Bandimere unveils vision for massive new racing destination near Hudson

By Bobby Bennett | Competition Plus

John Bandimere spent more than 60 years helping build one of the most recognizable drag strips in America.

Now he’s preparing to build something that, in his mind, isn’t really a drag strip at all. That’s the part many people don’t understand.The next Bandimere Speedway will have a quarter-mile. It will have grandstands. It will have race cars, race fans and many of the features people associate with one of drag racing’s most respected facilities.

What it won’t be is Thunder Mountain.

“We’ll never be able to replace it,” Bandimere said. “We can do a lot of things that’ll make it to where the new place will have a good feel, but you never can replace it.”

For years, racers and fans gathered at Bandimere Speedway in Morrison, Colorado, where the facility’s location against the foothills created a backdrop unlike any other venue in drag racing. Bandimere knows that part of the experience is gone forever.

“The feel that there is on the mountain was the fact that you had vision,” Bandimere said. “There was more to see than just the racetrack. You could sit in the grandstands and you could look out, and I don’t know how many times sat there and saw complete rainbows start to finish because of the location.”

The eastern plains outside Hudson won’t offer those same views. What Hudson offers instead is something Bandimere spent years wishing he had. Room.

The proposed development encompasses more than 1,100 acres, a dramatic contrast to the roughly 100 usable acres available at the former facility. That amount of land changes nearly every aspect of planning and allows Bandimere to think beyond simply replacing a drag strip.

“The answer to that question is a little over 1100 acres,” Bandimere said. “Those acres are basically ours. Everything’s under contract and several of the acres have been paid for and already we have the title on.”

The project has already cleared one of the biggest hurdles.

“Zoning and annexation from Weld County into the town of Hudson and all of the zoning has been approved,” Bandimere said. “And that’s a huge, huge step.”

Just as important, local officials have welcomed the development.

“We happen to have a little town called Hudson, Colorado, that has a mayor, a town manager, a planning director that love us and want us to be there,” Bandimere said. “And so consequently, that’s a real plus.”

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