Jackson Jambalaya

I'm with Y'all. As one of the commenters said, "Why would the MBJ slam the idea of business development?"

Cuz its not going to happen. Nearly impossible. Its pandering and that is all there is to it. Memphis already has a Busch race.

Tell you what Kappy, why don't you go over there and make a comment about it.

I think one of the main reasons it got shot down last time is that there was a glut of tracks as it was then.

The same field of dreams mentality Hauptmann that has saddled the taxpayers of Jackson with a convention center that is bleeding well over $1 million annually in red ink despite being told during the campaign that the center would break even operationally.

I want an Apple Data Farm located in rural Oktibbeha county. Should I run for Governor too?

Alright went and read the article. Its a political attack piece. Big shit.

Instead of the doting on Bryant's political speech and attacking that, why not focus on the business - that is what they write about, correct?

How about share some details about why a track could or could not be built here, attempts in the past, comparative studies into feasibility.

As I said in the beginning, I usually refer to MBJ as a BUSINESS journal not a left-wing mudslinger.

He did. He cited the new races added to the cup series. He cited people in the industry. Please.

I'm talking about here in MS. Don't care about Phil at this point. He could claim the sky is falling and I still wouldn't care.

I would love to see a feasibility study about a track in MS. I'm a fan and recognize that NASCAR has slowed from its mid 2000's growth and is experiencing problems with attendance, thus, adding more races is not a good idea. What I have not come across is the projected changes ultimate impact for growth in the future and where MS might fit into it.

I'm cool with dirt track racing down in Byram. It's a hoot!

Who pays for the study Roo?

You can't get a race here PERIOD knucklehead. A study will just be an excuse for someone to make money. Look at the races now, they are having major problems filling the stands. For us to get a race someone has to lose one. Not happening. It has nothing to do with whether it will work, has everything to do with us actually stealing a race even if the numbers were good.

Where you going to steal from? Chicago, Phoenix, KC? Fairly new tracks. Not stealing Fontana. The road courses are here to stay. Dover? right. Louden? Not hardly. Texas? forget it. Michigan and Pocono will always have their two races. Then there is Charlotte, the crown jewel of Nascar.

Short tracks: Martsinville, Bristol, Richmond. They are too popular. Atlanta is fastest track and then there is Miami, it gets one race.

Any ideas?

I completely agree with your assessment of landing a top billing race.

The question for me is "other uses." I believe we have a number of manufacturers who are locating manufacturing here. What about a proving ground? Just thinking out loud.

I love the commenter on Ya'll who bashed Reilly for using unnamed sources without actually reading he article where he goes on to name those sources.
The thing that pleases me most of all is that Phil's supporters are getting nervous. Maybe Dennis really has a chance.

Whatever happened to the drag strip in Lena that was supposed to bring in the big time drag racers?

Is the track in D'Lo still open?

I get out of my depth fairly quickly in a discussion about NASCAR, but aren't we talking about trying to attract a business development to Mississippi? It sounds like this is a project for MDA - it will bring money and jobs to the state but will take some time and effort to determine its feasibility. Isn't that what they do? Whether it's a Nissan plant or a NASCAR track, if it's in the realm of business development we already have an entity to take it on. Now, who's going to convince them to take it on? If they won't do it for the reasons KF lists above, then it's unlikely anyone else will. Bill Billingsley

I am with Bill...why would it be such a bad idea? As many Nascar loving rednecks we have in Mississippi, I would think the idea would be excellent...

The Byram track KK is referring to actually does bring in a large crowd- or it used to many years ago-..Now, granted half of them don't have teeth, but they do drink beer! I think anything that would bring in more revnue to MS is a great idea. I would be all for it.
Instead of saying it WON'T happen, maybe we should say it would be good for MS if it DID happen...even if the possibility is slim.
On the other hand, people did say we would NEVER have a black President...

Go Phil!

And KK I was SO not referring to you as being a redneck...you are one of the few still on my side on jj. :)

It's not about building a track. It is about convincing the NASCAR crowd that Feel is one of them and they should support them. He is a gladhander to the max.

hasn't Tunica Cty been pursuing this for some time?

Wow, the JJ Nation comes out for a TRACK! And Reb you know I got your back even if you did call me a redneck. When I'm on the infield of 'Dega, I dress the part, no shirt, beer in hand, motorized cooler to get around the field with my lady in the trailer I'm pulling behind my cooler. A sight to see!!! Then I retire to my custom Bus with all the amenities trackside in turn 3.

"JJ Nation"?!?

I smell a t-shirt concession.......

There's no need to waste time, money, and hope on something that,

1. will never happen in the next decade +

2. WILL NEVER HAPPEN IN THE NEXT DECADE +


Grasping at pie in the sky ideas isn't going to do ANY good for this state, especially with the rampant corruption going on. We need to FIX the problems we've already got before we create more.

Hell, a city can't even get police radios without a war with the "good ole boys" trying to get a piece of the action. And you think we can finance, build, and run a NASCAR racetrack... Some of you people need to put the "koolaid" down and help yourself to a big dose of REALITY.

I've said that to KF for some time now. I'd be happy to work on it.

KF is right. There is less than zero chance that a NASCAR event will come to Mississippi. Eddie Briggs floated it in his primary race against Mike Parker in '99.

The schedule's too long as it is. If there's a new track anytime soon (not counting Kentucky's getting a cup race), it will be in New York.

This doesn't even rise to the level of "pipe dream."

Well as I see it, no one here wants to talk about the other economic benefits of a track.

A quick look at ISC's 10-Q shows more events than just NASCAR Sprint Cup and NASCAR Nationwide.

Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car
ARCA RE/MAX
IZOD Indy Cars
NASCAR Truck

These guys know how to run a track and if we think we are in as bad a shape as MI...think again, we're better off.

My point is that they can grow the sport. And with the continued expansion of foreign companies into the US marketplace, they certainly can make a go at development here in the US and a track would be helpful. Its called synergy.

Can they accomplish their growth goals with their current inventory of tracks...YES. If MS ever wants to have a shot we would have to look to locating it near a Casino like the Kansas track.

Here's the deal Roo. If a track was such a huge win then private enterprise would have already built it. (Same could be said for Farish Street and look at the cluster fuck that continues to be.) But as with most situations in areas looking to attract some type of big time sports play 9.9 times out of 10 it involves a massive level of taxpayer investment to build the facility with no guarantee of success or return. If the private sector won't bite it makes zero sense to use our limited and constricted state treasury as the investment bank for such a risky venture. Bottom line, Mississippi simply can't afford rolling the type of dollar dice it would take to get done. Our dollars are better off chasing real everyday jobs like Nissan and what Barbour has brought to the state in his eight years then chasing our tail on a racing track. The MBJ should have been less indirect and just come out to say that Bryant was pandering, again. It certainly would have been more fun watching Lange get his panties in a wad if they had.

Excellent analysis and conclusion.

If they do build a NASCAR track, they can use Farish Street as the pits, cause it is, and there damn sure won't be any other traffic there.

Hell, don't stop at a NASCAR track ... let's work on getting an NFL team! And a supercolliding superconductor! And a major film studio! And becoming the world's # 1 silk producer!

... As suggested upthread, such "prospects" are merely ploys for someone to get paid to do a "study," preferably at taxpayer expense, which after several months and a few hundred thousand dollars, concludes that the prospect likely isn't feasible, or would require a miracle.

Wasting resources on what ain't gonna happen is not a free lunch; it subtracts resources from what can and should be done. KF is correct.

But, good news, according to my inbox, Phil Bryant has sent me a message about "Why I'm for Phil Bryant." Glad he supports himself.

I'm for Phil getting out of State Government!

Maybe "ole Phil" could become a driver - he is going to need a "real job" after Dave is finished with him!

Memphis lost its race....Dale Jr is a partner in the company that bought the track. The only reason they bought the track was to acquire the race dates. They had a brand new track in the heart of Nascar country and even Dale Jr couldn't get a race. So they bought the Memphis track just so they could get the rights to the race dates. Ghost town over there in Millington now.

Moroso Investment Partners closes on Memphis Motorsports Park facility

Wednesday, 16 February 2011

Moroso Investment Partners, the ownership group of Palm Beach International Raceway, has closed the transaction on purchasing the Memphis Motorsports Park track property from Dover Motorsports Inc. for 2.062 million dollars. Moroso Investment Partners was the high bidder at an auction held on December 14. The purchase includes all 342+ acres, including the ¼ mile drag strip, the ¾ mile paved oval and the road course. All equipment, furniture and fixtures were sold separately at the auction.

The group, led by Michael Dezer of Team Dezer Racing and Joseph Lubeck, managing partners, and Jason Rittenberry, President & CEO hopes to have the facility reopen for the racing season in April of 2011. Pam Kendrick has been named the new Vice President and General Manger of the facility. She previously was the Senior Director of Administration and Finance of the facility under Dover Motorsports ownership. Chris Sowell has been named Facilities Manager. The remaining management team and staff will be named in the coming weeks.

The new staff will work to bring back some of the major events the facility has hosted in the past, as well as operate the successful weekly events and series that were a staple at the facility for many years.

“It’s great that our investor group stepped in and decided to purchase the Memphis facility,” said Jason Rittenberry, President & CEO of Palm Beach International Raceway. “We know that there’s a lot of work that needs to go into renovations, but I’m confident that it can be done and the facility will reopen in time for the 2011 season. We’ve got the right management team in place to re-establish the facility in the racing industry.”

Rittenberry previously spent 10 years with Dover Motorsports, Inc. as Vice President & General Manager of Memphis Motorsports Park before coming to lead the team at Palm Beach International Raceway.

The Memphis facility will reopen sanctioned as an IHRA facility, with Summit Super Series bracket racing and weekly test and tune sessions. The staff is working diligently to book national and regional events for the 2011 season and is in negotiations with several sanctioning bodies. A Nitro Jam event has been secured and a date will be announced in the coming weeks. In addition to the drag racing events, the facility will host an Outlaw Monster Truck Spectacular event in September.

While there is still no official statement about efforts to bring a NASCAR or NASCAR-type track to Mississippi, the state’s gaming commissioner Larry Gregory hinted at it Monday.

At the monthly John C. Stennis Institute of Government luncheon in downtown Jackson, he said that Mississippi will need to invest heavily in other tourism attractions — such as convention centers, water parks and racing tracks — near its waterfront casinos.

“There’s been talk on the coast, but also Tunica, of bringing some mega race track into the facilities,” he said.http://msbusiness.com/editorsnotebook/2011/06/06/casino-boss-hints-at-mysterious-nascar-track/

Focus has been placed on "NASCAR", probably inaccurately. Modern motorsports parks are/will be multi-faceted and appeal to the widest types of racing possible to make combined use of facilities more financially feasible.

With the vast types of motorsports racing from stock cars, modified, drag, motorcross, rally/autocross, CHAMP car, KART, DIRT/Outlaw, sidexside (UTV), Trophy Truck, TORC, SCORE, ULTRA4, SCORE, etc, a well designed complex can be very successful by providing a local multi-use recreational motorsports area plus hosting multiple regional and national events.

Plans are underway to look at building a track on the coast. It will be a public-private partnership, so the state will be protected. With all of the major casino money down there, it is a no-brainer if a couple of the big boys in gaming think it will help draw bigger crowds to the gaming areas on the coast. Phil knows what he is talking about. He is not making any empty promises.

WORNG WRONG WRONG.

i hv it on good authority j burwell has secured financing to build one on the site forerly known as harborwalk. there will even be a span across the rez! construction will begin within a year. give or take.

It would be poetic justice to build a track a stones throw from Crothers' place.

Phil is a little too slick for me. He said there was no oil on the coast last year, he said he was going to Yazoo City "with chainsaw" when the tornado hit. He is always in front of a camera. Too much for me.

Agreed Anon 3:27....last year during the oil slick, Phil spoke at our Rotary club. When asked about the coast he literately stated "The Coast Guard is down there ready to act if it washes ashore. We'll shoot bullets at it if we have to."

3:27 I am in total agreement! Phil would not know what to do with a chainsaw if he had one - it doesn't have a state or county payroll check attached to it!

When does Phil plan on moving the state capital to Rankin County?