Image credit: Firebird Int'l Raceway on Wikipedia

It’s been an interesting last 12 months for those in the drag strip business, with some tracks shuttering their gates, while others have managed to successfully stave off extinction. A pair of tracks that have been a frequent part of the headlines over the last several months (or recent years, rather, if you’ve been tuned in to the persistent rumors) are the Firebird International Raceway in Arizona and the famed Orlando Speedway World Dragway in Florida.

The Firebird facility, located in the Phoenix suburb of Chandler and boasting a 1/4 mile dragstrip, a gigantic man-made racing lake, and road and off-road racing courses, has been the source of rumors for years. According to many media reports over the last several months, those rumors are set to fruition in early 2013, when the lease on the property from the Gila River Tribe to longtime track operator Charlie Allen expires and will not be renewed.

The Orlando Speed World Dragway, home to the world famous Real World Street Nationals, holds a special place in the hearts of drag racing fans, and certainly those in the central Florida region that call it home.

“After almost 30 years, it’s incredibly sad to know that we are looking at the end of Firebird International Raceway,” said Charlie Allen in a recent interview with National Speed Sport News. “But let me tell you, it’s been a heck of a great ride.”

The 2013 Firebird schedule that runs through the end of March seems to support this claim, with a NAPA Auto Parts Final Event Spectacular even scheduled on March 30 to commemorate the 30th and final season of Firebird.

Not so fast, however.

In a story published by the Arizona Republic on Thursday, NHRA President Tom Compton alluded to conversations between the NHRA and the Gila River Tribe to continue hosting NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series events at the facility beyond 2013. Such a scenario would mean that the tribe has intentions to continue operating the property as a motorsports venue following the end of the lease with Allen.

Said Compton, “Based on our discussions with the Gila River Indian Community, we are very optimistic that the venue will be on the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series schedule in 2014.”

On the opposite end of the country, the popular Orlando Speed World Dragway, in peril for the last year after longtime promoter Carl Weisinger announced that the 2012 season would be his last. Orlando is rumored to have a new owner or combination of owners, which could be announced around the middle of January. These rumors are unsubstantiated at this point, but they’ve certainly helped to curtail the discussions of big box stores and retirement villages occupying the land on the forums for the mean time.