Fun71

I just found out today that the race track down the road from me will not be closing after all. WooHoo!


https://www.dragzine.com/news/rename...years-to-come/

Renamed Firebird Motorsports Park Back in Business For Years to Come

For the past few years, the news of racetracks closing became all too common. An epidemic of racetracks dying in droves was the result of sky-high land values and redevelopment plans to raze over historic racing facilities across the country. One of those racetracks set to close at the hands of developers was Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park. In March of 2022, the Wild Horse Pass Development Authority (WHPDA) announced that a new overpass highway would barrel through the space occupied by the dragstrip, road courses, and boat racing lakes.

What was supposed to be the end of a 40-year run of racing events recently took a turn for the better for race fans. Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park announced that the facility will officially stay open in 2024 and beyond, with support from the WHPDA and the Gila River Indian Community. Further, it has been renamed Firebird Motorsports Park, as an ode to its former glory days as Firebird International Raceway.

“Record-breaking attendance and unrelenting support for the facility from the motorsports community has led to an opportunity for the venue to continue operations for years to come,” the facility staff said in a press release.

Also announced was a restructured management team, with Casey Buckman taking on the role as Track Manager and Connie Bopp as Track Business Administrator. Combined, the team has over 50 years of motorsports industry experience and continues to hire track personnel for the facility that quite literally has a new lease on life. In addition, at the Performance Racing Industry show in Indianapolis, NHRA officials along with the Gila River Indian Community announced the running of the annual NHRA Arizona Nationals will return to Firebird Motorsports Park on April 5-7, 2024 after what was supposed to be the final NHRA event in March of this year.

BangScreech4-4-2

Eventually the Greater Phoenix Industrial Sprawl will require the land for additional warehouse space.

But enjoy for now. Congrats!

Fun71

That land is on the Gila River Indian Community reservation, so it's off-limits to Phoenix. As long as the GRIC is happy with the income from the auto sports complex, they will keep it going. That location also has a casino, hotel, outlet mall, golf resort, conference center, and a large fair grounds. There's a LOT of other undeveloped land to the west along the newly constructed Loop 202 that they can now develop while leaving all the existing stuff as it is.