South Mountain Speedway might be demolished, but a group of racers is fighting back

PHOENIX - Most people may not even realize the South Mountain Speedway exists, but the racetrack has been a family favorite for generations.

However, it now faces the risk of being demolished by the city.

The speedway, tucked into the natural landscape for decades, needs repairs that are estimated to cost $1 million.

The city of Phoenix doesn’t want to pay the bill. Environmentalists want it out of the preserve and the land restored to its natural habitat.

Families who use it, however, argue it's one of the last racetracks available for their kids.

‘A lot of kids, this is the only thing they have'

Phoenix kids have been racing handmade cars, known as quarter midgets, since they were as young as six years old.

"Asking what sport do I play, and I say, ‘I race cars.’ They’re like, ‘That’s not a sport,’ and I say, ‘Well, it is a sport,’" Johnny Bultsma, a speedway racer, said.

The South Mountain Speedway is the oldest racetrack in Arizona, and the only racetrack in Phoenix.

"A lot of kids, this is the only thing they have," said AJ Imperial of the Valley of the Sun Quarter Midget Association, a nonprofit.

And after more than six decades of sitting at the base of South Mountain, the city of Phoenix is considering demolishing it.

The parks and recreation department ended its lease with Imperial's nonprofit and surveyed the facility, finding it unsafe and in need of a million dollars worth of repairs.

It was a topic at the most recent parks and recreation meeting. The city did decide to disconnect the power in January 2024.

The nonprofit says it's offered to make repairs and raise money to address the city’s concerns. The city says the need is beyond what the nonprofit can afford.

Parks and rec is considering allowing a private entity to repair and run it, while the other option is to demolish it and restore the land to its natural habitat.

Demolition is something environmentalists support.

"They said this is a different time and age and racing does not belong in the park. We’re like, this has been in the park before it became a preserve and that’s what we stand by. There’s nowhere else for these kids to go," Imperial said.

The city says the Gila River Indian Community and Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community support demolition. The tribes could not be reached for comment on this matter.

Imperial and the 50 or so parents and kids who use the track during September through May are hoping to get another sit down with the city to try to save the speedway and the sport of racing in the metro area, but are losing hope.

"Especially when they really didn’t even seem to have a plan to even try to relocate us or give us any kind of bridge from this track. It's, ‘Oh we’re going to demolish it and leave you guys hanging.’ It’d be like going to a baseball field where kids are playing little league and demolishing it and saying, ‘Eh, sorry,’" said Tyler Whipple, a long-time speedway racer.

The city of Phoenix knows it needs to make a decision fast because they say the cost of repairs will only go up the longer the speedway sits abandoned.