KENTWOOD - The Louisiana International Speedway is still on go and moving at a faster pace, said Bruce Harrell, whose family has agreed to sell the land for the project.

Closing the land deal is on a “day-by-day” basis now.

“It used to be month-by-month,” Harrell told the Kentwood Rotarians Thursday. “Believe it or not, this is moving pretty fast. I don't believe it was ever off track. I really believe it is going to happen. It's a huge project. There are a lot of people involved.”

Naysayers and skeptics have not rattled Harrell's optimism.

“The significant thing is they've done this several times,” said Harrell, a CPA and veteran business and government auditor. “I don't see anything

we need to be concerned about.”

When the act of sale on the land goes through, “you better get ready,” he added.

Harrell and Ron Brion, finance director for LIS, recently visited the Kansas Speedway, 15 miles outside of Kansas City and near the Missouri state line.

A photograph presentation showed crowds of racing fans and racing cars, a hotel with a water park inside, an outdoor shopping mall, the main facility with at least four street entrances, concessions at the race track and corporate hospitality tents that rent for up to $80,000 each.

The stadium is designed so that every seat including the pricey “suites” has a full view of the entire track.

The engineers for the Kansas track are the same ones working on the Kentwood track.

“They've got an incredible group of people working on this,” Harrell said.

When asked about infrastructure for the project, Harrell said he believes the basic road system with several entrances are already in place at the property, but those roads would need improvement.

Parish President Gordon Burgess noted that the parish was able to use some economic development dollars for infrastructure at the Wal-Mart distribution center in Robert.

“That could very easily be done,” Burgess said.

Kentwood restaurant owner Tom Tolar researched the Kansas project because of his business interests and the similarities to the Kentwood proposal.

The Kansas speedway was built in a cornfield with “nothing around it” and there was some speculation it would never be built when it was first announced, Tolar said.

Today the Kansas Speedway is surrounded by big businesses and impacts six counties in Kansas and eight in Missouri.

It has generated $170 million in tourist dollars and another $428 million in retail and entertainment dollars, Tolar said.

“My feeling is this is economic development,” Harrell said. “It's great for my family but it's even better for the community”

The plan is to build a one-mile oval asphalt paved track to NASCAR specifications, a one-quarter mile drag strip and a one-quarter mile drag

boat course.

Drag racing on the quarter-mile strip will likely be the first event for the motor sports entertainment.

But concerts, festivals and other types of events are also anticipated.