorkers, Race fans and NASCAR.

The thoughts and ideas expressed by this writer or any other writer on Insider Racing News, are not necessarily the views of the staff and/or management of IRN. Although we may not always agree with what is said, we do feel it's our duty to give a voice to those who have something relevant to say about the sport of auto racing.