Jackson MS Can’t Maintain Their Streets, But Want to Build a NASCAR Track

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JACKSON, MS (Mississippi News Now) - Six figure crowds. Speeds of 200 miles per hour. And Jackson city leaders see it right off I-55. “We have gotten farther along than what I thought,” says Ward 6 City Councilman Aaron Banks. “Something that looked like it was a far-fetched dream, is closer and closer to a reality.” Banks is steering the project for the city of Jackson. They envision a wooded area off I-55 south near the Elton Road Exit backing up to the Pearl River as the future home of a NASCAR track. Banks tells MSNewsNow the area is designated as a flood zone.

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Attracting a base to come here with an anchor sport like NASCAR, then now we get an opportunity to showcase what Jackson is,” says Banks. “We’ve had festivals, but we haven’t had that anchor thing that would just bring people into Jackson.”

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Project leaders have found an ally in Max Siegel. The former president of Dale Earnhardt Incorporated, Siegel now owns “Rev Racing”, the driving force behind NASCAR’s Drive for Diversity program. Jackson Mayor Chokwe Lumumba believes Jackson has what NASCAR is looking for. “We understand that our interests converge.” says Mayor Lumumba. “NASCAR having the interest of trying to broaden their demographics, and Jackson having the interest in economic development. If the effort of NASCAR is truly to create new exposure, then we see no better place than Jackson, Mississippi.”

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But Jackson’s dream of NASCAR remains in neutral, pending the results of a feasibility study later this year. “We’re sure, we’re quite sure, just based off of research and looking at other cities that it would work well here,” says Banks. “But again, doing this feasibility study is a big part for getting other stakeholders that want to sign on to help make this happen.”

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