<table> </table> International Speedway Corp. and Kansas Speedway officials today will sweeten the pot in their bid to build and manage a hotel and casino at their Wyandotte County auto-racing facility.</p><p>They will announce that if the state awards them the rights to build the casino and hotel, a road-racing course will be constructed in the infield at the speedway, <em>The Star</em> has learned.</p><p>Such a course would significantly increase use of the Wyandotte County racing facility and boost tourism in the area, speedway and ISC officials say.</p><p>It could also increase Kansas Speedway&#8217;s national profile. The road course would be suitable for racing by the Grand American Rolex Sports Car Series &#8212; the series that is host to the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona, the most prestigious sports-car race in America.</p><p>It is also a series that is owned by Jim France, a member of the NASCAR board of directors.</p><p>&#8220;This just brings more race fans to the area,&#8221; Kansas Speedway president Jeff Boerger said. &#8220;It brings a different kind of race fan. A different demographic. The demographics (of road-race fans) skew higher, to higher income.&#8221;</p><p>The announcement that a road course is in the offing represents the second major incentive that the speedway and its ISC parent company have dangled in front of the Kansas Racing and Gaming Commission, which has heard presentations from four groups seeking permission to build casinos in Wyandotte County.</p><p>Two weeks ago, ISC president Lesa France Kennedy announced that if rights to build a Hard Rock Hotel &amp; Casino in turn two of the speedway were granted, her company would petition NASCAR to award them a second yearly Sprint Cup date.</p><p>ISC estimates a second Sprint Cup date at the speedway would have a yearly economic impact of $111 million. A second date would also push Kansas Speedway to the elite level of tracks.</p><p>NASCAR&#8217;s top official is Brian France, France Kennedy&#8217;s brother. France Kennedy also sits on the NASCAR board of directors. Last week, Brian France told <em>The Star </em>that this area of the country is &#8220;underserved&#8221; by the Sprint Cup series and that he believed Kansas Speedway was capable of successfully being host to a second race.</p><p>The four groups hoping to be awarded the rights to build a casino in the area all made their presentations to the commission two weeks ago. All provided details on potential benefits for the public, business and government.</p><p>The Kansas Speedway group says if selected, its Hard Rock Hotel &amp; Casino would open a temporary casino on the grounds by June 1. That facility would eventually be absorbed into the $705 million Hard Rock Hotel &amp; Casino complex.</p><p>Expected to open by October 2010, the attraction would include a 300-room hotel and spa, 275,000 square feet of retail shops, a 2,500-seat event center and a casino with 3,000 slots and 140 table games. The temporary casino would have 2,000 slots and 75 table games.</p><p>The commission hopes to make its selection public in September.</p><p>The hope by ISC, Kansas Speedway and the Cordish Co., which is a partner in the project, is that the incentives they are offering will make the selection process easier.</p><p>Road courses are not only accustomed to being host to professional sports-car racing events, but they are also in demand by driving schools and private car clubs, who rent out the courses for days or weekends to hold events for their members.</p><p>&#8220;What we understand, what our research shows, is that in the metropolitan area, there currently is no place&#8221; for car clubs to hold such events, Boerger said.