Matt Tifft Acquires Mansfield Motor Speedway, Intends to Revive Iconic Track

There is new life ahead for the former Mansfield Motor Speedway.

After teasing a potential revival for the Mansfield Motor Speedway facility in April, Matt Tifft has acquired the Ohio facility.

As first reported by Bob Pockrass of FOX Sports, Tifft has purchased the facility with hopes of hosting racing and non-racing events on the 180-acre property, possibly as early as 2026.

The track in Mansfield, Ohio, opened in 1959 and originally was a dirt track. In April 1999, the dirt track was paved over, and a few years later, Mansfield worked its way onto the NASCAR National Series schedule.

The 0.440-mile short track hosted NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series events from 2004 until 2008. The final NASCAR Truck Series event at the facility was a memorable one, as Donny Lia utilized a last-lap pass in a thrilling battle with David Starr and Todd Bodine.

The facility also hosted two ARCA Menards Series events between 2009 and 2010. Those races were won by Parker Kligerman and Max Gresham.

Other notable asphalt series that competed at Mansfield Speedway, then known as Mansfield Motorsports Speedway, included the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East -- now known as the ARCA Menards Series East, NASCAR Midwest Series, NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour, ASA National Tour, and the Hooters Pro Cup Series -- the precursor to the CARS Tour Series.

Joey Logano notably won a Pro Cup Series event at the speedway in 2005 on his path up the racing ladder.

The facility would close its doors in 2010, and ownership would change hands in 2013 as Grant Milliron took over ownership of the facility through a property seizure auction held by the Richland Sheriff's Office. The reported winning bid at the time was $800,000.

In 2017, the pavement was broken apart, and the track returned to its dirt-racing roots. Mansfield Motor Speedway would go on to host races for the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series and the All Star Circuit of Champions. However, the Mansfield comeback was short-lived as the facility closed its doors following the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series Dirt Million event on August 24, 2019. The final race to date at the facility was won by Brandon Sheppard.

Tifft has quite the project ahead of him as the facility sold off a large portion of its grandstands, SAFER Barriers, and concrete walls. However, with the facility, which has been lying dormant, essentially stripped down, the track becomes a true open canvas for Tifft to build it back however he would like.

The hype video shared by Tifft on Sunday showcased equal highlight clips of the paved and dirt-surfaced Mansfield Motorsports Speedway, which begs the question: which form of the facility does Tifft have in mind for his racetrack revival?

Photo Credit: Howie Hodge/NASCAR Media