Arizona Speedway Being Shut Down By The State
 

What a shame. This was a facility that hosted many marquee events. And you have to feel for the local racers and how this will effect them.

https://www.facebook.com/ArizonaSpeedway

Jonah Trussel - San Tan Valley, AZ March 17, 2021
It is with a heavy heart and a lump in my throat that I’m announcing effective April 4, 2021 Arizona Speedway and ET Motopark will cease operations. The Arizona State Land Department has decided that the facility and noise it produces does not fit into their neighboring development plan and no further negotiations will be had. As per agreement, we will continue with events for the next few weeks and concluded April 3rd with the last dance. ET Motopark has been part of the motorsports community for 20 years and Arizona Speedway has been part of that same community since April of 2011. We have held thousands of motocross practices and events, nearly 400 dirt track events, more than 100 mud bog and sand drag events and a long list of other events and functions that we are proud to be part of. Through the facility, we have met hundreds of thousands of fantastic people, fans, racers and now friends from all over the country. Our staff members and tremendously supportive sponsors, have been instrumental to our success. Along with them, our patrons, fans, racers, event partners which have became friends, sanctioning bodies and mx riders were key in taking us from dirt hills in the middle of the desert, to being able to become a large part of what will now be Arizona racing history.
The rest is more personal to me and I understand not the correct way to write a release. There are far too many people to thank and list individually, please don’t get offended if not mentioned. Mark Paludan, you have as much to do with the success of the facility as Steve and myself. Tim, Stacy, Danelle and Tyler Mecl, Steve and Lisa Soboski, Pete and Stacy Hernandez, Jerry Milanowski, Sandra Ellisor, Ronnie and Brenda Sanchez, Bill Huesman, Wes Koskela and Linda Carson, Gary Burt, Harry and Nancy Luge, Rick Setzer, Kurt Rainbolt, Tom Withers, Bruce and Kim Sipes, Dion and Jason Phillips, Harley and Stacy Coy, the Toops, Ray, CJ, Kiernan, Val, Rominger, Cathy, Conrad, David, Sherylene, Allison, Dan, Carl and all of DRP, Leroy, the Hooks, Carter, Steven, Riley your often volunteered service, friendship and long hours ongoing support helped either get us started or kept us going if joining later on and were instrumental in our success and I thank you for your dedication.
I looked all day for someone that still had a copy of our high school yearbooks. I was in there quoted saying, “I will run a race track and be making millions” by a certain age it was either 35 or 45. Well, 1 outta 2 isn’t bad and I did by a lottery ticket today so there’s still hope. More than anything yet mentioned, I am forever indebted to and thankful for my entire family. My wife Jamila, my kids Teagan and Ryker, my mother Sherry and my dad and partner Steve and my sister Kaily. For the countless unpaid hours and struggles I put all of you through, the backseats that you and your plans were forced to take so that the facility could continue to progress, for spending most every weekend working and making you work also and creating work that really didn’t need to be done as I just “had an idea”, for all the arguments, all of the times I had to answer just one more call, one more message, put on one more load of water or make one more pass in the blade while you waited in the truck or on me to come home, all the balls I didn’t throw to you, all my kid stories I didn’t focus on while you were telling me, all the things I didn’t teach but should have and all the trips we didn’t take and romantic things I didn’t make time for and all the times I treated you like employees instead of parents or my wife and sometimes kids. I apologize for all of it and all I missed on the list. I love you and I appreciate all of your sacrifice’s that selfishly allowed me to live my dream for so long and I will try my best to repay my debt to you and make up for time passed. I have been blessed with a great family and great friends, a great staff that have always been better than me, fantastic sponsors and 13 years of a business that has been full of ups and downs but it has been the absolute coolest damn thing I can think of doing for a living. We are leaving here blessed, fortunate and filled with gratitude for everyone that played a part in making this a hell of a ride.
Thank you to everyone for years of support from myself and my family and we will likely see you somewhere again in the future! We hope to see everyone at one, some, any and better yet all of the remaining events listed below.
Sincerely,
Jonah Trussel & Steve Coleman

Re: Arizona Speedway Being Shut Down By The State
 

Its sad to see an established track go away for planned housing development. Seems like the track was there first, its a shame something couldn't be worked out. I'm thinking we will just see more of this as the years go by.

Another one bites the dust! I wish someone had the forsite to start a collation back in the late 80's consisting of racing legends like Richard Petty, Chris Economaki,JC Agajanian Earl Baltes, Lanny Edwards and other short track giants to combat what we have now. I believe we could have gotten congressional support in key locations that could have passed a special bill creating landmark status to any racing facility that had at least 25 continuous years of operation.
Protecting these palaces of speed from and or exemption from local ordinances,policies,********. A measure like this may have prevented the evaporation and extinction countless storied and historic racing venues.

Re: Arizona Speedway Being Shut Down By The State
 

The Phoenix area seems like a attractive market for a dirt track. Hopefully a individual or group will be able to answer the call.Seeing the fate of the last two dirt tracks probably in another county

On Twitter there’s a petition going around to try to help save it. I’m not really sure how to link it. I’m not convinced it will do any good but it only takes about a minute to do. It’s worth a shot

Population and immigration is exploding. That’s bad for race tracks.

Are there any other tracks in Arizona that could be added to the West Coast Swing for USAC?

Actually population in the US has grown more slowly since 2000 and the last monthly growth report was the lowest in many years. It’s flight from urban areas that is encroaching on what were once sparsely populated areas.

Re: Arizona Speedway Being Shut Down By The State
 

I don't think Canyon Raceway in Peoria has the seating capacity to justify a USAC National sprint and midget show, especially if it was multi-day, like what AZ Speedway had scheduled. I could be wrong though, as they held a 2 day ASCS National race back in 2019.

The racetrack in Casa Grande "appears" to have many more rows of seating. I recall a multi-day big DLM and modified show there in Jan. or Feb. quite a few years back with cars from all over the country and Canada.

If you need an Arizona track check out Cocopah. Great facility