Marty Gordon
Motor Mile Speedway, located near Radford on U.S. 11, has new owners.
As of Wednesday, the track’s ownership (the Shelor car dealership in Christiansburg) has given the local entity, Pulaski County, the deed to both it and the nearby Calfee Park in Pulaski.
County administrator Jonathan Sweet called it one of the largest private donations to a local government in all of Virginia. He was emotional in speaking to the crowd of local leaders and media, saying it was great day for both the county and local sports fans in keeping the facility open for future sporting events.
“Being a part of this historic moment for Pulaski County and helping carry on the traditions and extend the legacies of two of the most iconic assets in all of the New River Valley is one of the highest honors I have experienced in my professional career”, said Sweet. “This further demonstrates the commitment and care the ownership of the Shelor Motor Mile has for this community and the confidence they have in the leadership of Pulaski County to entrust us with these famed community assets.”
The Wednesday morning announcement took place in the speedway’s VIP tower.
Members of the county’s board of supervisors were present and voted to accept the donation. The exact details are still in the works, and any future development has not been decided.
The 157-acre facility has a long, rich history in the area dating to 1952. It has changed ownership four times in the past 20 years.
Last year, the county announced a name change to the facility, becoming known as the Pulaski County Motorsports Park. The names the facility had formerly been known as included Pulaski County Speedway, New River Valley Speedway, then Motor Mile Speedway.
Five years ago, the speedway and adjacent dragway was listed for sale at $1.4 million. The exact real estate value is not currently public but could be near that early amount of more.
Three years ago, the track reopened with NASCAR races under the management of the Rusty Wallace Racing Experience.
But in November parent company of Calfee Park Baseball and the Pulaski River Turtles announced it would be resuming management. The ownership said after leasing Motor Mile Speedway & Dragway to Rusty Wallace Racing Experience, Motor Mile will resume management of the venue for the 2024 season. In the same breath, the ownership said there would be NASCAR-sanctioned nor a full schedule of racing in the near future.
Current plans include several special events such as the always-popular Monster Truck, Nights of Destruction and JJ DA BOSS Tours. Other types of events such as concerts and live-action events are being considered.
Under the new arrangement announced on Wednesday, the Motor Mile group would continue to hold events at least for the next three years with revenue of any events going directly to the county and its future endeavors.
Motor Mile spokesperson Melissa Epperly said the Motor Mile sports management team will continue to be involved in the operation of the venue and are working on infrastructure improvements, as they begin planning for their fall schedule of events and even expanding for special events in 2025,
The morning announcement would be followed up with an afternoon one, which added to the donation. The Shelor ownership group is also turning over Calfee Park to the county. Again, they plan to continue operation for at least the next three years of the Appalachian Summer League’s the River Turtles.
Calfee was built in 1935 and has been the home for several minor league baseball teams since them. Motor Mile took over the park and its surrounding parcels in 2015.
Epperly said fans should not worry as it will remain home to the River Turtles.
Calfee Park was built as a Works Progress Administration project, and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and was named after the mayor of Pulaski in 1935, Ernest W. Calfee. The Park was voted the best rookie-level ballpark in America in 2019 and 2020 by a fan vote in Ballpark Digest’s annual Best of the Ballparks competition.
After the Shelor/Motor Mile purchase in 2015, over nine million dollars in renovations were completed at the park.
The River Turtles followed the Pulaski Yankees and have played at the park for the past three years. The team is slated to start its 2024 season on June 7.
The Appalachian League is now a collegiate summer baseball league that operates in Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, and North Carolina. Designed for rising freshmen and sophomores using wooden bats, its season runs from June through August. The league is part of Major League Baseball and USA Baseball‘s Prospect Development Pipeline.
Sweet said the county will have three years to work to work alongside the Motor Mile family and their affiliates and learn the industry and learn the business and really understand the operations.
