Kansas is going through some hard economic times these days, as is much of the American heartland. Ironically, these are the times when casinos look a lot more appealing to the folks in charge. The state of Kansas is awarding four casino licenses, and the Kansas Speedway is so intent on landing one that they’re willing to build a road course in the infield of their 1.5-mile tri-oval.

Kansas is currently the host of the LifeLock 400, formerly known as the “Banquet 400 presented by ConAgra Foods.” The speedway already announced two weeks ago that it wants a second NASCAR Sprint Cup race to add to the calendar as part of the casino push. The road course is apparently not related to that pursuit; instead, the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series is the speedway’s target.

The course will reportedly cost between $8 million and $10 million, compared to the proposals for a $700-million casino complex in Wyandotte County. Ka-ching.