KANSAS CITY, Kan. (Jan. 27, 2011)–Continuing to make Kansas Speedway the best guest experience in motorsports, Kansas Speedway President Patrick Warren announced several enhancements to the fan experience at Kansas Speedway, including two projects that will total over $2 million.
Kansas Speedway is increasing the width of its seats throughout the grandstands, a project that is scheduled to be completed for the new June event weekend (June 4-5, 2011). The project will increase seat widths of both chair back and bleacher seating. Seats that are currently 18 inches will become 20 inches and seats that are 20 inches will increase to 22 inches, which will improve fan comfort during events. The previous grandstand seats, both aluminum and plastic, will be recycled.
In addition to widening seats in the grandstand, Kansas Speedway is also increasing the size of coolers fans can bring to the track. Starting with the June events, soft-sided coolers measuring 14”x14”x14” or 2,700 cubic inches will be permitted – which is six times bigger than in years past. Coolers of this size typically have a removable plastic liner and are branded to hold 24 to 36 cans of carbonated beverages. To ensure these items fit underneath grandstand seats and do not block walkways, coolers with telescoping handles and wheels will not be permitted. As part of its standard policy, hard-sided coolers will not be allowed into the grandstand area. “We continue to listen to our fans about how to improve their experience at Kansas Speedway,” said Warren. “By adding a second NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race to our 2011 schedule and the other changes we’ve made, this was the appropriate time to make these enhancements. Our improvements are designed to add a level of comfort to our guests for all of our events.” Safety improvements allow enhanced convenience for fans while continuing to provide a secure environment. To make it more convenient for fans to carry additional items such as cameras, radio scanners and souvenirs, fans can now utilize lightweight backpacks or daypacks similar to those used by school students. Fan comfort and safety remains a top priority so all items carried into the speedway will be subject to a thorough and complete search by security personnel prior to entering the ticket gates. Kansas Speedway is adding to its popular Blue Ox campground with an additional paved lot on the north side of Speedway property adjacent to State Blvd. The campground will add 185 camping spots to the facility. When race fans arrive at Kansas Speedway in June, they will also notice the new Hollywood Casino at Kansas Speedway as the steel portion of the project is expected to be completed by the end of February. Overlooking Turn 2, the Hollywood Casino at Kansas Speedway is slated to open in the first quarter of 2012.
Kansas Speedway tickets are on sale now for the 2011 season. Season tickets are available, starting at just $159 and include two NASCAR Sprint Cup races, the O’Reilly Auto Parts 250 NASCAR Camping World Truck race, the Kansas Lottery 300 NASCAR Nationwide Series race and a Track Pass for each Sunday race event. Individual tickets are also on sale now for all events (June 4 O’Reilly Auto Parts 250, the June 5 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race, the Oct. 8 Kansas Lottery 300 and the Oct. 9 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race). Tickets for the June 5 Sprint Cup race start at just $59 and tickets for the Oct. 9 Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup race start at $64. Tickets are available by calling 866.460.RACE (7223) or by logging onto www.kansasspeedway.com. Parking at Kansas Speedway is always free.
