LASALLE, Ill. — On its Facebook page Thursday, LaSalle Speedway management announced the facility was ceasing operations, effective immediately.
The Facebook post read, “It is with an extremely heavy and broken heart that I must report that due to the current personal events and unfortunate circumstances in my own life, I am forced to cease any and all operations at the LaSalle Speedway. I am totally unaware of what the future may hold for the speedway or the property but for now and the foreseeable future, the track is closed. I alone have had to make this decision. I refuse to comment or discuss the circumstances around this heartbreaking decision. At this time, I am asking for privacy for myself and my entire family.
“I’d like to thank all the fans for their loyalty and support over the past 26, years. To each and every racer, it truly has been a pleasure to have worked with you. Some of your friendships will always remain dear to me for a very long time. I’d like to thank all of our sponsors who have been with us all these years. To my employees, from the bottom of my heart I thank you for all your hard work and dedication. I will miss you all.
“If anyone has a refund coming for purchased tickets please call the office. Arrangements for refunds are in the process already. The office will remain open until June 7. Thank you for your patience. Warmest Regards To All. Kerry Izzo”
Earlier in the day, organizers of the annual Bill Waite Jr. Memorial Classic, which was slated for the LaSalle dirt oval on July 21, commented on Facebook that the event would not be held at LaSalle as they had met over the past weekend with LaSalle management, who informed them that the track was going to close down immediately.
The Izzo Family, headed by former Chicago area dirt late model champion Tony Izzo, took over the LaSalle third-mile oval in 1992 with the track seeing its first full season of competition promoted by the Izzo group in 1993. Previously, it had been known as Tommy’s LaSalle Speedway and operated by Tommy Glynn for about four years, beginning in 1986.
The speedway hosted weekly racing through the 2015 season when it went to a specials-only format. The Waite Memorial and the track’s annual Thaw Brawl in late March highlighted the LaSalle specials. With LaSalle absent from the schedule in recent years, the DIRTcar UMP Summer Nationals dirt late model tour was to return to LaSalle this year on July 3.
The track was located at the site of an old outdoor theatre with the huge movie screen still there when the stock cars raced. Before that, the property was the former site of the old Tri-City Speedway, which hosted midget and hot rod races in the 1940s.