SALT LAKE CITY — West Valley City is about to get a lot quieter.
That fact breaks the heart of anybody associated with Rocky Mountain Raceways, which will host its last lap for racers on Saturday night.
After 50 years, the racing complex, which opened as Bonneville Raceways on July 23, 1968, is shutting down and will be demolished — drag strip, motocross course, small oval, grandstands and all.
We’re just trying to make it a fun experience this week as we say goodbye – RMR marketing/communications director Jim Burton
Jim Burton, the RMR marketing and communications director, expects a fun and emotional weekend for racers and their families.
"We’re just trying to make it a fun experience this week as we say goodbye," Burton said. "It wil be kind of emotional for a lot of people. ... Those emotions will be personal for everybody, but, in general, it will definitely be an emotional scene for all three venues."
The raceways will feature actual races on Friday night — from the quarter midgets and junior drag racers to the adults — and a variety of activities on Saturday. Each course will have a slow speed lap for the grand finale, beginning with the motocross at 5:30 p.m., the small oval at 6 p.m. and the drag strip at 6:20 p.m.
"This is the really the part that will be emotional," Burton said. "Once we made the announcement that this will be our final season, that was an emotional thing for the racers, especially the ones who've been coming out there since the days of Bonneville Raceway. It's been emotional from the start. This (the slow laps) will be the culmination of it. For a lot of people, that will be when the reality will set in."
The Young Automotive Group bought the racing venues in 1995 and completely renovated and rebranded it as Rocky Mountain Raceways. Though it's continued to host a lot of races and created great memories over the years, the company that bought the raceways five years ago decided to not renew the lease. Freeport West will demolish the track and the 50-acre parcel will be developed into an industrial park similar to the surrounding warehouse landscape.
RMR hosted a full season with 140 events in its final year.
“Since this venue opened, so many memories have been made here," RMR general manager Mike Eames said at the time it was announced the track would be shutting down. "Lifelong friendships have been created. People have met here through racing, developed their own love story, and are now married with children. If the Young Automotive Group didn’t create this incredible place, none of those memories would have been possible."