LOOK – Demolition crews tear down Bandimere Speedway in Morrison, officially ending 68-year landmark
Jun 4, 2026, 5:22 PM | Updated: Jun 10, 2026, 12:04 pm
We knew the day was coming, but seeing Bandimere Speedway in Morrison getting torn down still ripped our hearts out…
Demolition crews have begun tearing down the iconic quarter-mile dragstrip along the Dakota Hogback that generations of Coloradans knew as Thunder Mountain. The Bandimere family confirmed the demolition this week on social media, marking the physical end of a facility that opened in 1958 and hosted NHRA national events for more than three decades.
John Bandimere Sr. built the speedway to give young people a safe place to race, breaking ground on the Morrison property in 1957 after being turned away by neighbors in Wheat Ridge. The track was sanctioned by the National Hot Rod Association in 1968 and grew into a 23,500-seat facility hosting more than 130 events and 30,000 competitors each season. Its signature feature — a downhill staging area with an uphill shutdown strip — made it one of the most unique tracks in the country.
The family announced in April 2023 that the 2023 season would be the last at the Morrison location, citing increasing residential development in the surrounding area. The property was sold to Copart, a California-based online vehicle auction company, which purchased the roughly 150-acre site. The family held a public farewell called “Surrender the Mountain” on Oct. 20, 2024, before officially ceasing operations at the Morrison location.
By this week, nearly every structure on the property had been razed. John Bandimere Jr. told Competition Plus that all garages, the main office building and the master drive building had been demolished, with only the control tower still standing as crews worked to pull out glass, counters and decades of memorabilia. His wife, Lorraine, was on-site recording video of the tower’s dismantling.
The Bandimere name isn’t done with Colorado drag racing. Hudson Town Council unanimously approved annexation and zoning in April for a new Bandimere Speedway on 114 acres along Interstate 76 and Highway 52, northeast of the Denver metro area. No construction timeline has been announced, but the family has said it plans to build a drag strip first with room to expand.
