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The Press release from the track: :checkered:
Manzanita Speedway - Over the years
Manzanita Speedway, widely regarded as one of the top three dirt tracks in the country and an oval that helped spawn the careers of Al Unser Jr. and JJ Yeley, among others, has been sold and is closing its doors after a 58-year run.
The final race is scheduled for April 11.
"This is a very sad day for auto racing," said longtime Manzy announcer/public-relations manager William "Windy" McDonald, who started at the track in 1957. "When the final lap is run, I want to be sure and shake everyone's hand going out the gate."
Southwest Industrial Rigging purchased Manzanita from co-owner Mel and son Bobby Martin for an amount the younger Martin said was between "$10 (million) and $20 million." The Martins bought the track, which encompasses 38 acres on the southeast corner of 35th Avenue and Broadway Road, in August 2007 for $3.5 million.
"I haven't slept two hours a night since we agreed to sell two weeks ago," said Bobby Martin, who is 59. "I was 2 years old when I first came to Manzanita. My dad helped build the track (in 1951). I own race cars, and we've spent $1 million for renovations.
"I thought we'd get 10 years out of it before we'd have to sell it. But attendance is down 40 percent, and we lost ($468,465) last year.
"We still had enough money to last several years. It's just that the nail in the coffin was some environmental issues involving dust and also noise complaints from neighbors. We knew eventually we'd get closed down because of it."
Bobby Martin said fans have been understandably upset with the news.
"A lot of people have called us and expressed their dissatisfaction," Martin said. "Everybody feels like we didn't give racing people a chance to buy it, but I didn't know anyone out there with that kind of money. And even if there might have been, you still had the environmental issues. The county had two pages of complaints against us."
Hollywood Leary, who was appointed general manager in January, wants to build another dirt track in the Phoenix area and is looking at three potential sites, one of which is near Firebird International Raceway.
"I just don't want to see Manzanita Speedway die," he said. "The Martins already have told me I could have the name for a song.
"Now it's up to me to try and put something together. I feel like it's 60-40 we'll get something done and have another track up and running (this summer)."
Among big-name drivers who've tested Manzy's famous half-mile oval are Hall of Fame drivers Roger McCluskey, Mario Andretti and A.J. Foyt. Several local drivers reared on Manzy's famous dirt track later drove in the Indianapolis 500, including Wayne Weiler and Billy Boat.
"I was there in the grandstands when my dad was racing and my mom still was carrying me (in her womb)," said Boat, reached in Texas at a U.S. Auto Club midget race where his son, Chad, is competing. "This really tugs at your heart. Manzy has played such a role for my whole career. I even had one fan tell me he wants to go to Phoenix and stand on the top row of the grandstands one last time and then go down and scoop up dirt. And he's not even a racer."
The Manzanita departure leaves Canyon Raceway near Lake Pleasant and Central Arizona Raceway near Casa Grande as the two closest dirt track venues to the metro Phoenix area.
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