Salinas >> The International Speedway Corporation has notified Monterey County officials the stock car racing firm will not submit a proposal to manage Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca.

But ISC also indicated it would consider participating in a possible new public competitive search process for a raceway manager called for by Supervisor Dave Potter.

In a letter to County Administrative Officer Lew Bauman dated Sept. 14, ISC’s executive vice president and chief development officer, Craig Neeb, wrote that the firm based its decision not to submit a “formal proposal for operational management” of the raceway on the “findings following our evaluation and in light of several business factors.”

The firm, based in Daytona Beach, Florida, was nearing the end of a due diligence period.

But Neeb’s letter also noted a lack of cooperation from the raceway’s longtime manager, the Sports Car Racing Association of the Monterey Peninsula, after initially being helpful.

“During the initial stages of our assessment, SCRAMP served as a resource to our team. We suggested we work collectively as part of our proposal going forward. Unfortunately, after attempting further discussions, SCRAMP declined to continue the conversation,” Neeb wrote.

County officials announced in June they had entered a 90-day due diligence period with ISC, explaining that concerns about SCRAMP’s finances and capacity to manage the raceway in the future had prompted the move. Shortly after, SCRAMP mounted a public relations blitz, running full-page advertisements blasting the county for conducting secret talks with ISC since early 2014 to replace SCRAMP, and asking supporters to put pressure on the supervisors to keep the longtime manager in place.

SCRAMP also hired well-known local attorney Jeff Gilles and PR representative David Armanasco to push their case.

Potter, who announced ISC’s letter during Tuesday’s Board of Supervisors meeting, acknowledged that SCRAMP’s opposition and lack of cooperation with ISC was “a problem,” but insisted ISC’s decision to back off was a positive development because it would allow a public search process to proceed.

“I’m actually glad to see it go this route,” Potter said, noting that he had expressed concerns months ago about the restrictions of a confidential due diligence process that didn’t allow the county or ISC to respond to SCRAMP’s charges. “This is what SCRAMP asked for. We have no opportunity for newspaper ads. Our opportunity is in a public process. Now we have an opportunity for a national or even an international raceway manager search. Be careful what you wish for.”

In his letter, Neeb wrote that ISC was “supportive” of a formal competitive search process and would “examine the opportunity to participate in the process as it develops.”

Potter said it could take six to nine months to conduct the search, and county officials would meet with SCRAMP representatives to discuss the raceway management. He said county officials agreed to allow SCRAMP to submit a new management proposal following previous bids submitted in 2011 and 2014, but called for any new proposal to include more accurate financial figures.

SCRAMP has operated the raceway on a month-to-month basis since last year while the county considered other management options.

Potter confirmed that ISC had submitted a preliminary proposal for operating the raceway on an initial three-year trial basis.

Neeb concluded his letter with the following: “ISC greatly values the historic nature of Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca and we want to thank the Monterey County hospitality industry for their continued support. We only wish the very best for the local community and hope Monterey County can position the renowned facility for success in today’s competitive racing environment.”

SCRAMP spokesman David Hart said the organization wouldn’t have a comment until after a late afternoon board meeting, and ISC did not respond to a request for comment.

Health program

Also Tuesday, the supervisors unanimously approved a $500,000 pilot health coverage program aimed at offering affordable pharmacy, laboratory and radiology services to uninsured residents not eligible for coverage under the Affordable Care Act, mostly because they are in the country illegally.

Supervisor Jane Parker asked for a short delay in offering final approval for the program to allow county health staff to provide program details, such as the provider contracts, the list of services, criteria for service orders, the cost per patient, policies and procedures, the patient consent form and eligibility rules.

But Supervisor Fernando Armenta said the board should trust county health staff to run the program, which he said had been in the works long enough and should move forward.

The program was pushed by the Communities Organized for Relational Power in Action, which held a celebratory press conference after the board’s approval.

Jim Johnson can be reached at 726-4348.