According to a number of media sources, including AutoBlog.com, longstanding rumors of a possible NASCAR-style racetrack coming to Fort Erie are now becoming reality. There have been rumblings of the development for years, and as with any major development of this sort there are are those who steadfastly support the idea as a boon for the regional economy, and there are those who are vehemently opposed to the idea.
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Reports are saying that the world class one-mile oval speedway is being designed with the help of race pro Jeff Gordon. Investors are doing everything possible to attract NASCAR sanctioned racing to the track. According to AutoBlog,.com, the price tag on the Canadian Motor Speedway is $400-million and would seat around 65,000 spectators plus 80 suites. Canadian Motor Speedway executive director Azhar Mohammed said* that, "This will be a world class facility that will attract visitors from all over North America. We are very anxious to begin the next steps in seeing the speedway become a reality."
News of the racetrack has drawn a fair share of critics, although the Ontario Municipal Board feels that the tourism positives outweigh the environmental negatives such as noise and air pollution. The site chosen for the raceway is the former Fort Erie Race Track (horse racing and slots), which puts the site in close proximity to Buffalo.
The Buffalo News recently reported that The Canadian Motor Speedway would also incorporate a series of major retail and restaurant endeavors, as well as go-carts, snowmobiles and BMX racing.
*Quote and image: AutoBlog.com
That's awesome. Shut down a horse track and put in doodoo like auto racing.
Well you could blame the Ontario government for that. Under new regulations the raceway would have been losing nearly $6million CAD per year.
http://edition.cnn.com/2012/10/12/sport/horse-racing-funding-cuts/index.html
Horse racing is just not as popular as it was 100 years ago.
A Nascar track is a good modern sustainable replacement.
This is great news for Buffalo. Ft Erie has a population of 30,000. They don't have even close to the capacity to host 65,000 people for major races. Buffalo, however, does.
The racetrack is two miles from the peace bridge and another 1.5 miles from downtown.
Also do not underestimate Nascar viewership in Western New York and Southern Ontario.
I'm surprised you aren't praising them for getting rid of horse racing. It robs the locals of their hard earned money, much like casinos and the lottery does.
I lived in Louisville for a while so I'm fond of horse racing. On the hosting topic: I may be wrong but isn't a considerable part of the Nascar experience to camp in an RV on the infield?
Actually I believe you are right about the RV camping. However, not everyone will be doing that, so it could still be a boon for downtown hotels.