Southwest IL should rally around `Raceway of Dreams’ and the big event coming our way

While Iowa is home to a field of dreams, southwestern Illinois boasts a raceway of dreams – envisioned by a man whose passion for racing matches his love for this community. Through his hard work and collaborative efforts, he has opened the door for a tremendous economic development opportunity.

World Wide Technology Raceway owner Curtis Francois is the visionary business leader who has turned the raceway around in just 10 short years, earning a NASCAR Cup Series race next year on June 5, 2022. Cup races are the stuff of sporting lore – with a reported 80 million dedicated fans who are now setting their sights on the Metro East as we become one of the newest host communities for a Cup Series race.

Preparing for an event of this magnitude is now a high priority for Illinois. In late October, I was part of a delegation of regional and state leaders that visited the highly successful track and associated development around Kansas Speedway in Kansas City, Kansas. They have hosted a Cup Series race annually for the past 20 years, attracting tens of thousands of fans each year. The surrounding development has made the area a major destination.

Our Kansas hosts detailed how important collaboration at the municipal, county and state level has been to their success. Illinois promises to do the same, as Curtis and I were joined on this fact-finding mission by Richard Mark (President, Ameren Illinois and Chair, Leadership Council Southwestern Illinois), Omer Osman (Secretary, Illinois Department of Transportation), Sylvia Garcia (Director, Illinois Department of Commerce & Economic Opportunity), John Hamm (Mayor, City of Madison), Mike Suarez (Mayor, Village of Fairmont City), Carlos Mayfield (City Manager, City of East St. Louis), Steven Johnson (President, Alliance STL) and Tom Ackerman (Sports Director, KMOX).

Curtis has made the track turnaround happen through hard work, local support and private investment – delivering an opportunity for southwestern Illinois to achieve a level of significance unlike anything before. In fact, an economic impact study recently completed by The Rawlings Sports Business Management Department at Maryville University projects that this NASCAR Cup Series race will produce at least $60 million in economic impact for the bi-state market.

I urge our community leaders, businesses, hospitality providers and eligible workforce to share in the momentum and continue to rally support around this raceway of dreams.

Rep. Jay Hoffman, D-Swansea, 113th District, Illinois House of Representatives and Assistant Majority Leader

This story was originally published November 4, 2021 at 2:00 PM.