STOCKTON, Calif. – Fans of the Stockton Dirt Track and Delta Speedway, both located within the San Joaquin County Fairgrounds, continue to wait and wonder about the future of the tracks.
Stockton Dirt Track, a three-eighths-mile dirt oval that races predominately sprint cars, both winged and non-winged, is a couple hundred yards from the seventh-mile Delta Speedway, a micro sprint track. They face the same threat, the potential of low income residential development that could be built right where the tracks are located.
Earlier this year, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed an executive order directing the State Office of General Services to identify excess property for low income housing. The fairgrounds was one of the locations identified and the potential site for development was drawn on a fairgrounds map, covering the areas where both tracks are located.
That map is considered an example of a development site and the eventually chosen developer will have to work with state offices to finalize the location within the fairgrounds and be aware how the decision will best suit the needs of the remaining fairgrounds. Whichever developer is chosen, they will be expected to work with the board and the CEO of the fairgrounds.
Tiffanie Panella of C and P Promotions, the promoters of Delta Speedway, was part of a meeting Oct. 27 and gave an update on the situation.
“Was just on the Fair Board meeting zoom. They have not yet chosen a developer,” Panella said. “Once they do, in two to three weeks, there will then be public meetings for people to attend to share their feelings about the project and to give input regarding the development layout. They said at the meeting this morning that this is a very long term project that could take 10-12 years to build out and therefore they have no idea the timing of the impact to tenants, if/when this happens.”
Uncertainty will continue to prevail for the two fairgrounds tracks in Stockton, but at least there is some potential of the development being elsewhere or at the fairgrounds on ground away from the tracks.