PULASKI, Va. – Shelor Motor Mile has given the largest gift the County of Pulaski has ever received by donating the storied Motor Mile Speedway & Dragway and all the improvements located upon the more than 152-acre property, and the historic Calfee Park, home to professional baseball teams and voted Best Rookie-Level Ballpark in America by Ballpark Digest, along with 21 accessory parcels.
"Being a part of this historic moment for Pulaski County and helping carry on the traditions and extend the legacies of two of the most iconic assets in all of the New River Valley is one of the highest honors I have experienced in my professional career,” stated Jonathan D. Sweet, County Administrator. “This further demonstrates the commitment and care the ownership of the Shelor Motor Mile has for this community and the confidence they have in the leadership of Pulaski County to entrust us with these famed community assets.”
Shelor Motor Mile and their affiliates intend to lease both the speedway and the ballpark back from the County and will continue to manage the operations of both facilities for the next three years as a means of continuing the existing functions of each enterprise and to better allow for a training period and smooth transition of ownership to the County. Pulaski County will possess these assets immediately upon transfer of ownership but will rely on the professional staff of each respective operation to continue business as usual. Pulaski County will, however, have the ability to utilize both assets for their own purposes as a means of tourism, and economic and community advancement when events are not being hosted by Shelor or their affiliates.
“The Shelor Motor Mile organization is pleased and proud to entrust these properties to Pulaski County. We want to ensure these event facilities are permanently available for use by all of the New River Valley communities. This is a new chapter in the life cycle of the two historic properties, and we are excited to see how the County’s leadership will take them to the next level."
“We are truly grateful to Shelor Motor Mile and their leadership for their long-standing partnership with the County and for their involvement in so many facets of the development and prosperity of our community,”, stated Laura Walters, Chair of the Board of Supervisors. “These gifts will be deeply cherished and will help ensure Pulaski County and the New River Valley continue to enjoy two of Southwestern Virginia’s most valuable outdoor sport and event venues.”
Note: The Motor Mile Speedway operates under the Shelor Motor Mile affiliates of ‘Speedway Properties, LLC’, ‘DLR Group, LLC’ and ‘SHAH Development, LLC’. Calfee Park operates under the Shelor Motor Mile affiliate of ‘Historic Calfee Park LLC’, ‘Calfee Park Baseball Inc.’ and ‘Calfee Park Concessions LLC’
ABOUT Motor Mile Speedway:
Pulaski County Motorsports Park (formerly Pulaski County Speedway, New River Valley Speedway, then Motor Mile Speedway) is a 0.416-mile paved oval racetrack in Fairlawn, Pulaski County, Va. It was purchased by Shelor Automotive Group in 2004 and was subsequently renamed Motor Mile Speedway. The track announced it has cut all sanctions with NASCAR and discontinued its oval track racing in late 2017 but reopened under NASCAR sanctioning in 2019. However, it continues to use its drag strip behind the back straightaway. In late 2020, the Rusty Wallace Racing Experience signed an agreement to become operator of the track for at least the next two years, with plans to run regular oval- and drag-racing experiences at the track. Pulaski County Motorsports Park hosted one NASCAR Busch North Series event in 2005 and three NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour races between 2005 and 2006. The facility also hosted 21 X-1R Pro Cup Series races from 1998 until 2014, two CARS Super Late Model Tour events in 2015 and 2019, and two CARS Late Model Stock Tour races, also in 2015 and 2019. The track started hosting the CARS Tour once again in 2021 along with the SMART Modified Tour. Pulaski County Motorsports Park hosted one ASA National Tour event in 1999. On July 27, 2023, the track hosted the SRX Series, with Kyle Busch winning in his SRX debut.
ABOUT Calfee Park:
Calfee Park is a stadium in Pulaski, Va. It is primarily used for baseball, and is the home ballpark of the Pulaski River Turtles in the Appalachian League, a summer collegiate baseball league affiliated with Major League Baseball. It was built in 1935 as a Works Progress Administration project, and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Calfee Park was named after the mayor of Pulaski in 1935, Ernest W. Calfee. It holds approximately 3,200 people. Calfee Park is owned and operated by the owners of Shelor Motor Mile. Calfee Park was voted the best rookie-level ballpark in America in 2019 and 2020 by a fan vote in Ballpark Digest's annual Best of the Ballparks competition. The park had major renovations prior to the 1999 season, with a new grandstand behind the plate and along the first-base side as well as “open-air suites” (railed-in areas with picnic tables) farther down on the first-base line. A new scoreboard was also installed. After the Shelor Motor Mile’s ownership group purchased Calfee Park from the Town of Pulaski in 2015, more than $9 million in renovations were made to the historic park. The park has received a new press box and VIP towers, renovated home clubhouse, new visiting clubhouse, a jumbotron, 18 additional outdoor suites, new concession stand, upgraded souvenirs, additional general admission seating, upgraded padded club seating, renovated ticket offices and several additional parking lots. Additional renovations since the 2015 season have included a picnic pavilion, three-tiered party deck in left field and walk-in retail store.
