NASCAR Racing championship /Deposit Photo
By Andrew Howard | Arizona Capitol Times
The Joint Legislative Budget Committee certified a plan Tuesday that requires the Arizona Office of Tourism to spend $1.5 million a year for 30 years promoting ISM Raceway, Avondale’s one-mile NASCAR race track.
The deal was made in 2016, when then Rep. David Livingston, R-Peoria, pushed HB 2495, which stated that if the raceway spent $100 million on renovations, the Office of Tourism would receive $1.5 million a year to spend on promoting events at the venue from fiscal-year 2022 to fiscal-year 2051.
The raceway, formerly known as Phoenix International Raceway, exceeded the required amount, the renovations totaled $178 million and ranged from new seats to a giant light up Saguaro cactus that looks like a stoplight.
The changes also included a new location for the finish line, a margarita tequila bar on the infield and a new wifi system that will be free for race-goers.
