Pikes Peak Int'l Raceway Getting Ready To Pitch For Cup Race: Rob Johnson, president of Pikes Peak International Raceway in Fountain, Colo., is warming up and about ready to make a pitch. "We've got market research done on a consumer report on (fans') desire to purchase tickets to a Nextel Cup event at PPIR," Johnson said of some of the data, prepared by a track task force, he plans to present to NASCAR officials. "We have just finished our economic impact statement for 2004 and what it would look like with a Nextel Cup race. "We'll have all this done in the next two or three weeks, and then, at that point, we can start to schedule whether we go down there (to Daytona Beach, Fla.) or ask them to come here or (whether track officials) send NASCAR a packet." ..."The research indicates there would be overwhelming support for a race from a fan standpoint," said Johnson, whose track currently features Indy Racing League and NASCAR Busch series races. "All the information is coming together as far as, would people want to buy a ticket, would they buy a season ticket, would they support the race and can we handle the traffic if we grow to 65,000 people? Everything is coming out very well. "We've got good political support, we've got good local support, so everything is moving forward. The big deal that came out of the economic impact is that, with a Nextel Cup event, it would be the single-largest event in Colorado annually. "Now we need to go present the information in a professional manner. That's what our next step will be." - TCPalm.com
