If you are fan of NASCAR Winston Cup racing, you just may have another track to visit in a few years.  According to an article penned by Thomas S. Brown in the Daytona Beach News Journal, International Speedway Corporation (the folks who own Richmond, Watkins Glen, Daytona, Darlington, and other speedways) revealed a $1.5-billion plan last week to build an 80,000-seat racetrack, plus offices, museums and a convention complex in New Jersey's Meadowlands complex.  The plan would begin with construction of an oval-shaped track, a store, a hospitality village, a café, two parking garages and a museum similar to Daytona USA (at Daytona International Speedway), a corporate spokesman said. Those structures, costing roughly $500 million, would be built east of the existing horse track and football stadium, where the New York Giants and Jets (see they are really not New York teams) play, in the 700-acre East Rutherford, N.J. complex. A light rail line would help bring in fans that preferred not to fight traffic on the New Jersey Turnpike.

    In late years, according to the article, the Speedway project would add more grandstands to the track, plus a 500-room hotel and convention center, an office tower, a movie theater, a cluster of restaurants and additional museums devoted to horse racing and the National Football League. The future phases of development would pump up the project's total cost to $1.5-million.

    I am sure that there will be requests by ISC to the State of New Jersey and the local politicians for help regarding taxes and perhaps with some funding for the project.

    Speedway Corp., which has been trying to build a track in the New York area since 1999, calls its newest proposed property Garden State International Speedway. The overall development would be dubbed Sports City America.

    There are other developers who have offered plans for other types of facilities. The best of the proposals will be picked in October and the final decision is planned for December.

    However, by then, because of elections, the political climate could very well change in the Garden State. It remains to be seen just how receptive the State of New Jersey will be to a speedway racing complex.

    Construction would not start before 2005 if approved. Donald Trump is working as a consultant to try to get the speedway approved.

    We'll keep you posted.

    WHEN THE DEFENDING PENNZOIL WORLD OF OUTLAWS champion, Danny Lasoski, returns to Williams Grove Speedway for this weekend's Cleveland Brothers National Open for sprint cars, he will have a score to settle.

    Danny Lasoski's wrath will not be directed toward any other driver or race team, but at the track itself.

    Lasoski, 42, of Dover, Missouri, finally accomplished a personal goal of winning a race at this historic half-mile on July 25. Less than 24 hours later he was seriously injured in a violent fourth turn accident. A severe concussion, cracked ribs, and a cracked left ankle caused him to miss four races and cost him any chance of repeating as World of Outlaws champion, a prize worth $200,000.

    "I want to win the Williams Grove National Open," says the 7-time

Knoxville Raceway champion. "I want to prove to that place that I can win its biggest race. That track already told me it's the boss, so I want to come back there and prove it wrong."

    Lasoski, whose car is owned by Winston Cup star Tony Stewart, will have plenty of competition from not only many time champion Steve Kinser and the other Outlaws, but also from the Williams Grove regulars known as the Pennsylvania Posse.

    Fayetteville's Lance Dewease is the defending champion of the race and Greg Hodnett, who travels from Memphis, TN, each week, is the leading feature winner this year this season at the Grove and has defeated the Outlaws.

    The 40th annual National Open, one of the country's richest and most prestigious sprint car events, begins with a preliminary program on Friday evening, September 27. Time trials, qualifying heats, two dashes and a B-main will fill the field for the 25-lap feature, which will pay $5,000 to win and lock the first four finishes into Saturday night's dash.

    The September 28th program, Saturday, will be similar to the Friday night show but the National Open will be 40 laps and pay $30,000 to win.

    Racing action is scheduled to start each night at 7:45 p.m.

    Last Friday night at Williams Grove Cris Eash was the 410-sprint feature winner while Pat Cannon got the victory in the 20-lap super sportsman feature.

    MORE OUTLAW RACING happens at Port Royal, PA Speedway on Sunday evening, September 29th. The final 2002 showdown between the Pennzoil World of Outlaws and the Pennsylvania Posse is set.