Last Lap Pass
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Photo by The first sprint car race ever at the El Paso Speedway Park in July 1979. Pictured is Jimmy Jones (77), Greg Little (23),Tommy Black (90), Chester Ennis (2) and John Ziehl (20).
Great things always come to end; like a super good intense adrenaline filled 30 lap Sprint Car main or a super good 20 lap Stock Car main. Sometimes it might be a relationship with a person, place, or thing. In West Texas, the city of El Paso has had the fastest, fun family entertainment for the past 38 years.
Formerly known as El Paso Speedway Park; Western Tech Speedway Park is loaded with tons of history in El Paso. Bittersweet is the closing of the infamous track, which will now become part of racing’s history. It’s the end of the road for the Western Tech Speedway Park, but always remember at the end of a road there’s always a sidewalk.
We hope that you will join us on the sidewalk leading to great things ahead. Racers and fans, and the whole racing community stick together and go the same path. When things don’t go right; we all go left at the end of the day.
If you’ve ever been to the Western Tech Speedway Park or it’s sister track Southern New Mexico Speedway in Las Cruces; you have already figured out that our staff goes above and beyond.
Rue Stone, track manager, said “With the closing of the Western Tech Speedway Park it’s the end of an era; but we are excited to move on to bigger and better things.”
Richard Griffin at the El Paso Speedway Park in April 1981. Looking out towards Red Sands, when there was nothing out there.
When Willie Nunez built “The Park” there was nothing around but desert. Now that the city of El Paso has grown and expanded towards the big 3/8 clay oval the zoning and codes have changed. With that being said, Stone, who has been in office for the Western Tech Speedway Park for four years, continued “We are all in with the building of the new track. On September 2 we are going to give the best fans in West Texas a huge finale to celebrate the final season at “The Park.”
The pits will be full as we will run the USAC Southwest vs. NMMRA 360 Non-Wing Sprint Cars, USRA Modifieds, USRA Street Stocks, Casa Nissan Legends Cars of the Southwest, Super Trucks, USRA X-Mods, Shaw Trucking Southwest Late Models and the Border International 305 Winged Sprint Cars. We love and appreciate all our fans, drivers, crews, sponsors, workers and men and women in uniform that have supported us for the last 38 years strong. We plan to end it strong.
The new facility is in the planning stage and scheduled to be built and replace Western Tech Speedway Park. Southern New Mexico Speedway will also be closed in the near future. The new track is going to be a state of an art facility. Royal Jones, and Rue Stone are planning to build not just an outstanding dirt track, but a sand drag track, go kart track, motocross track, RC car track to go along with it. This facility will be constructed to offer another venue for concerts and other outdoor activities. Eventually this new track, will provide us with just as many years of fun and memories. And we look forward to this new venture.
Ladies and gentlemen the road isn’t over. There’s still a sidewalk to follow, and it will lead us directly to a fast flying dirt oval!