A 511-acre racetrack near Grantsville reopened Saturday under a new name, West Desert, following a series of ownership changes that included Chinese-owned Mitime and ended with Utah ownership. The public was invited to the site from 1 p.m. to midnight for track action and activities marking the rebrand.
The change in ownership traces back to February, when Utah state officials announced that Chinese-owned Mitime Investment and Development Group was forced to sell the facility under a 2023 state law restricting foreign real estate ownership near sensitive military assets, according to KSL News. State officials cited the track's proximity to military facilities as a primary national security concern, as reported by Torqued Magazine. The 511-acre property sits across a highway from the Tooele Army Depot and near the Utah Test and Training Range, and the same outlet reported that officials flagged potential drone surveillance risks tied to the adjacent airspace.
The property returned to Utah ownership in 2026, according to Performance Racing Industry. The purchase and rebrand to West Desert returned the 511-acre asset to Utah ownership, the trade publication noted. General manager and CEO Joe Atkin said the campus is reopening with a new brand and upgrades, per KSL's report, and described the site as designed for the community, with increased availability and access for local racers and fans.
The Track's Legacy, Then Years of Turmoil
The track originally opened in 2006 as Miller Motorsports Park, built by late Utah Jazz owner Larry H. Miller, according to historical reporting from The Salt Lake Tribune. The venue earned international recognition as Motorsport Facility of the Year in 2006, the paper noted. But the Larry H. Miller Group surrendered the facility to Tooele County in October 2015 after declining to renew its land lease, citing operating losses, according to Deseret News.
Tooele County later completed a 2018 sale for $18.55 million after an earlier $20 million deal was invalidated. Between March 2025 and January 2026, the site briefly operated as Burt Brothers Motorpark after Utah-based Burt Brothers Tire and Service secured a multi-year naming-rights deal, according to Wikipedia, a sponsorship that held until state foreign-ownership enforcement forced the property's sale.
Millions Poured Into Upgrades
Atkin said the facility is completing more than $5 million in short-term upgrades, according to KSL's report, but PV3 Enterprises has actually invested more than $50 million into the property since taking over ownership in early 2026, according to PR Newswire. Atkin noted that additional significant capital investments are planned for future expansion, the newswire reported.
The 511-acre facility features a 4.5-mile road course, along with a 0.7-mile front straightaway, a 0.9-mile competitive karting track, off-road courses, and grandstand seating, per the same PR Newswire release. Wikipedia notes the course was originally designed in 2005 by track architect Alan Wilson. West Desert features karting facilities, with driver development part of the venue's long-term vision, according to Utah Motorsports Campus.
Racers and Neighbors React to the Rebrand
Lincoln Larson, a race car driver who started karting at the facility in 2021, said returning for the rebrand opening was meaningful to him, according to KSL's report. The rebrand event featured race cars and supercars on display for the public, and West Desert has said it aims to create a larger motorsports and entertainment destination, with proposals for residential and commercial development around the track, per the same report.
The rebranding effort marks the culmination of a saga spanning municipal management, international corporate ownership, and state political intervention. How future residential and commercial development around the circuit will interact with local zoning, regional water resources, and nearby military operations remains to be seen.
