Photo by the_great_s10/Instagram

Despite its buyer not yet receiving an acceptance from the Palm Beach County Board of Commissioners for its proposed site plans, IRG Sports + Entertainment officials closed the facility on Sunday after its “Last Lap” event, notifying its employees of their termination. The group issued the following statement, clarifying the finality of the closure.

PBIR has been privately owned since 1964, and during that time it has hosted great racers and racing moments. The racing community paid tribute to the track and its history on April 23rd at the Last Lap celebration, which was the final event at PBIR.

PBIR has faced continued financial difficulties over multiple decades. Many factors, including escalating insurance costs, fewer corporate event bookings, and declining attendance, have contributed to long-term business underperformance and the conclusion that the property’s highest and best use is not as a racetrack.

IRG engaged a professional commercial real estate advisor and ran an open and broad sales process which solicited significant interest from a wide variety of institutional investors. All serious proposals were for redeveloping the property within its existing industrial zoning use, but for purposes other than remaining a racetrack. There were no competitive bids from any groups interested in keeping PBIR open.

Every expert who analyzed the property in detail recognized the same thing: the increased employment, millions in new tax revenue to the County, and opportunity to serve the region’s growing critical infrastructure needs made redevelopment the clear path forward.

We are concerned there have been conflicting reports about PBIR’s future. As the property’s owner, to help members, sponsors, and the community appropriately plan for the summer, fall, next year and beyond, we want to be clear:  PBIR’s closure is final.

We have officially communicated the finality of the closure to our small, dedicated group of employees. All equipment, including the stands and bleachers, has been sold. 

Thank you to everyone who helped make PBIR what it was, and we appreciate and support efforts to continue racing at other nearby locations.  

As was reported by Dragzine only last week, Portman Industrial is attempting to complete its acquisition of the longtime raceway property in order to redevelop it into warehouse space. However, its site plans were denied approval by the Board Of Zoning Commissioners at a recent meeting. The board noted significant flaws in the plan submitted by Portman. The next board meeting on the issue has been tentatively moved to September.

The local community has expressed concerns about racers going back to the streets, and numerous local businesses, including high-performance shops, are worried that if PBIR shuts down, they will be forced to, as well.