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April 21, 2023: The year was 1956 and the west side of Denver was going to gain a new venue they hadn’t really anticipated. John Bandimere Sr. and his wife Frances were about to embark on an expansion of sorts for their well-known automotive machining and auto parts business – a race track. It was an opportunity for them to provide a place for people, especially young people to enjoy the speed and performance of the automobile off the city streets but more than that if was a place to share the love of Jesus in an unconventional environment – something they both loved to do.

It wasn’t long after the proper permits were obtained by the county and dirt was being moved, that the neighbors realized what was about to be established into their quiet neighborhood. Rather than fight a never-ending battle, the Safety Proving Grounds of America was relocated in 1958 to a remote piece of land up against the hogback mountain where it has resided for the past 65 years – most notably known as Bandimere Speedway.

The year is now 2023 and Bandimere Speedway is about to embark on another possible move. Surrounding development has become more prevalent in the past several years. Once again, Bandimere Speedway is prepared to surrender the location it has called home for over six decades. Truly, the mission and vision for the facility has not changed over the years. Second-generation owner, John Bandimere Jr., shares, “This place has never been ours, but always God’s. Keeping that perspective over the years has given our family not only the honor to run a business with integrity and dedication, but also the realization to hold it lightly knowing more than likely that we wouldn’t have it forever.”

The end of the 2023 racing season in October will mark the end of drag racing in Morrison, Colorado.

As we close the chapter on this part of our story, our family is taking the time to reflect on the hundreds, or maybe thousands, of memories experienced on Thunder Mountain. Memories including many of the irreplaceable pieces over the years that have added to the unique fabric of Bandimere Speedway. The relationships that have been created with employees, racers, sponsors, sanctioning bodies, guests, service-providers and more will remind us daily what a privilege it has been for our family to continue the legacy started by our family’s patriarch and matriarch in 1958.

Knowing that continued growth in the Rooney Valley would likely impact the future of our present location, our family has been proactive over the past several years in an effort to locate another possible location where a new facility can be established. Much the same as in 1956, the opportunity for developing and operating a multi-use facility with drag racing as its primary focus provides an exciting possibility for our family – one that will also provide the potential to make a meaningful contribution to the community, wherever it may be.

Information will continue to be shared with you during the racing season as it becomes available.