OLYMPIA — International Speedway Corp. will present a modified version of its legislation in support of a proposed NASCAR track in Washington to the state Senate’s Ways and Means Committee on March 26.

The revised bill attempts to answer many of the public concerns about the project.

“The new proposals have virtually addressed every single issue that has ever come up,” said Antonio Sanchez, an assistant to Lt. Gov. Brad Owen, who supports the track. “They’ve sweetened the pot. We now have a proposal that’s better than anything we’ve seen so far.”

The new version of the bill is intended to increase local control over different aspects of the speedway, including the distribution of the admissions tax and the level of direct payment to local taxing districts.

The bill is not site-specific, but Kitsap County is still ISC’s first choice, according to company officials.

If the bill passes, it will set the stage for a voter referendum in the host community, probably in August. At that point, voters would either support or deny the establishment of a Public Speedway Authority

If the voters choose to create a PSA, that body will determine individual issues. The PSA would hold public meetings to discuss individual aspects of the racetrack and its construction.

The local district would be created from cities and counties that feel the racetrack’s impact. But since this district must have a population of at least 400,000 people and Kitsap County has 240,000 residents, it would also include at least a portion of neighboring counties.

ISC spokesman Lenny Santiago said including Pierce County could allow Tacoma residents to vote on the issue.

In order to pass, the bill must be approved by both houses. The Senate Ways and Means Committee needs to approve any bill of a financial nature.

The bill would then be sent to the full Senate. Afterwards, it would require approval by the House of Representatives.

The original bill is currently stuck in a House committee.

Discussion of the legislation began prior to the 2006 session, but ISC said it did not have enough time to prepare a bill. The company then focused on 2007, but had no sponsors when the session began.

ISC has discussed imposing time constraints on the project, but Lynch was unwilling to say what the company will do if the legislation is not passed this year.

“Whether to continue or not after the session will be a business decision we will make at a later date,” he said.

Racetrack opponents, meanwhile, don’t expect the bill’s revisions to make a difference.

“We don’t think that ISC has been very forthcoming,” said Linda Webb, a spokeswoman for the Coalition for Healthy Economic Choices in Kitsap (CHECK). “They keep information to themselves for a long time and then bring it forward.

“The fact that all of our local legislators oppose the racetrack means that it should not be in Kitsap County,” she said.

“The bill is exactly where we thought it would be at this point,” Lynch said. “We continue to work with supporters and opponents to find common ground. We’re still optimistic.”