Track battle getting hotter

Published 9:00 pm Saturday, September 25, 2004

The debate over bringing a NASCAR racetrack to Snohomish County is heating up faster than Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s engine on race day.

With just one day to go before Snohomish County Executive Aaron Reardon and International Speedway Corp. officials make a major announcement on the track location, opponents are gearing up to fight the track, while fans are getting ready to celebrate.

Snohomish County Citizens Against a Racetrack sees Monday’s announcement as “the beginning, not the end,” said Gail Whittington, a member of SCAR.

SCAR members collected an additional 80 to 100 signatures Saturday on their petition opposing the track during Arlington Airport’s annual appreciation day, said Eyleen Shouman, another group member.

That brought the total number of signatures close to 2,500, Shouman said.

“As more people become aware of the site selection – if indeed it is here – more people will oppose it,” Whittington predicted. “I think this will energize people – especially people who have felt that we should save our energies to fight the track until after a site’s been selected.”

Fans, however, expect NASCAR excitement to build if Snohomish County is chosen for the new track.

“As we get closer to a site being selected, we’ve received numerous calls from citizens in Snohomish County wanting to get involved,” said Gigi Burke, an Arlington businesswoman who started Fans United for NASCAR, or FUN.

“People are out there in support of this project. It’s gaining momentum. People are realizing that this would be positive” for Snohomish County, she said.

International Speedway Corp. officials called Reardon’s office on Thursday saying they would be in Everett on Monday for an announcement on ISC’s preferred site.

ISC has been considering a 600-acre site near Smokey Point for a racetrack and recreation area. Other sites under consideration are in Kitsap County and near St. Helens, Ore.

If Snohomish County is selected, both NASCAR boosters and opponents say they will increase efforts to persuade politicians and the public.

Those against the track feel their concerns have been largely ignored by local politicians, Whittington said. Members of SCAR are ready to take the fight to state leaders, she said.

“We will go to Olympia. We will do whatever we have to, to let people know the track is undesirable for this area,” she said, adding that the group would also keep pressure on county leaders.

Fans would keep the pressure on, too, Burke said.

“We’re going to be heavily involved in the process and do everything we can to assist the county and city of Marysville,” she said.

If ISC brings good news about the track on Monday, Fans United for NASCAR wants to hold a community celebration.

“This is very exciting,” Burke said. “(But) this is just the beginning.”

Reporter Yoshiaki Nohara contributed to this story.

Reporter Katherine Schiffner: 425-339-3436 or schiffner@heraldnet.com.