Saturday nights at Norton Raceway Park are out of laps. The quarter-mile oval, long known to locals as Barberton Speedway, will not open for the 2026 season after the property was sold to a neighboring mulch business. The new owner plans to fold the site into an expanded mulch operation, and dozens of the track’s signs, bleachers and kitchen equipment are headed to an online auction with a preview later this month. Racers and longtime fans say the call closes the book on decades of short-track tradition in Summit County and leaves a gaping hole in the local racing calendar.
Good Luck Properties, the buyer tied to local businessman Keith Luck, who owns Mulch Makers of Ohio next door, confirmed the purchase and said rising insurance and property-tax bills, along with shrinking attendance, made continued racing a financial nonstarter. Luck acknowledged how much the community cares about the place and said “the outcome has been inevitable.” As reported by News 5 Cleveland, he said the property will be used to expand the mulch business and create jobs.
Auction Set For Late March
KIKO Auctions is handling an online-only dispersal that runs from March 27 to April 2, with a public preview on March 27 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. The listing notes that lots include the Norton Raceway Park sign, a giant 76 globe, bleachers, storage containers and commercial kitchen equipment, so fans can literally take a piece of the track home if they are the high bidder. Full auction details are posted in the KIKO listing on AuctionZip.
Racers Remember An 80-Year Tradition
For many in the pits and in the stands, the speedway was less a business and more a weekly family ritual. Longtime competitor Gary Whipkey, who raced at the park for nearly 50 years, told News 5 Cleveland he started coming as a child and called the loss “devastating” for regulars who built their summers around the schedule.
Photographer Coltin Raupach said the track “shaped” him, serving as both classroom and backdrop as he documented the local racing scene. Fans, he added, will be hanging onto the memories long after the grandstands are scrapped and the asphalt is quiet.
Lease Talks Fell Through
Speedway Action Magazine reported that Mulch Makers acquired the property in December and that negotiations with a group hoping to lease the track for a 2026 season ultimately collapsed. That breakdown left would-be promoters with no time to salvage a schedule and sent some racing classes scrambling to line up dates at nearby ovals such as Painesville and Midvale to keep their programs alive.
For now, Norton’s weekly show is parked while the new owner focuses on business plans for the site. The racing community is watching closely to see where displaced divisions and teams find a new home.
Where To Find More Information
The full auction catalog and pickup details are available through the KIKO listing on AuctionZip, and the track’s website still hosts historical schedules and contact information at Norton Raceway Park. Fans who want to inspect items in person can attend the March 27 preview, with online bidding opening the same day and running through April 2. We will continue to keep an eye on redevelopment plans and on how local racing organizers reshuffle their seasons in the wake of the closure.
