Finish Line : Community Shocked by Closure of Saugus Speedway

The roar of an engine and the squeal of tires once again filled the aging, deserted bleachers at Saugus Speedway Thursday, but only as a reminder of the community’s anger and shock following the landmark track’s sudden closure the day before.

It was a faded yellow Chevrolet “muscle” car that sneaked past a handful of employees working at the facility at midday to make two high-speed laps around the one-third-mile track before disappearing out of sight. Employees couldn’t do much to keep other cars away except to put a barrier of trash cans at the track entrance.

“People want one last lap on the racetrack,” said track general manager Ray Wilkings.

The 56-year-old speedway, which until Wednesday was the oldest operating track in the western United States, closed after its owners received a structural engineer’s report stating the grandstands were not up to 1994 standards, track employees said Wednesday.

Much of the anger in the community was fueled by the abruptness of Wednesday’s closure and the difficulty in reaching the family that owns the speedway to determine if anything could be done to keep it open.

“I could probably amass 100 carpenters to donate their labor,” said David Shepphird, 43, a carpenter who has raced at the track for the past two years. But he said that without word from the owners, “We’re at a standstill.”

The speedway is owned by descendants of William G. Bonelli, who bought it in 1937 when it was a rodeo arena. None of the members of the Bonelli family currently live in Southern California, Wilkings said.

Even attempts to reach them by Santa Clarita Mayor Jo Anne Darcy failed. She speculated that the land had become so valuable the family felt a more lucrative use could be found for it.

“The inside story is they don’t want to reopen,” said Darcy. “Personally, I think they have another venture in mind.”

Tax records show the 40-acre site had an assessed value of $550,000 in 1993, but local developers now estimate the land is worth about $20 million. It is near several shopping centers and adjacent to a proposed 3,000-home development.

Wilkings said that at least one family member was surprised by the reaction to the closing of the track.

“He said he didn’t realize it was going to cause this much trouble,” Wilkings said. “But he didn’t have anything else to say. It was a decision they had to make.”

Santa Clarita city officials asked the Bonelli family this year to hire an independent structural engineer to evaluate the safety of the grandstands, said city building official Ruben Barrera.

He said city officials had inspected the speedway annually without finding serious problems, but this year the deterioration of the wood in the grandstands caused concern.

“What we saw this year was just a little bit more concerning to us, and we decided it was time to get a detailed evaluation,” he said.

A member of the Bonelli family received the engineer’s report Tuesday, and several other members of the family flew to the area for a meeting early Wednesday afternoon, Wilkings said. He said the decision to close the speedway to racing was made a short time later.

Barrera said city officials never saw a copy of the report. “If he decides to close his doors and not make any repairs, he’s not required to give us any report,” Barrera said.

Owners of some businesses near the track were wondering how they would survive the absence of the several thousand spectators who regularly flocked to the speedway weekly between late March and September.

“It’s definitely going to hurt our Saturday business,” said Lee King, manager of the Saugus Cafe, a rustic 108-year-old restaurant that often drew 100 or more speedway regulars on race night.

Some locals said they were not surprised by the decision to close the speedway, which had been rumored for years. Bob Huntington, 41, a Canyon Country resident and NASCAR racing official, said other people told him this year the track was slated for closure.

“For 10 years they have been saying ‘Saugus Speedway is going to close, Saugus Speedway is going to close,’ ” he said. “But I knew this would be the last season. I didn’t know it was coming this week.”