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One of the great things about the Viaduct is that it reminds us of a Hot Wheels track. Which gives us an idea. Since we're having a rebuild forced on us anyway, why not make it a value-add? If legislators who don't actually live in Kitsap County want to put a NASCAR track over there, how hard would it be to talk them into relocating it to Seattle's waterfront?
The legislation would not require the track to be built near Bremerton, though [state senator] Hatfield said he believes track promoters are serious when they say they have no other site selected. The location would allow NASCAR to connect with latte drinking Seattle urbanites, he said."They're trying to get into a whole new demographic."
Hear that? They want to connect with us! We're this close to some high-speed movement on the Viaduct, people! We just have to slide it past Frank Chopp somehow:
House Speaker Frank Chopp, D-Seattle, was less encouraging this week. Asked about the racetrack, he pulled out a Wall Street Journal article sent to him by a legislator describing the rowdy crowds at the Talledega Speedway in Alabama.The article reported that "hard-drinking" fans "whoop it up for days."
Obviously we'd want to locate the stands near Pioneer Square. But other than that, downsides? We can't see any. Construction costs are shared. Best of all, use is shared: how often do NASCAR races happen anyway? If the Viaduct closes down for a race one weekend per month, big deal. The new structure would be rated for speeds much higher than 45mph. Shit, build in a loop, and you can charge a toll for that view.
File this one under "Thought Leadership." Governor, we await your call.
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Thank Christ for at least one Seattle blog covering this issue. I have been working against the God Damn NASCAR track for years now. I am going to be testifying next week down in Olympia against this monstrosity and atrocity. Metroblogging Seattle (http://seattle.metblogs.com/archives/2007/02/in_other_blogs_80.phtml ) wrote about I have been trying to get The Stranger to stop writing about the Viaduct and rim jobs to do at least one article on the damn NASCAR track proposal that Seattle area Legislators have signed on to vote for. We don’t want it in Kitsap and we don’t want our taxes to pay for it. It’s called HB 2062 and SB 6040 and tell your legislators to vote NO!
I've never watched a NASCAR race in my life but I'm tired of the anti-everything crowd so I say go ahead and build the damn thing and if it means I pay for part of it...fine. A segment of the population will enjoy it even if I don't. A segment of the population enjoys the libraries I help pay for even if I haven't stepped foot it on since middle school. I don't mind paying for that either.
I've lived on the Kitsap Peninsula. I know the people there and at the risk of making a broad generalization, I bet if the vote actually were left to the citizens of Kitsap Pen. you'd have NASCAR in no time.
Actually Jack Kitsap does not want it and I have the election results to prove it. Every legislative and county commissioner candidate on the ballot in Kitsap in November 2006 had to come out and state where they were on the Pork for NASCAR proposal. The voters of Kitsap elected every single Anti-Pork for NASCAR candidate and Every single Pro-Pork for NASCAR candidate lost. It was not even close.
drrew just because some corporation has hired a lobbying firm to swindle voters about corporate welfare does not mean that we should fall for it.
This is a NIMBY issue cloaked as a politically correct anti-corporate stance. Can't wait for the casinos to start failing and all those Kitsap legislators and county commissioners go begging to Olympia for emergency assistance. Will Bremerton keep the entire region fiscally afloat?
Jacob keeps spreading his BS everywhere he goes. The problem is that he is actually starting to believe it.
The Speedway is going to a public vote, we'll see how in touch Jacob Metcalf, Josh Brown, and Chris Endresen are with the voters of Kitsap County. They've been listening to the "wine and cheese" liberals on Bainbridge and Bainbridge Minor (Poulsbo). They don't like people who aren't like them and that's the real reason they don't want the speedway built.
I've had it with the anti-everything crowd too. They offer no positive solutions or help to anyone, all they can do is whine like babies.
i hope they build the nascar track next to JAMES
METCALFS house after the blog he wrote using the
LORDS name in vain, it shows what .kind of person
your dealing with when this language comes
out of their mouth,especially on the internet.
I am sending this blog from Bristol TN, home of the fastest half-mile in NASCAR. We have seen the people on the Seattle street's reactions to the proposed track and the way we (southern Nascar fans) are percieved. We ARE NOT all stupid redneck trailorpark hillbillys. I thank those of you who admit you enjoy Nascar and even those of you who don't, but are in support of the track. 10 years ago the people of Las Vegas weren't sure about their proposed track. But Las Vegas Motor Speedway, across from Nellis Airforce Base, brought in approx. $167 million in revenue for southern Nevada during the 3 day race last March. When the 'Welcome Race Fans' banners come out in March and August in Bristol you can't book a room in a 200 mile raduis of Bristol Motor Speedway. But hey, if you think you're too good to take us dumb rednecks money, well that's up to you.
Drew, I agree about the ANTI-EVERYTHING comment.Some people just like to bitch.
In response to Jacob Metcalf's post...
Jacob is chair of the Kitsap Young Democrats and has LOTS of experience blindly and unthinkingly parroting the party line without thinking about what ANY of it means.
He has railed locally about "No public funding for NASCAR" while steadfastly supporting the SEED boondoggle without a single question about how much this 100 percent taxpayer funded failure is going to cost.
Jacob, your big mouth doesn't speak for EVERYONE in Kitsap — even as much as your huge ego would like to believe it does. I sincerely believe that if put to a vote with ALL the FACTS on the table about the financing — not the systematic disinformation you and your Democratic cohorts have steadily dished out, it would pass. Then what would you do?