Kentucky Speedway gets 2012 Sprint Cup race date

NASCAR's Sprint Cup racing series will return to the Kentucky Speedway. Track officials revealed Tuesday that on June 30, 2012 the track will host its next major race. Before a State Senate Transportation Committee Tuesday, Mark Simendinger, the track's general manager said NASCAR is satisfied scenes like what happened earlier this summer won't happen again. However, the senators had plenty of tough questions of their own. Among the thousands of people who got tied up in traffic on the way to the Kentucky Speedway's inaugural Sprint Cup race was State Senator Bob Leeper (I-Paducah).

"I was one of those people," Leeper said. "I have my tickets here." Simendinger once again took full responsibility for the traffic mess. "We do not want to have this issue again," Simendinger said. "I can't stress that to you guys enough." Simendinger said the track and state transportation officials think they can avoid similar parking and traffic problems in the future with planned improvements – more parking, more lanes and better traffic flow. "I want enough parking, enough lanes, I want them moving fast enough so that, and we didn't build this track and we're not spending all this money to just be ok," said Simendinger.

It's not just the Speedway spending money. Improvements also come at an almost $4 million price tag to the state and that brought the most criticism from senators. Kentucky Transportation Secretary Mike Hancock told senators that the cabinet's main concern is keeping I-71 moving and the state was going to have to spend the money to do that on NASCAR weekends. Simendinger said the state improvements were part of the plan the Speedway pitched to NASCAR before NASCAR agreed Kentucky could have another Sprint Cup race next year. Wave News