Attention in the Pits
February/01/2011 23:12
Wow... What a long strange trip it's been, but January 31st, 2011 made it official. It looks like Memphis Motorsports Park really does have a future after all... as Memphis International Raceway!
Yes, if you were at all interested in the fate of this racing complex, then you knew that something was afoot back in the fall of 2010. Then, just as the rumors of a buyer reached their peak, Dover Motorsports announced that they would auction the facility on December 14th, 2010. When the auction date arrived, there were a lot of interested parties on hand, but only one serious bidder emerged from the crowd. The Moroso Investment Group won the bidding for our own MMP, and everyone who was interested breathed a sigh of relief that a viable ownership group emerged from an otherwise downtrodden economy.
On Monday of this week, it became real when the sale of Memphis Motorsports Park officially closed. This is the same ownership group that operates the recently refurbished Palm Beach International Raceway in Jupiter Florida (formerly known as Moroso Motorsports Park). It appears that PBIR stays plenty busy throught the year, which can only be only be interpreted as a positive sign for MIR. They are going to tackle re-opening the MIR drag strip first and foremost, and intend to have the track open by mid-April of this year. They have already set-up an internet pressence with a new web site located at http://www.racemir.com and a they have a built in layer of local racers who are eager to get back on the track. It appears that the IHRA will be the sanctioning organization for drag racing at the newly renamed MIR, just as it is at PBIR.
Memphis lost some traction in the racing world when the gates were padlocked back in November of 2009, so let's make sure we support the renewed efforts at MIR by buying spectator tickets as the new owners set about rebuilding the racing schedule. Then let's continue to insure the continued pressence of high-caliber professional racing for years to come, by being a permanent fixture in the stands when the seasons call out for speed.
LK