On the same day our sport lost one of its prized tracks forever, an opportunity to help keep one alive well into the future arose, at a relatively attractive initial price.

The land that the I-64 Motorplex, previously known as Bluegrass Raceway Park, in rural Owingsville, Kentucky, sits on went on the market Tuesday with Palmer Hampton Realty at an asking price of $350,000. Sitting on — fittingly enough — 64 acres (50 acres of commercial land and 14 acres of farm land), within spitting distance of Interstate 64 near Lexington, the 1/8-mile track has a two-story timing tower, wide staging lanes, and ample space for racers and spectators on both sides of the strip. However, the racetrack business, the strip itself, and the equipment and structures do not go with the sale of the land. The listing notes that the existing lease is expected to be retained, but also speaks to the “various business opportunities” one could utilize the land for.

The leaseholder, Tim Baldridge, who with his wife Donna operates the facility and says he owns “everything but the dirt,” assures that he intends to continue operating the track through the two remaining years on his agreement, and hopes to make a bid to purchase the property himself. We used the term initial earlier, because the land owner would need to further acquire the business and physical equipment if they were to choose to operate the track themselves at the conclusion of the lease. According to Baldridge — and confirmed in the listing — a portion of the property sits in a floodplain and, he says, will flood up to half of the land, making it unlikely to be developed for industrial or commercial use other than a racetrack. That’s potentially great news for area racers.

Nevertheless, this is an entry point for Baldridge — or someone else — to jump in and protect our sport at its grassroots level.