Speedworld Raceway Park

Speedworld Raceway Park in Wittmann, Arizona was a historic 320-acre Arizona motorsports facility that opened in 1961 as Phoenix Dragway and evolved across more than six decades into one of the most significant motorsports properties in the Southwest. The facility was permanently closed under Maricopa County order, ending one of the longest motorsports operations in Arizona history. This listing is maintained for historical and SEO directory purposes.

For more than 60 years before the closure, Speedworld was a fixture of the Arizona motorsports scene. The property originally opened as Phoenix Dragway in 1961, and over the decades the operation expanded to host nationally televised motocross and off-road events alongside the original drag racing program. The combination of disciplines was rare for an Arizona property and reflected the facility's role as a true multi-format motorsports destination.

At its peak, Speedworld was one of the largest desert motocross facilities in Arizona, drawing riders from across the Southwest and hosting events that brought nationally recognized factory teams and pro-level talent to the Wittmann property. The desert setting gave the facility a distinctive look on TV broadcasts and a genuine year-round riding capability that few other Western tracks could match.

The closure under Maricopa County order ended a six-decade run. The exact regulatory and operational factors that led to the order are part of the broader Phoenix-metro land-use shifts that have closed multiple Arizona motorsports facilities over the past decade. Phoenix's continued growth into Wittmann and the surrounding northwest Valley pushed against the noise and operational footprint that desert motorsports properties require, and the math eventually stopped working.

For riders looking for active Arizona alternatives today, several tracks fill the regional gap. Arizona Cycle Park in Buckeye, about 40 minutes south of the old Speedworld site, runs four tracks carved into a 40-acre former pit. Mesquite MX on the eastern side of the Valley provides another west-coast desert option. Canyon Motocross in Peoria served the north-Phoenix market for years but also closed in January 2023, leaving Arizona Cycle Park as the primary surviving Phoenix-area dedicated motocross facility.

For anyone searching for Speedworld Raceway Park, Phoenix Dragway, or motocross tracks in northwest Phoenix, this listing is the canonical record. Speedworld is permanently closed, the property is no longer hosting motorsports, and the Phoenix-area desert motocross scene has consolidated around the remaining active facilities. The 1961-era history and the multi-discipline evolution that defined the property remain a meaningful chapter in Arizona motorsports.