MUNCIE – Indianapolis can keep its claims to fame in the world of motorsports; Muncie has one of its own, now.
Bleacher Builders, a local sports seating company that was founded in February 2014, is leading a major part of the renovation project at the famed Daytona International Speedway.
Daytona Rising, the project's official name, is a $400 million initiative intended to create a better fan experience on race days.
While much of the grandstands on the front straightaway are expected to get a facelift, the project calls for the removal of the backstretch grandstands – and the 46,000 seats that comprise them.
When Bleacher Builders found out early last year about the plans to demolish those seats, it approached project leaders with a plan of its own.
"The initial plan (the speedway) had would have meant those seats got turned to rubble," Bleacher Builders owner Charles Jordan said in a phone interview from Florida. "We had to convince them it was more economical to dismantle than demolish."
Jordan's company was in the thick of things just weeks after opening its doors, and convincing Daytona project leaders to contract with Bleacher Builders was a difficult, year-long project.