Kentucky Speedway: Can they fix it? Yes they can! Maybe

CHARLOTTE NC. (WOFL FOX 35) - The inaugural NASCAR Sprint Cup race last June at Kentucky Speedway should have been an event that was remembered as the first race at a speedway that had worked hard to secure a coveted Sprint Cup date. Instead problems with traffic and parking left it with a black eye and more negative publicity than it wanted.

Traffic into the track was backed up for miles and people trying to park were turned away. It was a public relations nightmare that left executives from the Speedway and its owner Speedway Motorsports Incorporated scrambling to react.

In the months since that ill-fated race day, SMI and Kentucky Speedway have worked tirelessly to take steps to recover from last years disastrous affair and Wednesday during a stop at the 2012 NASCAR Sprint Media Tour, SMI and Speedway officials updated their progress.

The them for the presentation was ‘We’re Fixin’ It’, a first sign that continued what officials did almost before last years race ended; they have taken ownership of the problem and are vowing that it won’t happen again.

“I think we should do it over and have the second inaugural race this June,” said Bruton Smith, chairman and CEO of Speedway Motorsports Inc., “We will do everything we can to get back to what we have always called being fan friendly and we will work hard to prove ourselves.”

The Speedway has purchased more than 150 acres of land to be used for additional parking. Also a tunnel is currently being built under Highway 35 to allow fans to get from the new parking area to the facility.

Kentucky Speedway has also resurfaced several previously unusable areas to add even more parking options. Finally, the track has added gravel aisles to many of the current grass lots to make parking more efficient. Altogether, Kentucky Speedway has estimated that these changes will park as many as 18,700 more cars, accommodating at least 36,600 additional fans during race weekend. The company the Speedway used to park cars last year has been replaced and this year 300 people will be on hand to ensure everyone has somewhere to park.

To alleviate traffic getting to the parking lots, the main road leading to Kentucky Speedway, Highway 35, is being expanded to seven lanes. Additionally, Interstate 71, the primary interstate near the track, is being widened to three lanes for the southbound exit ramp. An increased role by the Kentucky State Police and a computerized simulator of traffic patterns will assist speedway officials in judging traffic plans better for future events.

“While we had some very positive things from our first year, we recognize that we had a very large negative,” said Kentucky Speedway President Mark Simendinger. “We are here to make sure that never happens again and we are committed to a comprehensive solution.”

Simendinger added that there are plans to execute new traffic patterns during the June NASCAR weekend, bathroom renovations and an expansion to campground areas that will feature enhanced campsites, many with access to electric service.

The Speedway is continuing to try and add even more parking, however they first have to deal with a bat; specifically the Indiana bat, an endangered species that has a habitat on 173 acres near the Speedway. That is currently holding up plans to develop that parcel for additional parking.

Smith offered money to anyone who could show him a bat in that area or even what one looked like.

“We’ve looked for them,” he quipped. “But I’ve never seen one.”

The work on all the improvements outlined Wednesday is already well underway. With the mild winter to date, some parts of the project are actually a little ahead of schedule. With a target date of May to have all the projects completed, and the commitment by the Speedway and SMI, along with ownership of the problem early on, there is very little doubt that Kentucky Speedway’s ‘We’re Fixin’ It’ theme will be ‘We’ve Fixed It’ when the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Quaker State 400 takes the green flag on June 30.