New Neighbors? Drivers give their thoughts on Chiefs possible move near Kansas Speedway – Speedway Digest – Home for NASCAR News

While Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce may have been at Formula One’s Miami Grand Prix this past weekend, the pair’s next move near a racetrack may be just across the Missouri/Kansas border.

This past week, it was reported by the Kansas City Star that there was a possibility that the Kansas City Chiefs could build a new stadium near I-70 and The Legends area, which would be right across the Kansas Speedway with I-435 bordering the two properties.

Not only would the new football stadium for the three time Super Bowl champion franchise be new for the folks at Kansas, but it would be the one of the only tracks or NASCAR to have an NFL Stadium near its facility (Chicago Street Course being the only other).

So what are some of the drivers’ thoughts on this? Here’s a look at what they think.

“I think that’s bad ass,” stated Corey LaJoie. “I do know that Arrowhead Stadium is out in the middle of nowhere, so it would be cool for some more buildings and hotels to be around the area. Maybe some of those fans could come out here and support the racetrack. That would be pretty neat.”

Other drivers followed suit with LaJoie’s statement, saying the idea of it would be beneficial for the sport of NASCAR.

“I definitely can’t see it as a bad thing,” Alex Bowman quoted. “I think it could be a good thing for our sport, but I don’t have a ton of thought on it.”

Bubba Wallace also exclaimed, “This is one of the best venues to come to with everything going on around it. I’ve never been to a Chiefs game, but I think it would make it better.”

Back when International Speedway Corporation (Now owned by NASCAR) first kicked around the idea of building a speedway where it is today, it was nothing but farmland in the Edwardsville, Kan., area. Now, with the 23 year old Speedway still standing, along with a soccer stadium, a Minor League Baseball stadium, and several different restaurants, shopping venues, and hotels, it’s practically became its own city. With the chance for one of the United States biggest NFL teams to play in the neighborhood, some drivers see it as nothing but growth to the area and the racetrack.

“I think anytime the area around a racetrack grows up and gets more populated as well as gaining more attractions is always a good thing,” Denny Hamlin remarked. “It’s something that would certainly be positive for this speedway.”

Chris Buescher recalls what it was like to race here when there were no amenities around the track, and says that the growth around the Kansas Speedway reminds him of his home track in the Fort Worth area.

“To see what this area has grown into since the days where I raced ARCA here in 2011, it’s really cool to see the growth of the area and to see how populated this is compared to when it used to be out in the sticks. It reminds me of my home track of Texas Motor Speedway, where it was originally surrounded by farmland, and now it’s its own little town. You have all the sports complexes around here, you have the casino off of turn two, so it looks like a great opportunity from an outsider’s perspective. To me, it sounds neat to fill out the area and to become a place for sports fans in general to come visit.”

Other drivers on the other hand, maybe don’t have the same opinion strictly based on who their home teams are.

Tyler Reddick stated in the media room, “Don’t matter to me. I’m a Broncos fan. It is what it is, and hopefully that slows them (Kansas City Chiefs) down a bit.”

Rookie Carson Hocevar said something similar.

“Honestly, all I care about is the Detroit Lions and we haven’t been very good til late, so I don’t really pay attention to other sports personally.”

Other drivers, including rookie Josh Berry and NASCAR’s most popular driver Chase Elliott that they haven’t put any thought into it whatsoever

“I have zero thoughts about that, honestly,” stated Berry. “I don’t even know where their stadium is at now, and really could care less where they put it as long as we still have this racetrack. What difference is it to me?”

Elliott, on whether he had any thoughts on the situation, stated , “Not if we’re still Racing during football season.”

There is a possibility though that a new NFL stadium for the Kansas City Chiefs near the Kansas Speedway could bring on more fans to the sport of NASCAR. With their eyes in the same direction as the racetrack, drivers don’t see that as a bad thing.

Austin Cindric was quoted by saying, “I think it would be great. No reason why more eyes on a racetrack wouldn’t get people more excited. They’ve built a pretty good sports complex around here. I’ve been to the soccer stadium nearby, and there’s a lot of things to do just around the racetrack, and it’s really because of the racetrack. No negatives for me.”

John Hunter Nemechek had similar remarks.

“I think it would be cool. Hopefully if they do move over here, it would drag more attention to the racetrack here with the fan base in Kansas. For the fall Kansas race last year, we were able to go to the Chiefs opening game in Kansas City. If it was here it would be a lot closer to the racetrack, which would be nice, and hopefully draw in more fans to come to the races here.”

Only time will tell on whether the Kansas City Chiefs and the Kansas Speedway could be neighbors. But from NASCAR’s end, the olive branch is out for helping the area grow.

Sr. Staff Writer

About Me: Hey everyone! My name is Kaleb Vestal and I’m 20 years old from Missouri. I am currently the Head Sports Editor at the Nevada Daily Mail Newspaper in Nevada, Mo. and I’ve been following motorsports since 2012.If you are looking for a young talented writer to cover motorsports for a full time basis, then look no further. Please feel free to contact me through email at [email protected]. Thanks again!
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