HomeMy WebLinkAboutRacing Facility Near Bryan Planned; newspaper article (late-1960s)Gianf Racing
facility Near
Bran Planned
BY MIKE WEINGART '
Chronicle Staff
Dallas -While John W. Me-
com's New Orleans Saints were
picking draft choices Tuesday,
Mecom was in
'~ Dallas attending
' a press canfer-
2 ~ ence announcing
`V ~> the formation of
~ ;~~ ;. Texas Interna-
tional Speedway
` Inc., a race fa-
~~`~ ; cility to be built
on a 2600 -acre
tract near Cal-
MECOM ~ lege Station.
Mecom has been named a di-
rector of the Speedway and said
he hopes to actively participate
in the venture which will con-
du,et its first race Dec. 7.
Ilawrence H. Lopatin, Detroit
financier and president of the
Michigan and Texas Internation-
al Speedways, said land has
been acquired for a tract oa'
State Highway 6, five m i 1 e 5
southeast of College Station an
69 miles from Houston.
Michigan International Speed.
way is the major stockholder, i'
the Texas venture, Lopatin saidx
adding that about $1 million ha'
been spent to launch the praj=
ect expected ,to cost $6 million,
when completed.
Lopatin said the College Stagy;
tion site was chosen because i
is in the center of a triangle en-
compassing the most highly pop-
ulated areas of Texas--Houston,
Dallas-Fort Worth and San
tonio.
Engineering far this facility',
has been completed, g r o u p
,preparation should begin in fo
to six weeks and the first races
scheduled for Dec. 7 will be
500-mile event for National Assn'
for Stock Car Auto Racin
(NASCAR) Grand N a t i o n i}
stock cars.
"Since this will be the fin
race of the 1969 NASCAR Gran
National series, it should clim
an exciting year of both driv
and manufacturer competitio,
and could decide the 1969 cham:`
pion." said William France Sr.
NASCAR president.
Lo~Patin said NASCAR h a '~
agreed to hold its final race o
the series at Texas Internation .
for 10 years. He expects f i v `
major events during the. tale ,
dar ,year for the facility whi
will be four race tracks in on `