Full Throttle

Normally my Speedway Mortuary category is reserved for those sad times when one of America’s short tracks has seen the bitter end of a Caterpillar D9 Bulldozer.

Visitors to Jennerstown Speedway’s Web site this week were greeted by a stark one-line message in bold blue that read: “Notice: Jennerstown Speedway will be closed for the 2009 season.”

Demolition of the old Sportsman’s Park/Chicago Motor Speedway site in Cicero began a couple weeks ago. A relief of a rider and horse still adorn the entrance, but the inside is a tangle of steel and concrete. The facility, closed since 2003, is being demolished to make way for a shopping center.

It’s been some time since having to add an entry to the Speedway Mortuary - which is probably a commentary on how much news I miss rather than any great resurgence of short track support around the country - but word is USA International Speedway will shut its pitgate after hosting its final race this [...]

The lone paved short track in New Jersey, Wall Stadium, is no more and has been closed ending over 5 decades of racing history.
Then owners Thomas and Jennie J. Nicol opened the gates of 1/3-mile asphalt Wall Stadium in May 1950. Since then some of Stock Car and Modifieds biggest stars have competed at the [...]

Cardrona’s (NZ) long-running Race to the Sky has been axed.
A new organizer has not come forward since founder Grant Aitken’s decision to pull out last year. Costly red tape requirements, as well as road and land access issues, have contributed to the event’s demise.
It is The Magnet for New Zealand petrol heads but this Easter, [...]

Pahrump Valley, Nevada loses one of its local race tracks this week.
Pahrump Valley Speedway (PVS), the track where Kurt Busch began racing as a teenager in dwarf cars in the early ’90s, has announced its final race will be held on December 8th after 22 years of operation.
The tracks web page gives no reason for [...]

TThe United States Racing Association (USRA) is ending its operations in Texas

As regular readers know on occasion I make note of various race tracks that for varied reasons fall victim to the wrecking ball. From the South East to the North West and all points in between (including a Hawaiian track) have gone on to their final resting place.
In most cases that place is under the [...]

This looks like another case of will a speedway close, or will it survive another year. At this point Pahrump Valley Speedway’s continued existence is questionable at best.
The 1/4 mile dirt bull ring is scheduled to open in February but like many race tracks around the country on life support and under “observation” in some [...]

World’s Fastest 1/3-mile Dirt Track is how Atomic Speedway is billed. Located just outside Knoxville Tennessee was first opened in 1970 by Knoxville businessman Bob Martin.
A series of ownership changes through the years brought many changes to the speedway including a V.I.P. tower, a new Musco lighting system, a new scoreboard and graduated banking in [...]

Most, if not all NASCAR fans are aware of the anti-trust lawsuit filed against NASCAR and it’s parent company ISC by the Owners of Kentucky Motor Speedway. That suit is still in the pre-trial stage of venue fights and the discovery process.
This week NASCAR enters into the trial stage of a much less publicized lawsuit. [...]

Rumors about the future of Old Dominion Speedway have been swirling for a number of months. NBC 12 Sports is reporting what many have been fearing, the sale and potential closing of one of the legendary short tracks in America.
Old Dominion Speedway in Manassas Va. has been sold.
Track manager Haynes Dominick says the track was [...]

At least it’s not for a strip mall or housing development, yet. That will have to wait until after the bean counters at Gulf Coast Bank and Trust start counting. Dells Motor Speedway is located in the heart of the pictuesque Wisconsin Dells area of the state.
In the fashion of Lorain Speedway that quietly closed [...]

In writing the two previous posts I noted a reference to Lorain Speedway and the fact that its 2006 season has apparently been cancelled.
My first thought was, “what else is new.” Secondly it’s another sign of my advancing age as yet another track that was a favorite in my youth may be hitting the Speedway [...]

“The value of the land far exceeds the value of using it for a speedway,” [Speedway owner] Pollock said. “The income from a speedway doesn’t match the value of the land.”
Gee, where have we heard that refrain before? How about here, here, here, and here, among many other former, or about to be former American [...]

The Illiana Motor Speedway, a half-mile race track that served as an air field in the 1940s, will close after this summer and be developed into a combination of residential and commercial uses, a Town Council member said.
The sale of the property along U.S. 30 about 10 miles south of Gary was a private real [...]

Stockton 99 Speedway may run its last race in 2006, but NASCAR fans still will have a home in the Central Valley.
Altamont Motorsports Park president Kenny Shepherd announced that the half-mile track will be sanctioned by NASCAR this season and will run the same weekly racing program as Stockton 99, which is scheduled to close [...]

COEBURN, Va. - The Kinzer family’s five-year plan to make Lonesome Pine Raceway in Coeburn a financial success will fall one year short, as an announcement was made Wednesday that the family will not be operating the track in 2006.
The Kinzers are now advertising the track for sale or lease.
LPR was purchased by Kentucky mining [...]

BAKERSFIELD, California - When we all gathered in Bakersfield for Mesa Marin Raceway’s 28th, and final, October Classic we were assured that two things were going to happen: Mesa Marin was going to pull out all of the stops to make the 2005 Classic the biggest and best three days of racing in its long [...]