Another One Bites the Dirt

The first time we visited Manzanita Speedway, we hated the joint. Mind you, we were around 8 years old, but the dirt oval on the west side just seemed so, well, barbaric.

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• Phoenix (Arizona)
• Mecca
• Manzanita Speedway
• Madison Square Garden
• Motorsports

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Over the years, we’ve learned to love the place, because like the Westward Ho, the since-bulldozed Madison Square Garden at Seventh Avenue and Adams, and the old Mecca Lounge on Seventh Street, Manzy is truly a Phoenix treasure. That’s why we’re super-bummed that the track at 3417 West Broadway Road will be closing its gates after 58 years of action-packed sprint, mini, and modified competitions.

Yep, that’s right. No more cheap beer, homemade bean burros, or mud clods in the face. (The owners of Maricopa’s County only dirt track sold the space to Southwest Crane, who will use the acreage to park its equipment.) So expect a lot of maudlin rednecks when Manzy hosts its final race, the “Donnie Davis Memorial” featuring Arizona sprint cars, mini-sprints, and midgets.

Boo, hoo.