West Texas ASCS 305 Sprints

Track Profile

History of Desert Thunder Raceway

In the late 60s/early 70s there was a small ¼ mile track near the Carbon County FairGrounds. It was quite a success but eventually became too small to handle the amount of drivers, so a new track was built across from the airport. They made this track a ½ mile, they built grandstands and had races from 1981-1985. When the track closed, drivers had to travel to Hayden, CO and Moab, UT to race. After travelling for several years, one of the racers built a small track on his property. He and a few buddies were having a grand time! That is until the neighbors began to complain about the noise and the dust. It was suggested by a commissioner that they form an organization and reopen the track by the airport. So in 1992, they formed the Central Utah Stock Car Racing Association. They worked with students from USUE and helped reconstruct the track into a ? mile and raced there for several years. By 1998, it was decided to privatize the track to allow for more spending and expansion. Chuck Buchanan became the proud owner of Desert Thunder Raceway. Chuck added another section of grandstands, bleachers and a permanent concession stand. Two years later, Harvey Howard purchased the track from Chuck. In 2004, Harvey with the help of his family and many others began bulldozing earth and moved the pits to the north end of the track, where before, they had been in the infield. In 2008, Harvey hired our flagger, Victoria. The 2021 season marks her 20th year as a flagger. By 2010, Harvey had built up the corners for a steeper bank and faster track. It has become known as the “Fastest dirt track west of Denver.r” Harvey and his family successfully ran the track for many years. Due to economic change things began to slow down at the track. In 2018, Harvey hosted their last Castle Country Clash. In June 2020, Shane Weybright, president of Desert Thunder Foundation, purchased Desert Thunder Raceway. In September, the “Clash” was reborn. Together with the help of Harvey and many other former racers they have expanded the pits, tripling them in size. The plans for expansion do not stop here. The foundation has “big plans.”