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Track wants to flag taxes
Published March 14, 2003
Houston Superspeedway officials will pursue a sports authority created by Brazoria County, and say chances of attracting a race are getting better.
Steve Martin, vice president of Star State Investment, which is developing the speedway on Highway 288 between FM 1462 and CR 51 in Brazoria County, said he’d like to see a way for the speedway to capture a portion of the taxes generated by the development it could promote. Current law allows county commissioners to establish an authority.
“A hotel would come out there and they would sell beverages,” Martin said. “There would be a tax on those beverages. There’s a chance to capture some of that tax to pay for the infrastructure.”
Martin said the money would be used toward infrastructure supporting development around the track and wouldn’t go to the speedway itself.
“The sports authority basically is just an entity that is a public and private partnership that would help capture some of the revenue,” Martin said.
A law authored several years ago by then-State Rep. Kim Brimer, R-Fort Worth, allows counties to create a variety of funding mechanisms to fund sports authorities. Voters in the county involved must approve the authority first.
State Rep. Dennis Bonnen, R-Angleton, who would have filed a bill to create the authority at a state level, said such a bill is not the best idea.
“We do not need legislation to create that mechanism to get that done,” Bonnen said.
Brazoria County Judge John Willy will meet with Star State officials next week to discuss the county’s options.
Star State’s plans for the 2,800-acre site include a golf course, commercial development, a hotel and convention center, in addition to the 75,000-seat speedway.
Recent news that NASCAR is considering moving several Winston Cup races that are struggling at the gates is a good sign, said Tom Floyd, Star State’s president.
Floyd said NASCAR hasn’t even discussed moving Winston Cup races in the past.
“I certainly think it creates an environment where they are actively thinking about moving some dates to larger markets,” Floyd said. “Whether it specifically helps us with a date at this time, I don’t think it does.”
Martin agreed any movement in NASCAR’s crowded Winston Cup schedule is positive, but he said Winston Cup isn’t a prerequisite to success.
“It doesn’t hurt us,” Martin said. “This market speaks for itself.”
Houston is the largest city in the South, NASCAR’s home base, without a race.
“If you just do the research and find out what the other new tracks have gotten, they haven’t gotten Winston Cup the first year and they’re doing fine,” Martin said.
The Houston track, which will actually be located near Alvin and Rosharon in Brazoria County, must compete with new tracks in Chicago and Kansas City, as well as existing tracks, for any new dates. The owner of Texas Motor Speedway outside of Fort Worth is in a battle with NASCAR to get a second date at the track.
Martin said he’s just going to focus on the Houston track, and that includes open-wheel racing as well as stock cars.
“I can’t help what’s going on somewhere else,” he said.
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