NASCAR Track in Branson, Missouri? Sprint Cup May be Coming to Branson

Hollister, Missouri businessman Russell Cook is working to gain NASCAR's attention. He wants to bring Sprint Cup racing to the Branson, Missouri. His plans are to build a NASCAR track near the new Branson Airport.

The slated track will be a 1.25 mile track and it has the interests of a few Atlanta businessmen. They have offered to help finance the $150 million track.

The proposed track, which Cook said would seat between 80,000 and 100,000 spectators, is about four miles south of the Branson Creek development, northeast of the junction of highways 65 and 86.

"We've got the airport on one side and four-lane (highway) 65 on the other," Cook said. "The property is big enough to put it on."

Cook said he hopes to have the track, which could also play host to some local races, completed by the fall of 2012.

Even if the track is built, getting a race from one of NASCAR's three touring series is not a guarantee. Competition for a top-level Sprint Cup Series race, especially, is particularly fierce.

The Kentucky Speedway recently was awarded a Sprint Cup race after a five-year wait. Kansas Speedway in Kansas City, Kan., will play host to two Sprint Cup races next year.

Gateway International Raceway near St. Louis recently closed. It never received a Sprint Cup Series race after holding Nationwide Series and Camping World Truck Series races for several series.