They paved paradise, put up a parking lot: Valley racing fans mourn closing of dirt tracks

The Arizona dirt track racing scene has a legacy seven decades old. The state’s first large race was held in 1951, when Manzanita Park featured an event on a one-quarter mile track. More than 3,900 fans watched Roe Mounts drive his 1933 Ford Coupe to victory. This rich history is at the risk of making a dangerously long pit stop as dirt tracks that were once popular family gatherings as well as stepping stones to NASCAR success are struggling to survive.