Jet Car drag racers Tyler Jackson, left, and Curt White fire up their engines at Bandimere Speedway in July 2023. (Andy Cross/The Denver Post)
An automobile auction firm plans to buy the Bandimere Speedway property outside Morrison, which hosted its last races in October but hopes to reopen elsewhere.
California-based Copart wants to turn the bulk of the approximately 150-acre site northwest of C-470 and Morrison Road, which includes the track and huge parking lots, into a storage facility for cars awaiting resale.
The company also wants to allow for commercial development such as retail and restaurant space on a southern portion of the property along Rooney Road.
Just a portion of the speedway’s parking lots are currently within Morrison. The bulk of the site, including the speedway itself at 3051 S. Rooney Road, is in unincorporated Jefferson County.
In late December, in connection with the expected purchase, Morrison received an application from Golden’s Baseline Engineering Corp. requesting the town annex and subsequently rezone the 126-acre portion of the site outside its limits, according to town documents.
The Bandimere family opened the speedway in 1958 and has owned and operated it since. John Bandimere Jr. told the Denver Post in July that the family was looking at two sites near Denver International Airport for relocation and targeting about 1,100 acres.
“Everybody thinks that we’re being pushed out by houses,” Bandimere told the publication. “Of course, there’s no question, they’re building a lot of houses around us. But that’s not why we’re leaving. We really feel comfortable with why we’re leaving: We need more space.
“Most (racing) facilities need about 350 acres. Consequently, we haven’t had any room for parking. We’ve been renting our neighbors’ lots for parking, and they’re under contract to sell also, because there’s so much development happening in the valley.”
The Bandimere family did not respond to a request for comment last week.
John Bandimere Jr. after questions during a July 2023 press conference at Bandimere Speedway. (Andy Cross/The Denver Post)
Morrison has a population of approximately 400, and 42 percent of its residents live in one nursing home, Town Planner Carrie McCool wrote in a memo this month.
The town’s population has remained relatively stable for decades. But McCool wrote that the town “is at a crossroads in terms of development and population growth,” and projects a population of about 2,800 by 2030. That would largely come from growth in what the town calls “Rooney Valley,” an area east of the hogback along C-470 that butts up against Lakewood.
At a November public meeting, John Bandimere Jr. indicated residential growth in that area has already impacted the ability to run races late into the night. Despite hosting hundreds of thousands people annually, the site has not had water or sewer service, he said.
Bandimere told residents he and his family looked for a buyer that “would keep the automotive legacy of my parents alive.”
“We prayed for someone that was not noisy, would not cause excessive traffic, needed very little lighting, did not operate on the weekends, would fit the model of limited growth, would have a heart for sharing profits with the community … would not demand high water or sewer use and, most importantly, would not change the view of the property that neighbors have seen for 65 years,” Bandimere said.
At the November meeting, Copart executive Kevin Bond emphasized that the company sells whole vehicles, so vehicles would not be crushed or dismantled at the site. He said buyers pick up vehicles between 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays.
“The common misconception is that we’re a junkyard. We’re not … We don’t sell vehicle parts,” Bond said.
Copart, which didn’t respond to requests for comment, has bought or attempted to buy speedway properties in other states, including Arkansas, North Carolina and Pennsylvania. The company has three existing Denver-area facilities, according to its website.
A map of the Bandimere Speedway property. (Courtesy photo)
Jet Car drag racers Tyler Jackson, left, and Curt White fire up their engines at Bandimere Speedway in July 2023. (Andy Cross/The Denver Post)
An automobile auction firm plans to buy the Bandimere Speedway property outside Morrison, which hosted its last races in October but hopes to reopen elsewhere.
California-based Copart wants to turn the bulk of the approximately 150-acre site northwest of C-470 and Morrison Road, which includes the track and huge parking lots, into a storage facility for cars awaiting resale.
The company also wants to allow for commercial development such as retail and restaurant space on a southern portion of the property along Rooney Road.
Just a portion of the speedway’s parking lots are currently within Morrison. The bulk of the site, including the speedway itself at 3051 S. Rooney Road, is in unincorporated Jefferson County.
In late December, in connection with the expected purchase, Morrison received an application from Golden’s Baseline Engineering Corp. requesting the town annex and subsequently rezone the 126-acre portion of the site outside its limits, according to town documents.
The Bandimere family opened the speedway in 1958 and has owned and operated it since. John Bandimere Jr. told the Denver Post in July that the family was looking at two sites near Denver International Airport for relocation and targeting about 1,100 acres.
“Everybody thinks that we’re being pushed out by houses,” Bandimere told the publication. “Of course, there’s no question, they’re building a lot of houses around us. But that’s not why we’re leaving. We really feel comfortable with why we’re leaving: We need more space.
“Most (racing) facilities need about 350 acres. Consequently, we haven’t had any room for parking. We’ve been renting our neighbors’ lots for parking, and they’re under contract to sell also, because there’s so much development happening in the valley.”
The Bandimere family did not respond to a request for comment last week.
John Bandimere Jr. after questions during a July 2023 press conference at Bandimere Speedway. (Andy Cross/The Denver Post)
Morrison has a population of approximately 400, and 42 percent of its residents live in one nursing home, Town Planner Carrie McCool wrote in a memo this month.
The town’s population has remained relatively stable for decades. But McCool wrote that the town “is at a crossroads in terms of development and population growth,” and projects a population of about 2,800 by 2030. That would largely come from growth in what the town calls “Rooney Valley,” an area east of the hogback along C-470 that butts up against Lakewood.
At a November public meeting, John Bandimere Jr. indicated residential growth in that area has already impacted the ability to run races late into the night. Despite hosting hundreds of thousands people annually, the site has not had water or sewer service, he said.
Bandimere told residents he and his family looked for a buyer that “would keep the automotive legacy of my parents alive.”
“We prayed for someone that was not noisy, would not cause excessive traffic, needed very little lighting, did not operate on the weekends, would fit the model of limited growth, would have a heart for sharing profits with the community … would not demand high water or sewer use and, most importantly, would not change the view of the property that neighbors have seen for 65 years,” Bandimere said.
At the November meeting, Copart executive Kevin Bond emphasized that the company sells whole vehicles, so vehicles would not be crushed or dismantled at the site. He said buyers pick up vehicles between 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays.
“The common misconception is that we’re a junkyard. We’re not … We don’t sell vehicle parts,” Bond said.
Copart, which didn’t respond to requests for comment, has bought or attempted to buy speedway properties in other states, including Arkansas, North Carolina and Pennsylvania. The company has three existing Denver-area facilities, according to its website.
A map of the Bandimere Speedway property. (Courtesy photo)
