Myrtle Beach Speedway prepares for farewell season as confidence in sale’s approval grows
Myrtle Beach Speedway is planning to wave the white flag this summer.
In anticipation of a requested zoning change receiving approval by Horry County Council, Myrtle Beach Speedway has released the schedule for what could be the final summer of racing at the venerable short track.
A sale of the speedway is pending the zoning approval, which will require the passing of three readings. Track owner Bob Lutz said Tuesday he is hoping the rezoning request will be on the council’s June agenda, which would lead to a closing as early as September.
A sales contract with a developer based in Charlotte, North Carolina, who is expected to build a combination of a commercial and residential development is pending the zoning change.
The Sun Fun 101 on Aug. 18 is the last race on the schedule released Tuesday. It will have a full race schedule, including late model, charger, mini stock and Carolina mini stock races.
“Once the season is over, Myrtle Beach Speedway will be gone, but the date of that is dependent on the rezoning,” MBS General Manager Steve Zacharias said. “They’re in the process of the rezoning of the facility, and once that is official at that time, the final date will happen.”
Lutz said that he plans to hold one last big racing event once a date of closing is established. “When we know for sure we will definitely have a final race that will be promoted and be a big event,” he said.
Lutz said the property is currently zoned for commercial development and a change is needed for a residential element the developer wants to build.
“I do think it’s a great use of the property and the residents will really like what is being done there,” Lutz said.
Zacharias said Tuesday that feedback track officials have received from council members has given them enough confidence to plan for the final season.
“Everyone has been receptive on the other side to what’s going on. No one’s had a ton of pushback to the point where they feel uncomfortable talking about the sale,” Zacharias said, referring to dealings with Horry County Council members. “There hasn’t been anybody on the other side that’s tried to stop it.”
The speedway is hosting the NASCAR Racing Experience from May 19-23 and May 26-30.
What might be the final series of summer races in speedway history consists of six events and begins with the Memorial Day Weekend Race on May 23, featuring twin late models, chargers, super trucks and vintage races. Other events are June 27, July 11, July 18 and Aug. 1.
The rezoning process could push the schedule back a month or two.
“We feel confident that it’s going to,” Zacharias said of Aug. 18 being the final run at MBS. “But again, it’s not 100 percent because until it happens. … The dealings we’ve had recently it feels it’s going to head in that direction. But until it does we’re just going to continue and operate.
“But based on where the permitting is and all that stuff, it looks like this is the date that we’re going to finish.”
Zacharias said that based on the time frame of the potential closing the Myrtle Beach 400 — the track’s biggest event annually that draws drivers from around the country hoping to bring home the $10,000 winner’s purse — will not happen. It was scheduled for Nov. 20-21.
“[The final event] doesn’t need to be the 400. It needs to be just kind of a farewell,” Zacharias said.
The speedway is off U.S. 501 North, a couple miles west of the Intracoastal Waterway, and has been part of the Myrtle Beach community since it opened in 1958.
The track, which is slightly longer than a half-mile, hosted the NASCAR Cup series in its early years and NASCAR’s secondary Busch Series (now the Xfinity Series) annually as late as 2000.
It has hosted many of NASCAR’s top names over the years and was the home track of Dale Earnhardt Jr. early in his racing career.
But Lutz said attendance at the track has waned, and he hasn’t been able to turn a profit with the property in recent years. He has brought in other events in an attempt to supplement the racing losses, he said.
According to Horry County land records, Myrtle Beach Speedway is 45.5 acres and the county estimates the value to be approximately $2.17 million.
Lutz purchased the speedway in 2012 with two partners in Shark Investments LLC for $2.5 million, he confirmed, and said he bought his partners out to become the sole owner shortly after the purchase.
Lutz operates the NASCAR Experience and Mario Andretti Racing Experience businesses and owns an outdoor go-kart and miniature golf park in the Charlotte area.
Horry County Fair update
The Horry County Fair will not be a casualty of the track’s potential closure nor the coronavirus, Zacharias said.
Though COVID-19 has forced the fair and other speedway events to be rescheduled, Zacharias said current plans are for the fair to take place July 3-12, though the dates are not yet concrete.
“Those are the tentative dates right now,” Zacharias said.
This story was originally published May 12, 2020 at 9:24 PM.
