NASCAR racetrack developer selects site near Marysville in the state of Washington: A developer of NASCAR racetracks has selected Snohomish County as its preferred site for a Northwest speedway, county officials and executives from International Speedway Corp. will announce Monday. The decision eliminates a site in Kitsap County and at least two near Portland that were vying for the track, a source said. A speedway has been coveted by the communities because of the income and jobs it is expected to bring, thanks to NASCAR's growing popularity. A site near Yelm, Thurston County, was removed from the list last week. Snohomish County and Marysville officials had been trying since April to lure International Speedway Corp. (ISC) to 600 acres of farmland between Marysville and Arlington, east of Interstate 5. An economic study indicated the proposed ¾-mile track, which would seat about 75,000 people, would generate between $87.3 million and $121.8 million in new revenue every year. Snohomish County Executive Aaron Reardon yesterday said he couldn't confirm or deny that ISC's preferred site was in Snohomish County. He told a reporter that he could say more if a story on the decision could be held until Monday. He didn't give a reason for delaying the announcement, but said he would take the story to other media if The Seattle Times didn't agree to hold it. He later called the reporter to see if a story on the decision would be delayed. When told it would not, he then said ISC will be in Snohomish County on Monday to announce its decision. But he insisted he didn't know what the decision would be. "I feel good about it," he said of the impending announcement. "I think it's a positive sign that they're coming to Washington state." But after his telephone conversation with a reporter, Reardon inadvertently left his phone off the hook and could be heard telling other county officials in his office that he was only "playing dumb" and that he had told another official Marysville would be the site. - The Seattle Times