BECHTELSVILLE, Pa. — As the 60th anniversary season of auto racing action heads toward the homestretch at Grandview Speedway, it appears it may be the final season of racing at the third-mile dirt track.
Track owner Theresa Rogers issued a public statement regarding the future of the track after news became public that Copart was seeking land in Washington Speedway where Grandview Speedway is located.
Copart has submitted a proposal to township officials that is the result of an offer they made to Rogers to purchase the speedway and its land. She has accepted that offer to sell Grandview Speedway and its property.
“We did not yet release any information about the possible sale of the Speedway,” stated Rogers in a statement. “We felt first of all we owed it to our employees, an in-person face-to-face meeting to tell them what was happening, and we did so this past Saturday night prior to the race program.”
The race track was never listed for sale and the whole possibility of a sale started when Copart sent an email to the Speedway looking for property, and discussions have gone back and forth since that time, with Rogers eventually accepting their offer to sell the property.
That said, there is no timetable for the sale of the property and with Copart receiving approval of its plans from township officials.
The 80-year-old Rogers discussed the offer with members of her family involved in operation of the race track before making her decision to sell the track that her late husband, Bruce, built.
“I want everyone to know that this decision was solely and entirely mine,” stated Rogers. “My late husband Bruce and I had discussions prior to his passing about this situation and I thought long and hard about what Bruce had told me. He said you can do what you want after I go, it is totally up to you.
“For the time being there is no further information that we know. When there is more information, we will issue another release,” said Rogers. “We as a family certainly do appreciate all of the love and passion that everyone has been showing since this news broke, and we hope everyone will respect the decisions that I have to make for myself and my family.”
Grandview Speedway is scheduled for racing Friday and Saturday night this week with the 52nd annual Freedom 76 scheduled for Sept. 17.