Post by dalejrfan on Sept 13, 2006 16:31:28 GMT -5
MOBILE, Ala. -- Gulf Coast Entertainment LLC on Tuesday announced plans to construct a major motorsports and entertainment park in southern Alabama. The investor group has narrowed its site choices to a location in Mobile County in the area across from the University of Mobile and two potential sites in adjacent Baldwin County -- one on the Foley Beach Express and the other in central Baldwin County.
The project -- which is to include an asphalt speedway, a road course, a drag strip and a dirt track -- will be named "Alabama Motorsports Park, A Dale Earnhardt Jr. Speedway." Joining the motorsports star and a diverse group of investors from various southern states in participation in the project are Kelley Earnhardt Elledge and Kerry Earnhardt, marking the siblings' first professional collaboration.
"Our family business is racing and it's been our business for three generations," Dale Earnhardt Jr. said "Kelley, Kerry and I want to continue the family business with hopes that the next generation of Earnhardts will want to be involved in the sport. This new venture with the Alabama Motorsports Park provides yet another avenue in which the Earnhardt family can participate.
"Growing up, the race track was our playground on the weekends," he said, "so all of us look forward to being involved on the ground level of this project and being a part of the design team."
The site plan developed by HOK Sport of Kansas City includes parking, a significant RV resort, multiple music theaters and an arena and reserves land for commercial, residential and light industrial activities.
In addition to HOK Sport, one of the nation's top designers of sports facilities, Gulf Coast Entertainment has worked with Turner Construction's sports division to plan and price the development. All three of the sites being considered are in excess of 2,300 acres.
The schedule calls for the project to be completed in the fall of 2009.
The investor group was formed by Alabama business and political leaders, who then attracted out-of-state investors and expertise and named former four-term Mobile mayor Mike Dow its president. Out-of-state investors include members of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, the College Football Hall of Fame, team owners in two national motorsports series, and a sports and entertainment marketing firm.
"We're creating a fun, family-friendly environment which will be used for years to come by gulf coast residents and visitors," Dow said. "We benefit from terrific interstate access, the beaches and casinos create a huge tourist base, and our research shows an underserved motorsports market that stretches from New Orleans to Panama City. Additionally, the economic impact study developed by Dr. Semoon Chang indicates significant benefits for Baldwin and Mobile counties and the entire state."
Dale Earnhardt Jr. has provided input on the lighted, 75,000-seat, 7/10-mile oval. Features will include pedestrian/vehicle tunnels and banking and multiple grooves to promote close racing with extensive passing opportunities. Kerry Earnhardt has provided input on both the track and on a freshwater lake that investors believe will attract national fishing events.
The 3.5-mile road course will feature two distinct but connected segments to enhance testing on the track. The 1/4-mile drag strip and 3/8-mile dirt track will be designed to attract national events.
Gulf Coast Entertainment representatives have met with a number of national motorsports sanctioning bodies to inform them of the group's intentions. No discussions about specific racing events were held, because sanctioning bodies typically do not conduct such conversations until a track is substantially under construction.
The park's Web site, www.alabamamotorsportspark.com, will provide future project and construction updates.
The project -- which is to include an asphalt speedway, a road course, a drag strip and a dirt track -- will be named "Alabama Motorsports Park, A Dale Earnhardt Jr. Speedway." Joining the motorsports star and a diverse group of investors from various southern states in participation in the project are Kelley Earnhardt Elledge and Kerry Earnhardt, marking the siblings' first professional collaboration.
"Our family business is racing and it's been our business for three generations," Dale Earnhardt Jr. said "Kelley, Kerry and I want to continue the family business with hopes that the next generation of Earnhardts will want to be involved in the sport. This new venture with the Alabama Motorsports Park provides yet another avenue in which the Earnhardt family can participate.
"Growing up, the race track was our playground on the weekends," he said, "so all of us look forward to being involved on the ground level of this project and being a part of the design team."
The site plan developed by HOK Sport of Kansas City includes parking, a significant RV resort, multiple music theaters and an arena and reserves land for commercial, residential and light industrial activities.
In addition to HOK Sport, one of the nation's top designers of sports facilities, Gulf Coast Entertainment has worked with Turner Construction's sports division to plan and price the development. All three of the sites being considered are in excess of 2,300 acres.
The schedule calls for the project to be completed in the fall of 2009.
The investor group was formed by Alabama business and political leaders, who then attracted out-of-state investors and expertise and named former four-term Mobile mayor Mike Dow its president. Out-of-state investors include members of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, the College Football Hall of Fame, team owners in two national motorsports series, and a sports and entertainment marketing firm.
"We're creating a fun, family-friendly environment which will be used for years to come by gulf coast residents and visitors," Dow said. "We benefit from terrific interstate access, the beaches and casinos create a huge tourist base, and our research shows an underserved motorsports market that stretches from New Orleans to Panama City. Additionally, the economic impact study developed by Dr. Semoon Chang indicates significant benefits for Baldwin and Mobile counties and the entire state."
Dale Earnhardt Jr. has provided input on the lighted, 75,000-seat, 7/10-mile oval. Features will include pedestrian/vehicle tunnels and banking and multiple grooves to promote close racing with extensive passing opportunities. Kerry Earnhardt has provided input on both the track and on a freshwater lake that investors believe will attract national fishing events.
The 3.5-mile road course will feature two distinct but connected segments to enhance testing on the track. The 1/4-mile drag strip and 3/8-mile dirt track will be designed to attract national events.
Gulf Coast Entertainment representatives have met with a number of national motorsports sanctioning bodies to inform them of the group's intentions. No discussions about specific racing events were held, because sanctioning bodies typically do not conduct such conversations until a track is substantially under construction.
The park's Web site, www.alabamamotorsportspark.com, will provide future project and construction updates.