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Belleville Speedway is BACK | Kenny Wallace Show · Kenny Wallace Media

• 0:00
  You've heard all about it. Belle Claire, Belle Vegas.
• 0:05
  Belleville Speedway is back and we're going to go inside and
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  we're going to talk to Mark Kern all about it.
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  Come with me. I am so excited.
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  We are here at the new Belleville Speedway.
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  The first thing everybody wants to know is who's in charge.
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  Mark Kern. There we go.
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  OK, just so everybody knows, Mark Kern.
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  Mark, explain who you are and how you're in charge of the new
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  racetrack. So I'm the chairman of Sinclair
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  County Board. Saint Clair County owns the
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  facility here at the at the Fairgrounds Public Building
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  Commission, who is a part of Sinclair County.
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  We work together, Jim Brady, every day trying to get this
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  project going and it's going. OK, you know what?
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  We got little microphones on. I think it would be best if I
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  moved over here. OK, so the old Herminator's got
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  a saying. You don't believe us?
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  All right, we know that you 2 are true blue.
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  Real Belle Claire Belle Vegas racetrack guys.
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  So you see it. So tell us your name.
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  Tell us the first year you were here.
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  Kurt Benedict. I was here in 1953.
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  It was five years old when I came here to a race.
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  And you you believe it's happening.
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  Yes, I do. I'm standing out here, right?
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  We're not going to show you the race track yet or everybody
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  knows the legendary Bobby Biddle, one of the greatest race
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  car drivers in our time. And thank you know, Schrader
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  won't let me brag on him, but I like to brag on you because you
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  were one of the best. SO, Bobby.
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  Well, I appreciate it. What do you think, buddy?
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  Oh, it's, it's happening. I mean, it's happening here.
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  You can look around and see it, it's happening.
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  People are a lot of naysayers and doubters, but I mean, it's
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  moving far where we're standing here in in the middle of one and
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  two, right here where the wall is going to be where, well, I
• 2:01
  don't know if Kenny's going to be rubbing.
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  You'll be down catfish. I'll be here the first night.
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  OK, Bobby, look, can you move out of the way so we can play
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  we? Need Ray Walsh up here rubbing
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  the rubbing. The concrete, oh, I got
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  goosebumps. I know Ray is going to be
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  alright. Billy.
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  Billy, the kid Smith is working the camera and he's a true, true
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  racer. Alright Billy, we're going to
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  move out of the way and we're going to show you perspective
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  where the new racetrack is. Alright, Bobby, let's move out
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  of the way, All right? There you go, everybody.
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  That's where Dandy Don, Kleinwood Park, everybody knows
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  that 10 building with the roof. Dandy Don always parked on the
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  corner. If you look over there to the,
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  you know, the original fairgrounds is still there and
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  that's where the grandstand was. OK, so Billy, let's pan right
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  here we are. All right, so let's walk.
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  Mark, if you guys don't mind. Billy, this is High bank buddy.
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  I like this all right, Mark Yep, you guys keep coming.
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  Hey, we're Charlie can edit this up, but we're going to keep
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  walking. This thing is high banked.
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  It's high bank. Look at this show up, Mark it.
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  Has to be 5-6. Four, you're building this
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  racetrack and I'm I'm sitting here thinking to myself, come
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  here guys, come on over. I need somebody right here.
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  You go over there. All right, Mark, who knows what
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  they're doing? How are you?
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  Just like building this racetrack.
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  Come on. Over here.
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  Come here, Jim. Come on, Jim.
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  We need you. OK.
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  So the county chairman asked us to revitalize the old
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  fairgrounds and he said we got one shot of doing it, so we need
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  to do it right. So we got a contract with
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  Impact, which they have some relationships with some track
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  builders. And so we took a few months to
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  kind of look at everything we had.
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  Clearly we had a lot of infrastructure issues that we
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  had to deal with, but we're clearly here now moving dirt and
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  moving forward. I saw rednecks.
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  We're like, how do they know how to build that racetrack?
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  They don't know what they're doing.
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  How do you all know what you're doing?
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  Well, we got a lot of experience moving dirt, doing deep
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  utilities in which there's quite a few of them out here to do
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  yet. And we also done the Dome a few
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  years in a row, so. They did the Dome.
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  We have a guy, Derek Ball, He does a Dome.
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  He kind of heads that up. He works for us and it seems
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  like when the Dome comes, we all of our equipment disappears and
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  it goes to the Dome. OK, we're going to do a lot of
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  fun here for perspective. You guys stay right here for
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  perspective. Hey, Wallace, how much banking
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  does it have? OK, come here, Billy, show them
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  how much banking it's got. It's got as much as the old bell
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  track by far. That's way down Yonder and the
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  Chattahoochee right there. Look at that.
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  That gives you a little perspective.
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  We're way up here. OK?
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  Come here. Come here.
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  Hold on. Bobby Fiddle.
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  What did you just say? Say it again.
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  Ohh I I I believe it has more banking than the old track
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  probably. Is it going to be on the top?
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  Are we going to be on the top? I mean, if they keep the banking
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  on the bottom, I think you'll be all over it.
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  You'll be top, bottom, middle. When the bottom wears out, you
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  think you think Pierce will be on the top getting underneath
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  Shepherd. Wheeling 3 Wheeling.
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  Around there I'll be 3 Wheeling. OK, Yeah.
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  Billy, come on over here. Mark, you guys OK, so
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  state-of-the-art facility, what do?
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  What do we have? I like what I see.
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  Look, it looks like we have some good drainage.
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  Drainage is the most important. That's Billy.
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  Look at that drainage. We.
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  Want to be able to, you know, if we have rain event, we can get
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  it drained out and and be able to race on weekends.
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  So drainage was probably the most crucial piece that we had
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  to do. And then?
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  Clearly we we enlarged it so and trying to enhance the banks.
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  OK, here, here's here's my opinion.
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  Bigger than Highland, maybe a little bit smaller, but about
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  the same size as Peebly. Looks a lot like Hobstat, but
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  the locals are going to love it because this is a bull ring and
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  it's a short track. You're not going to wear your
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  motors out. Biddle, come here.
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  I'll tell you what. OK, Hold on.
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  I'm going to hear this. Get in here.
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  When you're talking about the tracks, I feel like I'm
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  standing, like this corner feels like we're standing on an old
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  Saint Charles corner. Oh, Saint Charles.
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  Does this corner does I know not as.
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  It's a little bigger than. Saint Charles was shorter, but
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  this feels like the corner of a Saint Charles race.
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  Track. But the locals are going to love
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  this because we're not going to wear our motors out.
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  Oh yeah, no, I, I don't believe that.
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  Yeah, it's that going to be a motor.
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  Killer. OK, one thing I really like and
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  I got a big question. Hey Wall, it's where did they
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  get the dirt? Look, this is really good stuff.
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  Where in the world did you find such good dirt?
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  This dirt's coming on the backside of the sewer.
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  Plant, it's all. So it's got poop in it, Virgin.
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  You might. Want to wash?
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  Your hands. But but this isn't what's going
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  to be on top. No, there's another foot to go
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  in. Here, So we have our mix coming,
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  yet on top of that we have another foot to go.
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  What you see today and you guys know what you're doing, you put
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  the Dome in, they got experience.
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  Where are you going to get the dirt for the For the main dirt,
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  it's. Coming from Collinsville, I
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  believe is an area that we're looking.
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  To get it was tested and they they pick the kind of dirt we
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  need for the track and that's where we're going to get.
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  That's exciting. OK, so there's no.
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  Debris. Out here, there's no shock
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  debris, there's no caution. No.
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  Yeah, no rocks. OK, where?
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  Where's the pit area going to be?
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  Which corner? We're in turns 1 and 2.
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  Where's the pits going to be? You're coming in right over
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  here. The old way on that.
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  And you're going to exit over here.
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  OK. Where are the truck and trailers
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  going to park the pit area over there behind turns 3 and 4?
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  Where? You're going to exit.
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  That pylon is actually the middle.
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  Billy, show them that pylon. That's where we're going to come
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  off the racetrack. That it's it's down just right
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  where that dozer is coming up. That's actually the road is
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  coming up. I got you.
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  OK, that's. The road going oh, there you go
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  everybody. The bulldozer is making the pit
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  exit. You need to find out where you
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  picked the checker flag up at. Yeah, where do we pick the?
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  Checker flag. Up right there.
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  OK, guys. OK.
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  We we've addressed who's running the racetrack.
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  It's Mark Kern. We've addressed who's building
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  the racetrack. What's the name of the company
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  again? Public Building Commission.
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  Public, Public Building Commission, you've addressed
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  that. You guys know what you're doing.
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  Bobby and Kurt, can you come over here?
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  2 legends These two legends confirm it's the real deal.
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  They like the dirt. It's the.
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  Real deal. Where is the where are the walls
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  and the fencing? Where where are they at?
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  Or you're kidding me, They're, oh, breaking breaking news in
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  the garage area. Right here is the top.
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  Right here is about. The wall?
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  No, what I meant is where are they at right now?
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  Are we pouring concrete walls? We are waiting for the contract,
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  whoever's going to pour the walls, the footings and all
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  that. And what about the grandstands?
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  The grandstands, where are they? Where all them vehicles are
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  parked right there. You're actually parked in the
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  grandstands. So that's where the grandstands
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  are going to be. 4000 seats. Yeah, the back of that black
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  vehicle there, Mark about right here is that's the length of it.
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  It's all the length of the whole.
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  OK, there you go Brody. Not Brody.
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  Brody's my son-in-law, Billy. How many people is this going to
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  fit? So 3800 to 4000 people.
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  Some of the seating will actually be covered in the main
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  grandstand. Hold on, this is breaking news
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  in the garage area. You're bringing some of the old
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  Belleville back. You're going to cover some of
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  the grandstands. We're going to cover a certain
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  part of the grandstand. Cart, what do you hold on?
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  Hold on Cart, what do you think of bringing a little bit of the
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  the the old sign is stain? Do you mean in front?
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  Yeah. Yes, Sir.
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  The old sign is saying. What do you think about that?
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  Historical They're going to cover some of the front
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  grandstands. That's cool, very cool.
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  You make me happy. You're not sad.
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  You're happy about this? I'm happy.
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  I was sad in the beginning. Not now.
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  The old racetrack was falling down on us, buddy.
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  He's not sad. Everybody.
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  The old racetrack was falling down.
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  When was the original Belleville racetrack built?
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  40s Bobby. 4048. Something that was built in 1948
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  out of wood. I mean the the the walls were
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  wood. It wasn't insurable.
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  We. Couldn't erase.
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  There. OK, there you go.
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  The old Belleville racetrack was not insurable anymore, right?
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  It's good for 77 years. And the reason we're addressing
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  this, everybody's, we see all your comments, you want the old
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  belt. I see too much of this.
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  What is going on in the world? Everybody wants the the old
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  back, but it's all falling down. Bobby, you.
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  Have to make a change. You go ahead and make a change
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  and you have to update. You got to change with the
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  times, unfortunately, Yeah. And this is going to be much
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  better. You those guys come in with them
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  big haulers and stuff. They're not bringing them in on
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  little flatbed wood trailers anymore.
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  OK, I want to say one last thing.
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  We'll close like this, everybody.
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  Kenny Schrader, Tony Stewart, myself, Bob Sargent.
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  Years ago we bought the Macon Speedway in Macon, IL.
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  The first thing we had to do was go on the back straight away.
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  We had to buy 10 new acres because of what Bobby Biddle
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  just said. Don Klein does not have his
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  little pickup truck in his trailer anymore.
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  Now we're bringing in $2,000,000 truck and trailers.
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  Oh, each. Yeah, each.
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  I mean each one of them. Yeah.
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  And they roll in. Here and we got to have room for
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  the pits. Yeah, where it's going to be the
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  outer pit area, so. We're talking about either on. 3
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  or 4. Yeah, we, we, we certainly need
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  a little more room, but we're going to make do with what we
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  got. OK, I got 'cause we're 'cause.
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  We're constricted with the beltline and the.
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  Railroad Press. You'll be you'll be good over
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  there and you got plenty of room for the grants for the
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  grandstand parking on in the original parking lot out there.
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  OK, So what I'm hearing is that you're going to do it right.
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  You're not going to race every weekend.
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  This is a big deal for all the fans.
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  I hate to put your back into a corner right now.
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  Are we going to stay? Is this going to be a new era
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  type schedule? How many races are we going to
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  run? I think we need to. 68 a year.
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  Well, I think it's going to be yeah, going to be are.
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  You the promoter now. No, we don't.
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  We haven't. We haven't got that far yet to
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  really get it down on paper, but there will be two or three races
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  a month. If not, I like that.
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  We want to have local and we want to have the the the bigger
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  races and and we're going to do this right and it's going to be
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  done so that this track breaks even at least maybe makes a few
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  dollars that we can put back in the facility.
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  In order to do that, we got to get people coming.
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  And so we're going to make it right.
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  And this is going to be a good fast track.
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  It's going to have it looks. Race already.
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  We got concessions are going to be first rate restroom.
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  Good cheeseburgers. Everything.
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  You got me pumped up. Where do we get a hot dog right?
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  I think there may be 1 still left out.
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  Bobby, Craig, Benedio, what else are the fans going to want to
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  know? We're it.
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  We're looking at right now, a couple races per month.
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  We're going to get everything rolling the all the parking.
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  So Charlie Marlow all along is dropping in something right
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  here. So the fans are looking at that
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  diagram that you gave me right now, but the parking looks good.
• 13:48
  It's going to. Be good, yeah State.
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  Of the art plenty of. Parking and and it's just going
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  to be like the like the old days as far as accessibility for
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  people lot of fun family events a lot of good food just fun we
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  got we're. Going to have that fairgrounds
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  feel still everybody, and I think that's really nice.
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  OK. All right, Bobby.
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  Thank you, Mark. Thank you brother.
• 14:12
  Jim. Jim, thank you.
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  Robert, these, these, this is it.
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  I mean, these are the main guys. 01 Last thing promoter or we
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  have a promoter we'll probably have.
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  Multiple promoters at some point I'm sure.
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  Maybe. They might lease the track for a
• 14:27
  race. That's the.
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  I think that's the model. That's the.
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  Model. Lease the track, bring in the
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  World of Outlaws, bring in Leukos oil, bring in whatever
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  that's the model right now. The shirt says it all.
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  Everybody respond right here. Robert, will you take us a lap
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  around the racetrack? You betcha.
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  All right. Start, finish line, start finish
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  line. We're going into Turns 1 and 2.
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  This is a highly banked track and I think everyone's going to
• 14:59
  love it. Now listen, you all are wanting
• 15:01
  to know what kind of gear I'm thinking I'm going to run.
• 15:05
  I'm going to come here with a 614 gear right away.
• 15:09
  And I think that's going to be the gear.
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  It it, it reminds me a little bit of peebly, maybe a little
• 15:15
  tighter. Maybe the corners aren't as
• 15:17
  wide. For perspective.
• 15:20
  There's what you never saw at the old Belleville.
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  We're way over, OK. We're entering turn 3 and you
• 15:29
  can tell the banking looks good here and you know the bottom is
• 15:33
  still going to be down there. It's going to be a tight
• 15:34
  cornered racetrack. Reminds me a lot of Hop Stop
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  maybe, but with way better dirt. There's perspective, there's the
• 15:46
  old facility and we're coming off a turn 4 everybody.
• 15:51
  So that's a really quick lap that tells you that it's still
• 15:55
  that nice quarter mile, you know, Bullring maybe a little
• 15:59
  bit. You think it's do you think it's
• 16:01
  a little more than 1/4 I? Think you're right out of
• 16:04
  quarter, we're right. Out of quarter.
• 16:06
  All right, everybody. Oh hey by the way, I need to
• 16:08
  tear off my my windshields dirty.
• 16:10
  Here it at Bell Vegas.