Kansas City, Kan. ? Competing interests have joined forces in the quest to become the gaming facility manager for a state-owned and operated casino in Wyandotte County.

International Speedway Corp. announced Thursday it had a new partner, Penn National Gaming of Wyomissing, Pa. Penn National has bought out The Cordish Group’s interests in Kansas Entertainment LLC, the joint venture with International Speedway that proposes to build a casino at the Kansas Speedway in Kansas City, Kan.

The group plans to ask the Kansas Lottery Commission and the Unified Government of Wyandotte County to consent to allow the partnership to proceed with its proposal.

Penn National has agreed to drop the application of its subsidiary, Penn Hollywood Kansas, to land the state gaming facility management contract for a competing proposal at $500 million casino to be built near the Schlitterbahn Vacation Village off Interstate 435 in Kansas City, Kan.

Thursday’s announcement leaves the Speedway proposal as the sole remaining applicant in the state’s northeast Kansas gaming zone.

Kelly Hale, a spokeswoman for the Kansas Speedway, which is owned by International Speedway, said that with the new partnership comes a change in plans for the Speedway casino’s theme.

“It will not be a Hard Rock Casino” as originally proposed by Kansas Entertainment LLC, Hale said. Instead, the casino would carry a Hollywood theme, she said.