NHRA announced June 21, it has entered into a multiyear agreement with Sun Valley Marina Corp., a corporation of the Gila River Indian Community, to bring an NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series event to newly named Wild Horse Motorsports Park outside Phoenix beginning in 2014.
The NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series has visited the former Firebird International Raceway since 1985 and this agreement ensures it will continue to make the annual trek to the greater Phoenix area for years to come.
Beyond the national event, NHRA said preserving the right to race for the local and regional racers is very important and this agreement ensures the track will remain open for business. The track is scheduled to open in September and will begin running NHRA racing programs in October.
“We are extremely excited to announce today that the excitement of NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series is here to stay in Phoenix,” NHRA President Tom Compton said. “Working together with the Sun Valley Marina Corp., the new management team, and the Gila River Indian Community, we look forward to staging NHRA Drag Racing at all levels of competition at the track well into the future.”
NHRA will soon announce the 2014 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series schedule, but fans were assured they can anticipate the Phoenix event being held in its traditional place at the beginning of the season. The facility also will continue to host an NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series divisional event.
Wild Horse Motorsports Park is under new management led by Paul Clayton and Darren Smith of Copper Train Development Partners. Most recently, Copper Train Development Partners hired longtime Daytona International Speedway track executive Dick Hahne to oversee operations.
This story was originally published on June 22, 2013. 
