Today San Felipe Pueblo
announced the immediate groundbreaking of a state-of-the-art clay oval 3/8-mile
motorized racing venue to be called Hollywood Hills Speedway. This
unique facility, the largest such racetrack in the state and one of the largest
in the country, will be located along I-25 between Albuquerque and Santa Fe,
and will serve as a multi-sport and entertainment stadium serving a large
geographic area of the southwest United States. The completion date of the
facility is expected to be March 2002.
The pueblo's tribal administration,
through its Casino Hollywood, also announced that a letter of interest has
been received from the Pennzoil World of Outlaws (TM) to appear at Hollywood
Hills Speedway beginning with its 2002 national racing schedule. World of
Outlaws racing is widely considered to be "the NASCAR of dirt track automobile
racing," and its nationally televised popularity consistently ranks as one
of the most exciting motorized racing series in the country.
Ted Johnson, president
of the World of Outlaws professional racing series, stated that New Mexico
has long been appealing as a high-potential venue with a strong racing heritage
and many racing fans, but that no appropriate facilities existed as a sustainable
and continuous home for such a large event. "[San Felipe Pueblo's] concept
of building a new racing facility certainly has our interest. We would welcome
the construction of a new generation racetrack," said Johnson.
Hollywood
Hills Speedway, to be built in the hills immediately east of Casino Hollywood
and tangent to historic Route 66, will integrate seating for 10,000 spectators,
high-technology track construction and lighting, press box and media center,
merchandising and concessions, and a large adjacent area for spectator parking.
The site will also provide convenient parking and hook-ups for recreational
vehicles. The design of the facility calls for literally sculpting the track
and stadium into the surrounding hills. "We intend to incorporate the track
and its accompanying facilities into the natural hills in a way that will
preserve and respect the ageless beauty of our land," said San Felipe Pueblo's
Governor Lawrence Troncosa.
In addition to automobile
racing in several forms, Hollywood Hills Speedway will make possible many
other popular events such as motorcycle racing, motocross, monster truck challenges,
rodeos and large-scale outdoor concerts. "Our location between Albuquerque
and Santa Fe is ideal because it ensures that we'll be able to conveniently
serve the largest metropolitan area of the state," said Kenneth Warner, general
manager of Casino Hollywood. "But we're really looking at serving the varied
outdoor interests of the whole state, and surrounding states as well."
Completion of this ambitious
project will establish the first casino in the United States with an adjacent
racetrack and multi-sport facility. "No other sports, entertainment or gaming
venues in the nation are set up in this fashion," said Ernest Tenorio, chairman
of the pueblo's Enterprise Board, which will oversee the general operation
of the track and stadium. "From an entertainment delivery standpoint we think
it makes a lot of sense. It adds great value to our customers' experiences
here at San Felipe."
The clay oval racetracks
closest to Albuquerque/Santa Fe with World of Outlaws events are Las Vegas,
Nevada, Ft. Worth and Oklahoma City. The only other such track in the entire
Mountain Time Zone is in Montana. "Hollywood Hills Speedway will fill a large
geographic and sports void in the southwest United States," said Phil Davis,
Casino Hollywood's marketing and communications director, "and we're confident
that the pueblo's state-of-the-art facility will further establish New Mexico
as a premier racing, sports and entertainment market. The combination of dirt
track racing at Hollywood Hills Speedway and paved track racing at Sandia
Motorsports Park should make our area the most complete and exciting racing
destination in this part of the country," said Davis.
Construction of Hollywood
Hills Speedway comes at a time when Casino Hollywood is undergoing its own
construction program to double its present size while adding new games and
a large indoor entertainment center. Casino Hollywood's expansion is expected
to be completed by the end of this year. In the summer of 2000 San Felipe
Pueblo opened its travel center, which offers a separate family restaurant,
convenience store, gas station and truckers' lounge.
The projected establishment of Hollywood Hills Speedway is a major step taken in San Felipe Pueblo's long-term plan to broaden and enhance economic possibilities and self-determination for the members of its tribe. The resulting employment created by the combination of Hollywood Hills Speedway and an expanded Casino Hollywood will also provide new job opportunities in the Albuquerque/Santa Fe area. Neighboring tribal communities will benefit as well. "We want people to think first of San Felipe when discussions turn to progressive enterprise, popular entertainment and long-term economic development," said Tenorio. "This is what we believe New Mexicans want, and this is what we are endeavoring to give them."
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