Richard Petty calls NASCAR track ‘win-win’

OLYMPIA – Unfazed by erroneously being accused of a drunken driving arrest by House Speaker Frank Chopp a day earlier, racing legend Richard Petty made the rounds of the state Capitol on Thursday, trying to make the case for tax help to build the region’s first NASCAR speedway.

“It’s a win-win situation for us; it’s a win-win situation for the people of Washington state,” said Petty, 69, dressed in his trademark cowboy hat, wrap-around sunglasses and a large belt buckle reading “King Richard.”

Joining him were fellow racers Darrell Waltrip and Greg Biffle, a Washington state native. The three met with lawmakers, signed autographs and posed for photos.

Florida-based International Speedway Corporation and subsidiary Great Western Sports are asking the state to approve a sales tax and admission tax to pay about half the price of a $368 million speedway proposed for land near Bremerton. The companies would pay the rest.

“You folks have got a little piece of heaven here, and we would like to share it with you,” said Waltrip.

So far, however, lawmakers have been lukewarm. Other than Lt. Gov. Brad Owen and a handful of lawmakers, no one’s beating the drum very hard for what would be by far the region’s largest speedway. Gov. Chris Gregoire said she’d like proponents to look at a site in struggling Lewis County, instead of hard-to-get-to Bremerton. ISC vice president Grant Lynch said Thursday he’ll check out the area next week, but the company wants the speedway to be within 50 miles of Seattle and 25,000 hotel rooms.

Some lawmakers are considerably cooler than lukewarm. On Wednesday, a reporter asked Chopp – no fan of the track – if he planned to meet with Petty.

“You mean the guy who got picked up for DUI? That guy?” responded Chopp, D-Seattle. “No, he’s not a member of the House, last time I checked.”

A moment later, Chopp backpedaled, saying he’d heard from a staffer that Petty had been arrested for drunken driving.

“You better check and make sure it’s accurate,” he said.

It wasn’t.

“No, not DUI. That’s driving drunk, right?” Petty said Thursday, when asked about it. In fact, Petty has long opposed racing sponsorships from beer and liquor companies, based on his mother’s vehement opposition to alcohol.

Petty made light of the accusation, adding “Now I’m not saying I don’t run over people when I’m sober, OK?”

Chopp on Thursday afternoon issued a three-sentence statement, saying that he had, in fact, met with Petty and apologized.

“It was inappropriate and wrong,” Chopp said. “I appreciate his willingness to meet with me.”

Rep. John Ahern, R-Spokane, meanwhile, saw a golden opportunity to get some star power behind his stalled bill to make it a felony to drive drunk three times in seven years. Petty autographed a copy of Ahern’s House Bill 1191. And all three drivers posed with a beaming Ahern.

Senate Majority Leader Lisa Brown said she’s not sure whether the big-name lobbying will change many skeptical minds in the Statehouse.

“I don’t think it means that anything’s dramatically changed on that front,” Brown said. “It’s just fun for everyone when they come and make their own case.”

Petty said he wasn’t surprised that racing is struggling to find fans in the Statehouse. But gone are the days, he said, when NASCAR was strictly a Southern sport.

“There’s 60, 70 million fans out there,” he said. “They’re not all from North Carolina.”