Peoria oval going up for sale
Peoria (Ill.) Speedway owner Brandon Dean told DirtonDirt today the 61-year-old quarter-mile oval will cease weekly racing and be put on the market early this week.
The closure announcement was made during Saturday’s racing program at the track, which will remain part of the DIRTcar Summer Nationals with its June 11 series date being promoted by Track Enterprises and Bob Sargent. No other events are scheduled.
The 43-year-old Dean (pictured), a home builder and real estate developer who has promoted the track 13 seasons, said he plans to focus on non-racing interests.
“I have other businesses that I need to concentrate on, and my family,” Dean said in a phone interview. “It just got to the point where it’s too much with everything that I have going on.”
Dean, who competed as a modified driver before becoming a promoter, added he hopes “somebody buys it and can keep it as a racetrack.”
Dean co-owned and co-promoted the track with Jason Plumer upon purchasing the facility in 2014 from Curt Mottaz for $550,000. Prior to Mottaz’s three-year ownership, the Hamilton family had owned the Frank Dixon-built track since 1974.
Dean became the track's sole owner in May 2019 when Plumer stepped away after the track's “vision of both owners has gone two separate ways,” according to a 2019 track press release.
A listing of the track should be available early this week from Maloof Commercial Real Estate, said Dean, who didn’t want to reveal the price of the 50-acre property on Farmington Road west of Peoria.
The track, which Dean termed as “still successful,” is available turnkey with the potential to continue the current racing season. While he’s received a few feelers, Dean said he hasn’t fielded any serious offers. If the track doesn’t sell, he’ll use the property for non-racing activities including carnivals, flea markets, fireworks sales and potentially concerts.
Dean thanked everyone who supported the track during his tenure.
“I want to thank them and thank all the staff who stuck with it as long as they did,” Dean said. “It takes a team to do a racetrack. It’s not a one-person show.”
Peoria is among the longest-running Late Model tracks in Illinois with DIRTcar-sanctioned Supers part of the weekly program. The track has hosted 25 Summer Nationals events and seven MARS Championship Series shows, including one this season won by Ryan Unzicker.
