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Volusia Speedway Park In Florida Closes
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After a four-year run as Volusia Speedway Park’s weekly promotor, Wendi Underwood was packing up her office and preparing to move out Tuesday morning.
She was helped by family, friends and soon to be former employees at the half-mile dirt oval, which is owned by World Racing Group based in Concord, North Carolina.
“Because of circumstances beyond our control, we had to make a decision that came deep from the heart to move on and close our doors,” Underwood said.
“It’s been a difficult four years and even though this was one of our best years, we just had to call it quits.”
Underwood said she told her regular competitors on Saturday night that the track would be closing. The track had seven more nights of racing scheduled this year.
“I told them I was not going to renew my lease for 2017,” she said. “I was hoping what is happening this week would not happen, but it did. We were hoping to finish off the year and it just didn’t happen that way.”
World Racing Group spokeswoman Cristina Cordova said the decision was made “not to continue weekly racing.”
Cordova was quick to point out that the DIRTcar Nationals program, scheduled for February 14-25, will still be held.
“The Nationals will go on as planned,” she said.
VSP has become a national racing landmark because of its long history and for hosting major events. Volusia Speedway Park was sold by Dick Murphy to DIRT Motorsports 2005 for a reported $2.5 million.
DIRT was later bought by the World Racing Group, which runs top traveling dirt-racing series such as the World of Outlaws.
The track opened as a quarter-mile dirt oval in 1968. It expanded to .4-mile oval in 1969 then went to full half-mile in 1972.
In 1989 the track was paved, became NASCAR affiliated and played host to Xfinity Series races from 1989-92.
During the 1994 racing season David Rogers won NASCAR’s national short-track championship racing at Volusia.
VSP was converted back into a dirt oval in 1997.
The track was shuttered in the second half of 2011 and all of 2012 because the World Racing Group could not find a suitable promoter until Underwood came along.
Cordova said WRG has received “some offers” from potential new tenants.
“We are exploring some potential leasers for the track to bring back weekly racing next year,” she said.
After Underwood leaves, WRG will have a representative to continue the maintenance of the track, according to Cordova.
John Allen, who co-owns Allen Plumbing in West Volusia, has entered race cars, sponsored cars and races at the track for decades.
“She’s put a lot of heart and effort into it,” Allen said of Underwood. “Closing the track has a huge impact. I know hundreds of people that are saddened by it. It’s a struggle to keep the doors open.
“I’m sure the track will open again. We’ll let the dust settle and pick up the pieces and move forward. It didn’t work for her. Somebody will pick it up and run with it.”
Meanwhile, a spokesman for the INOX Kartway, a go-kart track next to VSP, said it will stay open and continue to run its weekly program.
The go-kart facility is independent of Volusia Speedway Park.
She was helped by family, friends and soon to be former employees at the half-mile dirt oval, which is owned by World Racing Group based in Concord, North Carolina.
“Because of circumstances beyond our control, we had to make a decision that came deep from the heart to move on and close our doors,” Underwood said.
“It’s been a difficult four years and even though this was one of our best years, we just had to call it quits.”
Underwood said she told her regular competitors on Saturday night that the track would be closing. The track had seven more nights of racing scheduled this year.
“I told them I was not going to renew my lease for 2017,” she said. “I was hoping what is happening this week would not happen, but it did. We were hoping to finish off the year and it just didn’t happen that way.”
World Racing Group spokeswoman Cristina Cordova said the decision was made “not to continue weekly racing.”
Cordova was quick to point out that the DIRTcar Nationals program, scheduled for February 14-25, will still be held.
“The Nationals will go on as planned,” she said.
VSP has become a national racing landmark because of its long history and for hosting major events. Volusia Speedway Park was sold by Dick Murphy to DIRT Motorsports 2005 for a reported $2.5 million.
DIRT was later bought by the World Racing Group, which runs top traveling dirt-racing series such as the World of Outlaws.
The track opened as a quarter-mile dirt oval in 1968. It expanded to .4-mile oval in 1969 then went to full half-mile in 1972.
In 1989 the track was paved, became NASCAR affiliated and played host to Xfinity Series races from 1989-92.
During the 1994 racing season David Rogers won NASCAR’s national short-track championship racing at Volusia.
VSP was converted back into a dirt oval in 1997.
The track was shuttered in the second half of 2011 and all of 2012 because the World Racing Group could not find a suitable promoter until Underwood came along.
Cordova said WRG has received “some offers” from potential new tenants.
“We are exploring some potential leasers for the track to bring back weekly racing next year,” she said.
After Underwood leaves, WRG will have a representative to continue the maintenance of the track, according to Cordova.
John Allen, who co-owns Allen Plumbing in West Volusia, has entered race cars, sponsored cars and races at the track for decades.
“She’s put a lot of heart and effort into it,” Allen said of Underwood. “Closing the track has a huge impact. I know hundreds of people that are saddened by it. It’s a struggle to keep the doors open.
“I’m sure the track will open again. We’ll let the dust settle and pick up the pieces and move forward. It didn’t work for her. Somebody will pick it up and run with it.”
Meanwhile, a spokesman for the INOX Kartway, a go-kart track next to VSP, said it will stay open and continue to run its weekly program.
The go-kart facility is independent of Volusia Speedway Park.
