|

Laytona Motor Speedway shifts from first race to full-scale rebuild

ByRobert Stevens

EPHRAIM—Less than a year after Sanpete native and online personality Robby Layton bought the former Wild Bill’s Raceway, the once-dormant dirt track has hosted its first major event and returned to construction mode for a much larger rebuild.

An aerial view shows the 3/8-mile dirt oval and surrounding property that became Laytona Motor Speedway after the former Wild Bill’s Raceway changed ownership. The project has grown from plans to revive the existing track into a larger reconstruction of the racing and spectator facilities.
An aerial view shows the 3/8-mile dirt oval and surrounding property that became Laytona Motor Speedway after the former Wild Bill’s Raceway changed ownership. The project has grown from plans to revive the existing track into a larger reconstruction of the racing and spectator facilities.
Courtesy Josh Wahl

What has changed most since the Sanpete Messenger first reported on the project in October 2025 is its scale.

Layton initially talked about repairing the track, replacing deteriorated seating and adding the basic infrastructure needed to reopen. He now says he intends to finish a new safety wall, catch fencing, grandstands, concessions and other improvements before spectators return for another event.

That decision also means there is no confirmed date for the next race.

Layton initially planned a demolition derby for September and another race later this year. He discussed July 19 as a tentative derby date and later changed the date to Sept. 26.

By Aug. 30, however, Layton announced that those plans had changed. Rather than hold another event while improvements continued, he said the crew would tear into the property and complete a much larger reconstruction first. The demolition derby was pushed into 2027.

Layton said the expanded project represents an intended investment of more than $1 million.

The decision followed a busy first summer for the newly named Laytona Motor Speedway.

When the Messenger first reported on the property in October 2025, the former Wild Bill’s Raceway was a deteriorated 3/8-mile dirt oval with failing wooden bleachers, a worn concession building and ticket booth, and no working utilities. Layton said the electrical wiring and generator had been stolen before he acquired the property.

A new Laytona Motor Speedway sign marks the former Wild Bill’s Raceway property as heavy equipment works in the background during the track’s continuing reconstruction. Owner Robby Layton has postponed additional spectator events while crews undertake a larger rebuild of the facility.
A new Laytona Motor Speedway sign marks the former Wild Bill’s Raceway property as heavy equipment works in the background during the track’s continuing reconstruction. Owner Robby Layton has postponed additional spectator events while crews undertake a larger rebuild of the facility.
Greg Knight/Messenger Photo

“There’s no power, no water, and the walls are crumbling,” Layton said at the time. “But the track’s still here, and that’s all that matters, because all we want to do is race.”

His early plans included new grandstands, restrooms, concessions, safety barriers, lighting, track resurfacing and utility improvements. He also wanted the property to host more than traditional dirt-track competitions, including demolition-style events and races involving unconventional vehicles.

Eight months later, racing returned.

The inaugural Laytona 250 was held June 20 and carried on WeCrash TV. Layton said the event drew more than 4,000 people, a sell-out.

The program included Crown Victoria racing and a minivan race. Industrial Injection, the event’s presenting sponsor, reported that the main-event prize included an 800-horsepower, 12-valve Cummins engine.

But the inaugural event also exposed problems Layton has said he wants to correct during the rebuild. During the Crown Victoria race, a car went over a barrier toward an area Layton later said had been intended as a roadway but where spectators had parked. Two spectators were injured.

Layton says a new wall and catch fence will be constructed along that portion of the facility before another spectator event.

The June event also reinforced the need for more seating. In his latest updates, Layton said some people who wanted to attend the inaugural race could not because the facility did not have enough seats.

That need recently sent Layton and his crew about 1,200 miles from Sanpete County to Minnesota. Layton said he successfully bid $40,200, before fees, on a large set of aluminum grandstands being removed from a stadium in Bloomington, Minnesota.

The grandstands had served high schools in Bloomington for more than 50 years. After new stadiums opened, the district slated the stands for demolition.

Recent video and Facebook updates show Layton’s crew dismantling the Minnesota structure and preparing portions for transport. One update described the seats being removed “one row at a time.”

Layton has said he wants the new front-stretch seating area at the Utah track to extend about 300 feet.

Layton’s ambitions for the site have also expanded beyond a traditional racing program. He has discussed possible local and sanctioned racing, demolition derbies, monster trucks, concerts, Halloween activities and other events.