The demise of Pikes Peak International Speedway in Fountain could turn into a blessing for Denver-area race fans who have yearned for a NASCAR Nextel Cup-hosted superspeedway.
International Speedway Corporation on Friday announced its purchase and planned closing of PPIR, which in 1999 and 2000 backed campaigns that likely aided in the failure of ISC’s bids to build a massive Cup-pegged speedways in Aurora and Arapahoe County.
Those projects were under the name “Rocky Mountain Speedway Corporation” – the same ISC subsidiary that will own PPIR and allocate its transferable infrastructure assets to other ISC tracks.
ISC intends to sell PPIR and its 1,200 acres to anyone who agrees “that the property not be used for motorsports-related events,” according to an ISC release.
Spokesman David Talley said ISC, which is run by NASCAR and owns or operates 12 Nextel Cup venues, has no intention of hosting races at PPIR because Denver is where it wants to be.
“We’ve tried to tap into the Denver market, and it hasn’t worked out,” Talley said from ISC and NASCAR headquarters in Daytona Beach, Fla. “But it’s safe to say that we’ve always felt that Denver is a great market for motorsports. While right now we focus on Seattle and New York, it would not be surprising to me that sometime in the near future we’d look at Denver again.
“We certainly feel Denver can support a major motorsports facility.”
ISC intends to distribute PPIR’s fixed assets – such as grandstands, race fences and scoreboard tower – to its existing motorsports facilities, or send them to storage for future expansion projects.
A Denver-area track could be one destination for some PPIR items.
ISC is working on building tracks in New York City and Seattle. The land in New York has been purchased and the location in Seattle is in the due diligence process, Talley said.
“It takes 18 to 24 months to build a facility,” Talley said. “I don’t have a timeline, and haven’t heard of a Denver site, or about when we’d like to get into Denver. But I would think the Pikes Peak items would be allocated by then.”
A probable ISC partner in a Denver-area facility would be Centennial businessman Bob Sutton, who has become a big player in NASCAR and the Champ Car World Series. Sutton’s company, Centrix Financial, owns the Grand Prix of Denver, the annual Champ Car street race around the Pepsi Center, and is the official finance company of NASCAR.
Sutton also is part owner of Nextel Cup’s MB2 Motorsports and is planning on building a club-type road course racing facility near Denver International Airport.
“Bob Sutton is a big player in motorsports in Denver, and if an ISC track starts to take shape around here, I’m sure they’ll be talking to him,” said Grand Prix of Denver general manager Jim Freudenberg. “Bob and I realize that the more motorsports around, the more fans we can turn around that don’t know how exciting it is.
“There obviously is a saturation point, but you give Denver a good product and people will support it. We’ll just have to wait and see if ISC decides to build in Denver.”
PPIR hosted AMA superbikes, the U.S. Auto Club, the NASCAR Busch Series and the Indy Racing League this year. The IRL has dropped Pikes Peak from its 2006 schedule in September.
A possible Denver-area ISC track likely would host NASCAR’s three national series, Nextel Cup, Busch and Craftsman Truck – given that it essentially is NASCAR.
PPIR president Rob Johnson, a former Denver resident, said he expects to meet with ISC about a possible job opportunity. “But Colorado never has come up,” he said.
PPIR, which opened in 1996, will be the second prominent Front Range track to close for good in 2005. Rocky Mountain National Speedway lost its permit to race in Commerce City and held its final event Saturday night.
“Like everyone in Colorado who is a race fan, I’m devastated,” Jerry Robertson, a three-time late models champion at Colorado National Speedway and part-time Busch Series driver, said of PPIR’s fate. “I kind of heard a rumor that they were going to get rid of the Busch cars next year, but not shut it down completely. It’s a blow to Colorado, a big step backward. I hope someone else builds something in the region.”
John Bandimere Jr., who partnered with ISC in the $500 million WorldPark venture in 2000, said the closure of PPIR would hurt business for remaining permanent tracks such as his, Bandimere Speedway (drag strip), and Colorado National Speedway (paved oval).
“I believe all the racetracks that we can possibly have makes motorsports that much stronger,” Bandimere said. “The more activity you have, the better the sport is perceived and the better it’s accepted.”
Bandimere said it’s too early to comment about a possible ISC-built Denver-area track, but he is hopeful it would happen.
Staff writer Mike Chambers can be reached at 303-820-5453 or mchambers@denverpost.com.
