Know what would look great under the tree this Christmas? A dragstrip.
After you get done trying to mentally picture a 36-acre track fitting in your living room, have a look at this real-deal ‘strip for sale, essentially lock, stock, and barrel and ready to race.
The Marion County International Raceway (MCIR) in LaRue, Ohio, located between Columbus and Toledo in the central part of the state, is a 1/4-mile track with 2,150-feet of shutdown, situated on 36 acres along Route 37. The place seats 2,700, features 12 paved staging lanes to accommodate about 180 cars at a time, a three-story control tower, TSI 2000 timing system, a 24x40x12 post-frame shop (insulated with heat/AC) and a 24×24 equipment shed, and has a combination of grass and gravel pit parking. The owners, Kevin Jewer and Katie Lotsberg, are leaving virtually all of the necessary items to run it, including the 40 and 55 horsepower tractors with tire drag, blowers, mower deck, and track sprayer.
Another bonus, there’s a 900 square-foot home on the property for those nights when you’ve partied….errr, worked a little too hard on the track surface and need a place to crash. Better yet, Lotsberg says Marion County Raceway has no curfew or noise ordinances, nor any zoning restrictions, so if you’re one of those gutsy souls who has been inspired to buy a dragstrip and don’t want your investment and subsequent returns obstructed by the locals, this is an important selling point.
Jewer and Lotsberg moved to LaRue three years ago to do just that, leaving behind their home in New England for the sole purpose of accepting the challenge of owning and operating a successful dragstrip. Both had been drag racing for about 20 years before purchasing MCIR, each having worked in various automotive roles previously. Katie told Dragzine the two are moving on to a new opportunity at another racing venue, which has not yet been named. That means someone can pick up this full 1/4-mile strip for an asking price of $690,000, and the couple says they intend — but can make no promises — that they intend to find the right buyer who will continue their efforts to keep drag racing alive in LaRue.