The countdown to the opening of the Hollywood Casino at Kansas Speedway began in earnest on Wednesday with a topping-out ceremony, which means the final exterior beam was put in place.
Officials from Kansas Entertainment, Penn National Gaming and the Unified Board of Commissioners of Wyandotte County and Kansas City, Kan., took part in the festivities at the casino site,
“This time next year, we won’t be standing here alone,” Jim Baum, senior vice president of project development for Penn National Gaming told contractors, construction workers and guests who were celebrating the topping out. “We’ll be standing here with about 15,000 customers.”
Jeff Boerger, president of Kansas Speedway Development Corp. — the joint venture of Penn National Gaming and International Speedway Corporation — anticipates about 4 million annual visitors to the $300 million facility.
“We met another benchmark,” Boerger said. “We kept our commitments from day one when we pitched the project to receive a gaming license. Not only are we delivering on a first-class, destination casino, but we’ve also delivered on a second Sprint Cup event and the road course we’re going to be building.
On June 4-5, Kansas Speedway will play host to a Sprint Cup weekend in addition to its annual Oct. 8-9 weekend, a commitment that ISC chairman and NASCAR executive vice president Lesa France Kennedy made to state gaming officials when the track and its owner sought the casino.
The casino, which will include a 100,000-square-foot casino floor with capacity for up to 2,300 slot machines and 52 table games, a sports bar and a variety of dining and entertainment options, is Phase One of the project.
Phase Two would include a hotel, expanded gaming space, a spa, convention center and entertainment retail district, depending on market demand.
“Your work will lead to over 1,000 jobs for new workers, and families will benefit from the opportunity to be employed, to have a great job and a great experience in this community,” said Joe Reardon, mayor of the Unified Government.
Kansas Speedway president Pat Warren said ticket sales have been strong for the new Sprint Cup date in June, which includes a trucks race, the O’Reilly Auto Parts 250, on June 4 in addition to the Kansas Speedway 400 on June 5. But it hasn’t affected sales for the Oct. 8-9 weekend, which includes a Nationwide race, the Kansas Lottery 300, and the fourth race in NASCAR’s Chase for the Sprint Cup, the Hollywood Casino 400.
“We sold out of our $59 ticket,” Warren said. “So we’ve had to change our marketing message because we don’t have that ticket anymore. We still have lower prices than we’ve had in the past, because we’re selling single event tickets now, not the weekend anymore.
“People are more interested in buying the June race right now, because it’s closer, but we’re seeing purchasing for both. Some people can’t make it in June or can’t make it in October. That’s one of the reasons we split them up.”
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