Ohio commission: track needs more seating

Penn National Gaming presented its plans for the new Hollywood Dayton Raceway, which is the Raceway Park license relocated on the north side of Dayton, at a meeting of the Ohio State Racing Commission (OSRC) on Tuesday morning. But Penn National's representatives were told they need to return for another meeting with the commission next Wednesday.

"I have concerns about seating capacity; I find what you have presented as inadequate,” said commission chairman Robert Schmitz. "Come back with revised plans to expand seating for live racing, so people can watch live racing. I'm not interested in barstools.”

Penn National's plan for the facility includes a five-eighths mile track, 120 stalls for ship-in purposes only, and seating for 770 fans, with a capacity of up to 1,000. Total capacity for the building would be 3,500. The racino will be located on 125 acres on the site of an abandoned Delphi Automotive plant near Wagner Ford and Needmore roads in Dayton

Other commissioners also stated the same concerns as Schmitz about seating for the new Hollywood Dayton Raceway.

"To build a racetrack and have only a couple hundred able to watch a race, that's stunning to me,” said commissioner Mark Munroe.

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