It appears the owners of I-30 Speedway – the beloved short dirt track that’s been around for 40 or so years – are selling the property, or have already sold. The Speedway, along with the City of Little Rock and another company, are working toward a new and different business on that property, according to City meeting records. The location is just over the Saline County line, inside Pulaski County, at 12297 Interstate 30 South.
A document from the City of Little Rock shows the Planning Commission voted July 16, 2022 to approve a request to change zoning to C-4. It had been R-2 and C-3. The two parties requesting this change were the owner – Clay Family, LLC, with their agent Vernon Williams; and the developer – CoPart, Inc. represented by Steve Powers of GarNat Engineering. The deal includes the restaurant at the northeast corner of the land.
2016 photo of I-30 Speedway – by Pulaski County Assessor’s Office.
2016 photo of restaurant on I-30 Speedway property – by Pulaski County Assessor’s Office.
While representatives from I-30 Speedway did not reply to confirm the dealings, the document from the City of Little Rock Planning Commission states “rezoning is proposed to allow the sales and storage of vehicles, machinery and equipment.” See the full document embedded at the end of this article.
Aerial view of I-30 Speedway, from Google Maps. Click image to visit map.
On their website, CoPart describes their operation as “a global leader in 100% online car auctions featuring used, wholesale and salvage vehicles.” CoPart is a large business of 200+ locations in several countries all over the world. In Arkansas, there are currently locations in Prairie Grove and Conway.
(Above) Pulaski County Assessor records for I-30 Speedway
The Pulaski County Assessor records still list Clay Family as the owner of the property, so we can’t assume the deal is done, but it certainly appears to be in the process. Meanwhile, the race track is still announcing upcoming events and has no mention of a sale on their social media. Watch for more as we find out.
If you read this far, comment your memories of this race track, and include photos if you have them!
[pdf-embedder url=”https://www.mysaline.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Write-Up-for-Z-9696.pdf” title=”Little Rock Planning Commission”]
Find the above document as part of the meeting minutes at THIS LINK, on pages 38-46.