October 20, 2008 |
2008-R-0569 | |
ADMISSION TAX AT MOTOR RACE TRACKS | ||
| ||
By: Judith Lohman, Chief Analyst | ||
You asked for the following information regarding the four motor racetracks in Connecticut: (1) annual revenue, (2) admission price, and (3) whether they are exempt from the state admission tax.
ANNUAL REVENUE AND ADMISSION TAX EXEMPTIONS
The four Connecticut motor racetracks are Lime Rock Park, Stafford Motor Speedway, Thompson International Speedway, and Waterford Speedbowl. All four are exempt from the state's 10% admission tax (CGS § 12-541 (5) (A)).
All four tracks are privately held. Thus, specific annual revenues or other financial information about them is not publicly available. However, ReferenceUSA, a business information database, estimates each track's “annual sales” within the ranges shown below.
Table 1: Connecticut Motor Racetracks - Estimated Annual Sales
Track |
Estimated Annual Sales |
Lime Rock Park Race Track |
$10-$20 million |
Stafford Springs Motor Speedway |
$10-$20 million |
Thompson International |
$2.5-$5 million |
Waterford Speedbowl |
$5 - $10 million |
ADMISSION CHARGES
The tracks charge different admissions for different events. Table 2 below shows the range of admission prices for each track for 2008 events currently listed on their websites.
TABLE 2: CONNECTICUT MOTOR RACETRACK ADMISSION CHARGES
2008 EVENTS
EVENT/DAY |
ADMISSION | |||
Lime Rock Park | ||||
Friday & Sunday |
$25 | |||
Saturday & Monday |
45 | |||
Weekend (2 days) |
80 | |||
Insiders' Club (new member) – all events/annual |
750 | |||
Stafford Motor Speedway | ||||
Reserved |
General |
Child 6-14 | ||
CARQUEST Tech-Net Spring Sizzler |
$38 |
$35 |
$5 | |
TSI Harley-Davidson |
32 |
30 |
5 | |
Coors Light SK Modified 100 |
20 |
18 |
5 | |
Late Model 100 |
20 |
18 |
5 | |
CARQUEST Extreme Tuesday |
32 |
30 |
5 | |
CARQUEST SK Modified 150 |
23 |
20 |
5 | |
N.E. Dodge Dealers 150 |
32 |
30 |
5 | |
N.E. Dodge Dealers Late Model 100 |
20 |
18 |
5 | |
CARQUEST Fall Final Weekend |
38 |
35 |
5 | |
Thompson International Motor Speedway | ||||
Adult |
Junior |
Pit | ||
Practice/Test/Tune |
$25 | |||
Per-event admission for 4 events |
$40 |
$10 |
50 | |
Per-event admission for 8 events |
15 |
5 |
25 | |
Eve of Destruction |
18 |
10 |
25 | |
Per-event admission for 7 events |
18 |
5 |
30 | |
Sunoco Modified Mania 400 |
45 |
10 |
60 | |
World Series of Speedway Racing |
50 |
10 |
75 | |
Flea Market & Swap Meet |
10 |
75 | ||
Waterford Speedbowl | ||||
Adult (stands) |
Child (stands) |
Pit (with license) |
Pit (w/o license) | |
NASCAR Whelen All-American Series (3 events) |
$14 |
$5 |
$23 |
$31 |
Open Practice |
15 |
15 | ||
Town Fair Tire Finale Weekend (2-day pass) |
35 |
5 |
40 |
48 |
Big Y Smacktoberfest ($20 entry fee per car) |
14 |
5 |
15 |
15 |
Source: Track websites.
JL:dw