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Sportsman's Park gets CART Racing

Web posted April 10, 1998

Associated Press

CICERO, Ill. -- Thoroughbred racing fans used to horses, pari-mutuel windows and stables will have to share Sportsman's Park with auto racing fans who fancy checkered flags, spinouts and the roar of engines.

Officials of Sportsman's Park and Championship Auto Racing Teams announced Thursday the development of a dual-purpose complex for both thoroughbred and auto racing at the 66-year-old track.

There will be a 7-furlong horse racing course and a mile oval for auto racing called the Chicago Motor Speedway. Construction, which will be privately funded, starts in July and should be completed in the fall of 1999.

Sportsman's joins Dover Downs in Delaware as the nations' only tracks to house horse and auto racing in the same facility.

The reconstruction includes new horse stables and staff living quarters. The horse racing track will be resurfaced and have wider turns. The grandstand, which now handles 11,000 spectators, will be expanded for more than 90,000.

The speedway itself will generate about $100 million in revenue, adding about $7 million in tax revenue for the state and local economy annually, according to Ed Duffy, chief operating officer of Sportsman's Park.

Chip Ganassi, owner of the CART team Target-Ganassi, will co-manage the speedway.

He sees Chicago Motor Speedway open to all sanctioning bodies and all types of racing, including NASCAR.

``It's built with that purpose in mind,'' he said. ``Mile tracks are the heart of auto racing in the United States. Talk to the participants, the car owners; this is where they want to be.

``They like super speedways, but we have to have a balance between super speedways and small ovals that the fans can see the whole way around from one seat.''

Driver Jimmy Vasser said the cars should reach speeds of 190 mph in the straightaways.

``The mile is a great length to promote great racing,'' he said. ``I'm really happy to see another one mile oval.''

Charles W. Bidwell III, president of the National Jockey Club and owner of Sportsman's Park, promised the park will continue to be committed to horse racing.

``We've been looking for other ways to increase revenues. They've talked about slots at the tracks and other legislative relief, well, we don't feel we can wait around for that,'' he said.

``This presented itself as a golden opportunity to be able to do that -- bring in auto racing but at the same time be able to increase the revenues of horse racing.''