I have some good news for the Mid-South racing scene. In an unexpected twist, my old home track is set to rise from the dead once again. This won’t be the first time the racetrack has survived a closure, either. The real question for me, however, is whether road racing will return to this iconic track.
New Ownership and a New Name
Growing up in Memphis in the 80’s, I knew the facility as Memphis Motorsports Park. As a racer in the 2000’s, I competed there under the name Memphis International Raceway, after it survived its first major shutdown. Now, under new ownership, the track is preparing to enter a new chapter as Darana Motorsports Park (Memphis).
So who is behind it this time? Rumors began circulating before and during the Performance Racing Industry show that a serious buyer was interested in reviving Memphis International Raceway. At first, it sounded like just another entry in the rumor cycle surrounding the track. After all, when I wrote The Obituary of Memphis International Raceway, most of us believed the closure was final.
But this rumor kept going, and very recently, became official. The International Hot Rod Association (IHRA) purchased Memphis International Raceway and has one hell of a plan to bring it back.
Turning Memphis International Raceway Into Darana Motorsports Park (Memphis)
I witnessed firsthand as the previous ownership, IRG Sports and Entertainment, ran the facility into the ground. Later, destroying anything of value when the ‘big sale’ fell through. Rendering the grounds useless. The facility has sat for almost 4+ years since then, and the elements and vandals have taken a further toll on what is left.
To say the IHRA has a lot of work is an understatement. Although the details are very general at the moment, serious money and vision are being put into this project. Sixty million is the number being touted, though I wonder whether it is just for Memphis or spread across multiple tracks.
Regardless of budget, the focus is on getting the facility’s drag racing and oval track running again. The IHRA World Finals are speculated to be in Memphis in October, so the timeline is tight. Additional plans include a 20,000-seat amphitheater, dirt track, and more. Which would make the new Darana Motorsports Park (Memphis) a true destination motorsports facility.
But Will Road Racing Return?
Road racing, being a niche within a niche in the United States, hasn’t yet earned a clear “yes” from the new ownership, and that’s understandable. The IHRA is not a road racing organization, and they’ve taken on a massive project. It makes sense that early messaging and press releases focus on their core disciplines.
There’s also a practical reason for optimism. Memphis was never a traditional road course. The layout uses the drag strip as the main straight, the return road as a long sweeper, and a parking/staging area to complete the lap. All of those surfaces must be repaired to support drag racing operations. As a result, with relatively little additional effort, the road course infrastructure should naturally come back online.
For road racers, patience will be key. Once the green light is given, I have little doubt that events will return. I, for one, can’t wait to turn laps at Darana Motorsports Park (Memphis), and this time, I hope we show up en masse to celebrate the impossible.
Maybe this wasn’t the last lap afterall.
A fast lap around MIR in the 944 Spec for nostalgia.
