Raceway Park to Close After 2013 Season

After the season close for 2013,  an entirely new type of business will be "tearing up the blacktop" at the site now known as Raceway Park.

On Tuesday, the owner of the venerable race track—one of Shakopee's oldest attractions—announced that Raceway Park's 2013 season would be its last. If all goes according to plan, the track off of County Road 101 East will be razed and replaced with an asphalt recycling plant. 

"This was a difficult decision however, economic conditions leave me know (sic) choice but to pursue this avenue," Owner John Hellendrung wrote on the track's website. "I hope for a memorable 2013 and look forward to some great racing and after race gatherings in the pit area." 

A company called Recovery Technology Systems (RTS) has petitioned the city of Shakopee to change the zoning on the 10-acre site from commercial to heavy industrial. The nascent company plans to build a recycling facility on the site, which will use new technology to reprocess asphalt shingles, asphalt cement, fiberglass/felt, and other oil-based materials.

The measure will come before the city's Planning Commission this Thursday. 

Raceway Park's last run will be on Sept. 1, 2013.