The end of the 2023 racing season in October means the end of a 65-year run for Bandimere Speedway, the nationally renowned drag strip west of Denver in Jefferson County.
With development in the area growing, “our family is prepared to surrender the location we’ve called home for six decades,” John Bandimere Jr. said. “The place has never been ours. It belongs to God.”
The Friday morning announcement confirmed rumors that have circulated recently.
For years, the family has searched for another possible location. The hunt continues with the goal of opening another facility in the area. “The days ahead are exciting – they’re stressful,” Bandimere said.
The family “worked with investors on a possible new track and facility location,” a National Hot Rod Association news release said.
“We have been blessed to occupy one of the most unique places in our state and feel that our commitment to the sport is not done yet,” Bandimere said in a statement. “It’s part of the fabric of our family’s life, and we’re hopeful that another equally unique location can be found to continue the legacy that was started by my parents over six decades ago.”
The Bandimeres haven’t said publicly if there’s a buyer for the property.
Fans can still attend drag races at Bandimere Speedway for a packed season. Events start Friday and run through Sunday, Oct. 22.
Typically, the track hosts more than 130 annual events, and claims 1,700 registered racers, according to its website. Around 225 cars are usually featured weekly.
The National Hot Rod Association will hold the 2023 Dodge Power Brokers NHRA Mile-High Nationals on July 14-16 as its last national event at the speedway. It’s previously attracted more than 119,000 spectators across three days, according to the Bandimere Speedway website.
The track, referred to as “Thunder Mountain,” challenges drivers and their teams because the elevation “affects everything from engine tune-ups to aerodynamics,” the NHRA said. Bandimere sits at 5,800 feet above sea level.
As the world’s biggest auto racing organization, the NHRA is currently discussing the replacement of the Denver date on next year’s schedule.
“We look forward to celebrating the 65th anniversary this year to close out this chapter at Bandimere Speedway and remain optimistic about future opportunities to have NHRA Drag Racing stay in the Denver area and to continue to work with the Bandimere family in the future,” said President Glen Cromwell.
Bandimere Speedway fans flocked to Facebook quickly to express feelings of heartbreak and love.
“Thank you for so many years of memories at one of my all time favorite race tracks in the world!” Kyle Loftis wrote. “We hope to see the new track underway with racing asap!”
Abdul Yacubu called it a “sad day truly.”
“Bandimere Speedway is one of the best racetracks in America and is home to every car guy in Colorado,” he wrote.
While Yacubu admitted that he supports new developments, “at some point, the city has to understand what makes Colorado great isn’t just mountains and fancy houses,” but its people.
Funny Car driver Robert Hight during his burnout at the Dodge Power Brokers NHRA Mile-High Nationals at Bandimere Speedway on July 16, 2022. (Photo by Andy Cross/The Denver Post)
Drag racing fans enjoy the annual track walk before the Dodge Power Brokers NHRA Mile-High Nationals at Bandimere Speedway July 17, 2022. (Photo by Andy Cross/The Denver Post)
NHRA Top Fuel driver Leah Pruett celebrates with the fans in the winners circle after defeating Shawn Langdon in the final at the Dodge Power Brokers NHRA Mile-High Nationals at Bandimere Speedway on July 17, 2022. (Photo by Andy Cross/The Denver Post)
John Bandimere Jr. greets NHRA Super Comp driver Kayla Mang in the staging lanes during qualifying at the NHRA Dodge SRT// Mile High Nationals at Bandimere Speedway July 16th, 2021. (Photo by Andy Cross/The Denver Post)
NHRA Funny Car driver John Force signs autographs for the fans along the return lane after a second round qualifying run at the NHRA Dodge SRT// Mile High Nationals at Bandimere Speedway July 17th, 2021. (Photo by Andy Cross/The Denver Post)
The crowd cheers during an anti-mask rally at Bandimere Speedway on Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2020. (Photo by AAron Ontiveroz/The Denver Post)
Funny Car driver Shawn Langdon competes in the second qualifying race during the Dodge Mile-High NHRA Nationals at the Bandimere Speedway in Morrison on Friday, July 19, 2019. (Photo by Kelsey Brunner/The Denver Post)
Tami Bandimere, left, hugs Natalie Jahnke after Steve Torrence, Jahnke’s boyfriend, broke the track speed record during the Dodge Mile-High NHRA Nationals at the Bandimere Speedway in Morrison on Friday, July 19, 2019. Torrence is the provisional number one qualifier and raced 330.31 mph during his second qualifying race. (Photo by Kelsey Brunner/The Denver Post)
Top fuel driver Terry McMillen’s engine blew up at the start line racing Mike Salinas during qualifying at the Dodge Mile-High NHRA Nationals at Bandimere Speedway July 20, 2018. McMillen was not injured in the incident. (Photo by Andy Cross/The Denver Post)
Top Fuel drag racer Leah Pritchett greets fans during pre-race ceremonies at the Dodge Mile-High NHRA Nationals at Bandimere Speedway July 22, 2018. (Photo by Andy Cross/The Denver Post)
Top Fuel drag racers Leah Pritchett, left, and Steve Torrence, right, race down the quarter mile during the third round of qualifying at the Dodge Mile-High NHRA Nationals at Bandimere Speedway July 20, 2018. (Photo by Andy Cross/The Denver Post)
NHRA pro stock driver Drew Skillman’s crew celebrates his victory at the start line at the 38th annual NHRA Mopar Mile High Nationals at Bandimere Speedway July 23, 2017. (Photo by Andy Cross/The Denver Post)
NHRA top fuel driver Antron Brown celebrates with fans on his way up to the stage after winning the 38th annual NHRA Mopar Mile High Nationals at Bandimere Speedway on July 23, 2017. (Photo by Andy Cross/The Denver Post)
Pueblo West driver Larry Cornell slipped on his racing helmet Saturday. Bandimere Speedway opened the season Saturday night, May 15, 2010 with the Night of Fire & Thunder. (Photo by Karl Gehring/The Denver Post)
Top fuel driver Terry Haddock, of Temple, Texas, left, jokes with his team while working on the engine of his dragster before his qualifying run at Bandimere Speedway on July 24, 2010. He races without a sponsor so he wears many hats, he also serves as crew chief and truck driver. Racing without a much of a budget, “I’m a regular guy. Tomorrow I’ll be scratching my head wondering how I’m going to pay my bills,” he said, adding, “I don’t come from a privileged background, they always told me I couldn’t do it, and here we are.” (Craig F. Walker / The Denver Post)
John Force looks down the track prior to his daughter, Ashley Force Hood’s run in the Funny Car competition at The 30th Mopar Mile-High NHRA Nationals at Bandimere Speedway on Sunday, July 12, 2009. (Photo by John Leyba/ The Denver Post)
Fans stand up quickly to see the down track as the winner crosses the finish line at The 2008 Mopar Mile-High NHRA Nationals at Bandimere Speedway, which was celebrating 50 years of speed. (Photo by John Leyba/The Denver Post)
A street sign honoring John Bandimere Sr., is seen at the quarter mile drag strip during the second day of the NHRA Mopar Parts Mile High Nationals at Bandimere Speedway in Morrison on Saturday, July 11, 2009. (Photo by Andy Cross/The Denver Post)
A pair of cars burnout before their qualifying run at Bandimere Speedway on the Fourth of July, 2008. Bandimere Speedway was celebrating its 50th year of drag racing on the quarter mile. (Photo by Andy Cross/The Denver Post)
Larry Dixon, Top Fuel dragster racer for Al-Anabi Racing, signs autographs for fans in the pit area before the first round of qualifying at the NHRA Mopar Parts Mile-High Nationals at Bandimere Speedway on July 10, 2009. (Photo by Andy Cross/The Denver Post)
Crew member of the Syntec car Eric Medlen turns his head after his burnout during round one of the finals in the Mile–High Nationals at Bandimere Speeway in Morrison on July 17, 2005. Eric Medlen lost to Tim Wilkerson. (Photo by John Leyba/The Denver Post)
From left to right, mother, Paula Bodman, Lindsay Bodman, 6, Trista Anderson, 6, and father, Doug Anderson, watch the first round of Funny Car drag races at Bandimere Speedway for the Mopar Parts Mile-High Nationals on April 6, 2002. (Photo by Andy Cross/The Denver Post)
Cars line up during Mile-High Nationals at Bandimere on July 24, 1990. (Denver Post file)
At Bandimere Speedway on May 31 1988, Gov. Roy Romer straps on a crash helmet prior to racing. (Denver Post file)
Area high school students line up at the starting line in order to get a chance to drive their cars at Bandimere Speedway on Sept. 5, 1983. On that Labor Day teenagers were allowed to race against each other there. (Denver Post file)
Randy Kipps, 17, receives a good luck kiss from Holly Warford, 16, before he gets a chance at the track on Sept 5, 1983. (Denver Post file)
Cement is poured on about 400 feet of the starting pad at Bandimere speedway on March 28, 1983. (Denver Post file)
The dragstrip provided a rocky landing for pilot Dave Whistler after the wing of his Cessna 172 “Skyhawk” scraped a power line that crosses Bondimere Speedway on Aug. 22, 1981, said John Bandimere Jr., owner of the speedway. The plane lost the front wheel off of its landing gear during the unsteady landing. Whistler, granted permission by Bandimere to use the dragstrip as a landing strip, suffered only bruises. Pictured, a Jefferson County Sheriff’s officer inspects the plane. (Denver Post file)
A special bumper attached with coil springs is designed to eliminate car damage. The bumper, designed by John Bandimere, was demonstrated at Bandimere’s Jefferson County safety proving grounds on Nov. 5, 1970. (Denver Post file)
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Track history
On Friday afternoon, all was quiet at the track. But directly across Colorado 470, construction workers toiled at mixed-use community Red Rocks Ranch.
Several houses sat in unfinished states, while “sold” signs were stuck on others. With cars parked in driveways, others had already welcomed residents home. The developing neighborhood boasts a view of the Bandimere Speedway.
Nearby, the Solterra community also grows – and current residents maintain different opinions about their neighbor, the Bandimere Speedway.
As she walked her dog with her daughter, one woman noted that her family moved into their new house in December. She can hear the sounds of Red Rocks Amphitheatre clearly, so she worries about noises from the track – and its impact on her sleep.
Another resident confirmed that he can hear the speedway some days, but recognizes that it’s a part of Colorado history. He ultimately wonders if a race track or another housing development is better suited for the area, adding that only time will tell.
Bandimere Speedway previously ran into hurdles during the COVID-19 pandemic, which forced the cancellation of the Mile-High Nationals in 2020. It served as the site of a legal battle over personal freedoms as it held a July 4 event that year, hosting a crowd of thousands that superseded the 175-head cap set as a coronavirus restriction.
Randy Corporon, who served then as the family’s attorney, directed questions about the pending closure to the Bandimeres on Friday. A spokesperson didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
The history of the quarter-mile drag strip dates back to 1958 when John Bandimere Sr. bought the land – “the fulfillment of a life-long dream of dad and mom’s,” the younger Bandimere said. It served as an expansion to the family’s auto parts and machine shop business.
The speedway counts as one of a few NHRA national event tracks with an all-concrete racing surface, according to its website.
Over the decades, buildings were replaced, and the event schedule expanded.
A $4 million improvement project took place in 1988, with capacity boosted to more than 23,500 seats. In 2008, the site underwent track resurfacing and the installation of a lighting system. It uses a track cooling system that Bandimere Speedway considers “unique to drag racing.”
But the location remained the same – until now.
The Bandimere family’s business approach was always “to hold it lightly, knowing that we would not have it forever.”
