A group that bought a dozen race tracks across the country over the past year and a half is now putting them all up for sale at the same time. The auctions are happening through a real estate company, with sealed bids due November 17. From a racing point of view, the news is disappointing even if it isn’t completely surprising.

Here’s what happened in simple terms.

In late 2024, businessman Darryl Cuttell bought the International Hot Rod Association (IHRA), a long-running drag racing organization. After that, his company (Darana Motorsports Holdings) went on a rapid buying spree and acquired a collection of race tracks. Some of the tracks were renamed with the “Darana” name. There were public statements about investing in the facilities and building something bigger for racing.

Now the same company says its business has “taken a different direction” and it has decided to exit racing entirely. The 12 tracks are being offered for sale. The listings note that some of the properties could interest developers or other real-estate buyers, not just people who want to keep operating them as race tracks.

The 12 tracks going to auction are:

• Atlanta Dragway (Commerce, Georgia)
• Dragway 42 (West Salem, Ohio)
• Galot / Darana Motorsports Park (Benson, North Carolina)
• Piedmont Dragway (Julian, North Carolina)
• Empire Dragway (Leicester, New York)
• Heartland Motorsports Park (Topeka, Kansas)
• Kil-Kare Raceway (Xenia, Ohio)
• Memphis International Raceway (Millington, Tennessee)
• Milan Dragway (Milan, Michigan)
• National Trail Raceway (Hebron, Ohio)
• Rockingham Speedway (Rockingham, North Carolina)
• Virginia Motorsports Park (Dinwiddie, Virginia)

These places vary in size and history. Some are well-known regional drag strips that host local and national-level racing. Others are larger complexes that have hosted different kinds of motorsports over the years. For the people who race at them, work at them, or grew up around them, they are more than just pieces of land.

Why the racing community is disappointed

Buying race tracks, talking about improving them and growing the sport, and then quickly turning around and selling them—especially when some listings highlight development potential—feels like the tracks were treated more as assets to flip than as places for racing. That is the frustrating part. Race tracks are not easy to replace. Once they are gone or converted to something else, communities lose places to race, practice, and gather.

At the same time, local rules will ultimately decide what can happen to each property. Not every track will automatically become something else, and some could continue under new ownership that wants to keep them as racing facilities.

What happens next

The auctions are scheduled with bids due November 17. Properties can also sell earlier if an acceptable offer comes in. The racing community’s hope is straightforward: that buyers step up who want to keep these places operating as race tracks rather than converting them.

If you care about keeping local and regional racing alive, the practical next step is awareness. Share the news with people who might know potential buyers interested in motorsports, follow updates on the individual tracks, and support the ones that remain race tracks under new ownership. The people who race and attend events at these facilities will do what they can on their end. More eyes and more support from outside the usual racing circles can only help.

This is still difficult news for a lot of people connected to these tracks. The best outcome now is for as many of them as possible to stay in racing hands.

#staxxracing