PALM BEACH COUNTY, Fla. — One of South Florida's most acclaimed singers is voicing his support to save the Palm Beach International Raceway.
Rapper Pitbull, whose real name is Armando Christian Perez, announced Tuesday he is joining 10,000 celebrities, car enthusiasts, residents and leaders who are backing a plan to reshape the facility.
"Mr. 305" showed earlier this year he is not only driven by music but also has a love of fast cars, joining Trackhouse Racing as a NASCAR team partner.
"It is a true honor and an amazing opportunity to help in this important effort to save Palm Beach International Raceway. Bringing together community and culture to create generational experiences is priceless," Pitbull, a Miami native, said in a written statement. "We look forward to making history in West Palm Beach like we've done in music, NASCAR and education, Dale!"
The Palm Beach International Raceway, which was built in 1964, is located in northern Palm Beach County along the Beeline Highway.
Recently the track has been considered for demolition to make way for distribution and warehouse space.
Supporters believe a revamped raceway would infuse tens of millions of dollars into the county and provide more than 150 seasonal and year-round jobs.
Other big names supporting the Save Palm Beach Raceway initiative include Indy 500 champion Danny Sullivan, Zak Brown of McLaren Racing, race car driver Tommy Kendall, John Oates from Hall & Oates.
"It was a great winter testing track, and I love it. It's a great community," said Sullivan, who lives near the raceway.
Sullivan said the developer that he and Pitbull support plans to sink $100 million into the track, turning it into a tourist destination.
Cameron May, a Jupiter councilman and vice mayor, recalled his visits to the track.
"A group of us had a bunch of Mustang GTs, and so we would take them out there and do the quarter miles dragstrip, and it was a lot of fun," May said.
Palm Beach County Mayor Dave Kerner has also voiced support to preserve and enhance the facility.
Below is a map of the raceway's location in northern Palm Beach County: