Despite personal lobbying by NASCAR great Rusty Wallace, a legislative bid to provide an $8 million state appropriation to the Iowa Speedway at Newton may have run out of gas at the Iowa Statehouse. Iowa House Speaker Kraig Paulsen, R-Hiawatha, said Wednesday there arent enough votes in the Republican-controlled House to include the speedway money in a major state spending bill that could be voted on soon as lawmakers push for adjournment of their 2013 legislative session. ‘It doesnt have the support, correct’ Paulsen said. The Democratic-led Iowa Senate agreed last week to provide the $8 million to the track over the next four years to upgrade its facilities in an effort to bring NASCARs top circuit to Newton. But the measure cant win final approval without the support of the Iowa House. Wallace personally met with Iowa lawmakers on Tuesday at the Iowa Statehouse in an effort to win approval for the state appropriation. However, when a Des Moines Register reporter attempted to sit on one of Wallaces meetings with Iowa Senate members, he was told by a senator he couldnt attend. Wallace, an Iowa Speedway designer and minority owner, said last week the state appropriation would help the Iowa Speedways efforts to land a date on the coveted Sprint Cup Series calendar. Wallace said the money could help the Speedway expand its permanent seating from 25,000 to 60,000 and ‘improve the infrastructure around the track to get it in shape for a Cup race.” Sen. William Dotzler, D-Waterloo, a proponent of the $8 million state appropriation and a season ticket holder at the Iowa Speedway, said Wednesday that Paulsen has told him he doesnt have enough House members speaking up in favor of the Newton track. ‘I know that there are people who are in favor of it who are encouraging members to speak up. So we are still hopeful enough people come to the speaker and talk directly with him about it’ Dotzler said. ‘It is a mistake not to fund the track because when you get that next level race, it could mean $100 million per race of money into the state of Iowa. So the return on investment is huge. But nothing is over until it is over.”( Des Moines Register )(5-24-2013) News from May 23, 2013
