It was announced in early April 2022 that Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park – formerly Firebird International Raceway – would close forever in 2023 to make room for a new portion of I-10. Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park is situationed right next to Radford Racing School and for years, the drag strip at Wild Horse Pass has served as the venue for Radford’s drag racing program, which is developed around the 2018 Dodge Challenger SRT^® Demon.

With news of Wild Horse Pass closing, it seemed like Radford Racing School might be losing access to a drag strip and that seemingly put the future of the SRT Demon drag racing program in jeopardy. However, Radford Racing School announced last week that their drag racing program would be safe for the foreseeable future, as Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park is not closing later this year, nor being demolished to make room for a highway expansion.

“We are here to stay – in a big way,” said Pat Velasco, owner of Radford Racing School. “Since adding new courses, including a drag racing class with a 9-second NHRA license option, we’ve had tremendous interest from enthusiasts, pro racers and partners alike.”

Over the past few years, many popular, thriving drag strip facilities around the United States have closed and been sold off, with the land being used for non-motorsports build projects – including several this year. When it was announced last spring that Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park would close sometime during the 2023 calendar year, it came as just another hit to the drag racing community. Fortunately, the decision to close the Arizona drag strip this year was reversed and drag racing will continue, both within the Radford Racing School program and for normal racing programs that are not related to the school.

“There’s significant advantage to training at an established, long-tenured facility like Radford Racing School,” said Velasco. “Three of our instructors, who’ve taught some of the best in the racing business, each just celebrated 25 years at the school. Our permanent location means students can always expect a consistent, high-quality experience year-round – we are home to drivers who return again and again to progressively hone their skills.”

The news of Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park remaining open will allow Radford Racing School to continue offering their Drag Racing and 9-Second Certification programs. The Radford Drag Racing program will continue to showcase the 2018 Challenger SRT Demon, but the 2023 Challenger SRT Demon 170 will also be joining the fleet, complete with a curriculum that was developed for the 1,025-horsepower Dodge. This will give owners of the 8-second Challenger a place to learn how to use all of the features and how to handle all of that power, helping them to get the most from their monstrous muscle cars. Aside from being big news for the team at Radford Racing School and the people who hope to attend the drag racing program, it is also a great bit of news for the drag racing community as a whole – as at least one of the tracks destined to be closed this year will continue operating into the future.