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Friday, July 2, 2004
NASCAR Notebook: ISC looking at perhaps 10 NW sites
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- Although International Speedway Corporation refuses to get into specifics, the Daytona Beach-based company confirmed in the past month it has received several additional proposals in its bid to build a NASCAR-ready speedway in the Pacific Northwest.
ISC director of corporate development Tom Valley said yesterday he hopes to announce a site for the proposed 80,000-seat, state-of-the-art speedway by early this fall.
Snohomish, Pierce, Kitsap and Thurston counties are among those hoping to lure ISC and its million-dollar potential economic impact to their communities. The Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde as well as the Oregon Sports Authority also are expected to submit proposals for land in the Portland area.
Valley estimated there are fewer than 10 sites being considered.
"We want to be in a metropolitan area of either Portland or Seattle, so anything way out of town doesn't make sense right now," he said.
ISC isn't ruling out resistance from groups at some locales.
Valley said there are no frontrunners, reiterating, "It's an untapped market we're very excited about."
POLE QUALIFYING: Jeff Gordon stunned the usually dominant Dale Earnhardt Inc. teams to claim the pole for tomorrow's Pepsi 400. The four-time series champ won the top spot with a lap of 188.659 mph in the No. 24 Dupont Chevrolet.
Michael Waltrip put his DEI team's No. 15 NAPA Chevy on the outside of the front row -- missing the top spot by .005-seconds.
Chevrolets hold seven of the top 10 qualifying positions.
Defending race winner Greg Biffle of Vancouver, Wash., was the top Northwest qualifier. He'll start ninth in the No. 16 National Guard Ford.
Kasey Kahne of Enumclaw will start 32nd in the No. 9 Dodge Dealers-sponsored Dodge.
Derrike Cope of Spanaway, hoping to debut his new WW Motorsports team, failed to make the field.
All three drivers are competing in tonight's Busch Grand National event. Kahne will start 14th, Biffle 22nd and Cope 40th.
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