Racing back on track for Chesterfield
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
Southside Speedway post-closing. Image: Courtesy of Chesterfield County
Chesterfield is revving to bring auto racing back to the region's most populous county.
Driving the news: The county issued a request for proposals on Monday for a developer to rebuild a race track on a portion of Southside Speedway, the amateur car racing track property on Genito Road near 288.
- Southside Speedway, dubbed the "toughest short track in the South," closed in 2020 after more than 60 years of racing.
- The county purchased the 41-acre site in 2021 for $4.5 million.
Why it matters: NASCAR has its roots in stock car racing on small short tracks like Southside Speedway.
- The 0.33-mile track hosted car racing greats like Richard Petty and Junior Johnson, and it's where Chesterfield native and NASCAR star Denny Hamlin got his start.
Catch up quick: In 2021, Chesterfield identified the site and the area around it as prime real estate for redevelopment and launched a long-term development plan for the corridor.
- The county's initial plan for the site was a development with a hotel, restaurants and retail as part of a larger 57-acre parcel that included the racetrack, Richmond BizSense reported in January when the county opened the request for qualifications for the larger site.
- The use was intended to complement River City Sportsplex, the adjacent athletic complex that brings in tens of thousands of visitors and millions of tourism dollars each year through youth sports tournaments.
County officials told BizSense this week they changed their initial plans for the site in response to the community interest, including a "Save Southside Speedway" grassroots coalition, in keeping car racing at the site.
- Plus, the county found, developers interested in building hotels and retail weren't interested in also building a racetrack, while the folks interested in reopening the racetrack weren't equipped to build a hotel.
- "By separating them, I think we made it easier for both those communities to look at the project," Economic Development Authority director Garrett Hart told BizSense.
Zoom in: Chesterfield's new RFP is for a 14.8-acre portion of the Southside Speedway with the chief goal of returning auto racing to the site.
- Additionally, per the request, the county is looking for a racetrack developer who will host other events at the site, like concerts and community events;
- Generate revenue for the county;
- And create a track that will complement its long-term plan for the Genito/288 corridor.
What's next: Proposals are due by Oct. 11.