Mansfield Motor Speedway (formerly Mansfield Motorsports Park and Mansfield Motorsports Speedway) was a 0.44 mile dirt track located in

Mansfield Mansfield is a market town and the administrative centre of Mansfield District in Nottinghamshire, England. It is the largest town in the wider Mansfield Urban Area (followed by Sutton-in-Ashfield). It gained the Royal Charter of a market tow ...

Ohio Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

History

The former Mansfield Motorsports Park (known as Mansfield Motorsports Speedway prior to 2007) closed in 2010. With its moderately high banking and a wide racing surface, it was suitable for close racing and passing. The track hosted an

ARCA RE/MAX Series The ARCA Menards Series is an American stock car series, the premier division of the Automobile Racing Club of America (ARCA). It is considered a minor, semi-professional league of stock car racing, used as a feeder series into the three national ...

race in 2009, and it also hosted the

NASCAR The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, LLC (NASCAR) is an American auto racing sanctioning and operating company that is best known for stock car racing. The privately owned company was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1948, and hi ...

Camping World Truck Series The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series is a pickup truck racing series owned and operated by the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, and is the only series in NASCAR to race production pickup truck based stock cars. The series is one of th ...

from 2004 to 2008. On January 18, 2013, Grant Milliron of Milliron Industries, a local facility specializing in waste, recycling and scrap metal, purchased the former Mansfield Motorsports Park for $800,000 in an auction held by the Richland County Sheriff’s office following the property's seizure by the County in lieu of unpaid property taxes. For 2017, it was announced that the track would undergo a transition from asphalt to dirt. The track had previously been dirt up until 1999. The track name was also changed from Spitzer Motor Speedway to Mansfield Motor Speedway for 2017. With the new dirt surface, Mansfield Motor Speedway will now be hosting series like the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series and the Arctic Cat All Star Circuit of Champions. The track closed following the 2019 Dirt Million event. Demolition of the grandstands began in late 2020 as portions were donated to a local high school. The track walls were torn down in 2022 and portions of the fencing and SAFER Barriers were sold to the Nelson’s Ledges Race Course.

Former events

Mansfield formerly hosted a wide variety of events, most notably the

(formerly

Craftsman Truck Series The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series is a pickup truck racing series owned and operated by the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, and is the only series in NASCAR to race production pickup truck based stock cars. The series is one of th ...

), which raced at Mansfield on

Memorial Day Memorial Day (originally known as Decoration Day) is a federal holiday in the United States for mourning the U.S. military personnel who have fought and died while serving in the United States armed forces. It is observed on the last Monda ...

weekend since 2004. Mansfield was the shortest track on the Camping World Truck Series schedule and was the only track in the United States to be on the Camping World Truck Series schedule as well as being

Dodge Weekly Series The NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series (formerly the Whelen All-American Series, Winston Racing Series and the Dodge Weekly Series) is a points championship for NASCAR sanctioned local short track motor racing around the United States and Ca ...

sanctioned. This ended in 2007 when the weekly race program at the track was discontinued. In addition, Mansfield hosted two annual rounds of the

USAR Hooters Pro Cup Series The CARS Solid Rock Carriers Tour (formerly known as the USARacing Pro Cup Series, USAR Hooters Pro Cup Series, CARS Pro Cup Series, Rev-Oil Pro Cup Series, CARS X1-R Pro Cup Series) is a stock car auto racing series in the United States. It is s ...

as well as the NASCAR

Camping World East Series The ARCA Menards Series East (formerly Busch East Series, Busch North Series, Camping World East Series, and NASCAR K&N Pro Series East) is a regional stock car racing series owned and operated by the Automobile Racing Club of America (ARCA) and ...

and

Whelen Modified Tour The NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour (NWMT) (previously the NASCAR Winston Modified Tour and NASCAR Featherlite Modified Series from 1985 until 2005) is a modified stock car racing series owned and operated by NASCAR in the Modified Division. The Mod ...

, the

ASA Late Model Series The ASA Late Model Series is an American stock car racing series. Founded by Ron Varney in 2003 as the "USPRO Cup Series", it was renamed "ASA Late Model Series" when it was purchased by the American Speed Association in 2004. After financial di ...

, ISMA and MSA Supermodifieds and HOSS

sprint car Sprint cars are high-powered open-wheel race cars, designed primarily for the purpose of running on short oval or circular dirt or paved tracks. Sprint car racing is popular primarily in the United States and Canada, as well as in Australia, New ...

s. The facility received a safety upgrade in 2006 when SAFER barriers were installed in the turns. During early 2009,

Music City Motorplex Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway is a motorsport racetrack located at the Nashville Fairgrounds near downtown Nashville, Tennessee. The track is the second-oldest continually operating track in the United States. The track held NASCAR Grand Natio ...

authorities announced a new promoter for the Nashville speedway, who chose to remove all "upper level" touring series races (NASCAR and ARCA) and decided not to renew its NASCAR sanction. Track officials were contacted by former Nashville promoter Joseph Mattioli III about having their major touring series races moved to Mansfield. In February 2009, the track replaced Nashville on the ARCA RE/MAX Series tour, with the

Tim Richmond Timothy Lee Richmond (June 7, 1955 – August 13, 1989) was an American race car driver from Ashland, Ohio. He competed in IndyCar racing before transferring to NASCAR's Winston Cup Series. Richmond was one of the first drivers to change fro ...

Memorial ARCA Re/Max 200 scheduled to be held on June 20, 2009.

Drag strip

A drag strip has been planned for the facility since 2006, following the decision by

Summit Motorsports Park Summit Motorsports Park, formerly Norwalk Raceway Park and Norwalk Dragway, is a drag racing facility located at 1300 State Route 18 near Norwalk, Ohio. It has been a National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) sanctioned facility since 2007 and annual ...

(located roughly north in Norwalk) to discontinue their affiliation with the IHRA and join the

NHRA The National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) is a drag racing governing body, which sets rules in drag racing and hosts events all over the United States and Canada. With over 40,000 drivers in its rosters, the NHRA claims to be the largest motorspo ...

. It was intended to have Mansfield replace Norwalk as the venue for the IHRA World Nationals by 2007 and to host a

Live Nation Live Nation Entertainment, Inc. is an American global entertainment company and monopoly that was founded in 2010 following the merger of Live Nation and Ticketmaster. The company promotes, operates, and manages ticket sales for live entertainme ...

IHRA eMax Nitro Jam event as part of the drag strip's opening festivities. The drag strip was never completed after construction was delayed and once started almost immediately halted.

Former NASCAR Races

Ohio 250 The Ohio 250 was a NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race that was held at Mansfield Motorsports Park on Memorial Day weekend between 2004 and 2008. History The 2006 race saw 18 caution flags flown during the race, setting a series record. Dennis Se ...

(2004-2008)

Track NASCAR Records

Qualifying:

Ron Hornaday Jr. Ronald Lee Hornaday Jr. (born June 20, 1958) is an American former professional stock car racing driver. He is the father of former NASCAR driver Ronnie Hornaday and son of the late Ron Hornaday Sr., a two-time Winston West Champion. Hornaday is ...

, 16.277 sec. (110.585 mph), 2005 *

Race:

Bobby Hamilton Charles Robert Hamilton Sr. (May 29, 1957 – January 7, 2007) was an American stock car racing driver. A driver and owner in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series circuit and the winner of the 2004 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series championship, Hamil ...

, 1 hr. 55 min. 37 sec. (65.907 mph), 2005 *

race record for most caution flags: 18 (2006)

References

External links

Mansfield Motor Speedway Official Site
o
NASCAR.comMansfield Motor Speedway archive
at Racing-Reference
Sheriffs Sale
{{World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series race venues NASCAR tracks ARCA Menards Series tracks Motorsport venues in Ohio Buildings and structures in Mansfield, Ohio Tourist attractions in Richland County, Ohio NASCAR races at Mansfield Motorsports Park