End of an era: Now that Rockford Speedway is closing, what will take its place?
The Rockford Speedway, which has entertained auto racing enthusiasts for decades, will embark on its 76th and final season in 2023.
The nearly 50-acre site at the corner of Forest Hills Road and Illinois Route 173 has been transferred to HJS Development for future commercial uses.
“I will miss it beyond words,” said Tom Deery, one of eight of Jody and Hugh Deery’s children. “It tears me apart that this day had to come, and it’s really not about the business of racing.
"It really has to do with what has happened around us. The economic aspect of having this piece of land here in a commercial zone. Its sustainability was becoming more and more challenging.”
More:Jody Deery, 'matriarch' of the Rockford Speedway, dies
The upcoming racing season has been dubbed the "last lap season” for the speedway, which has hosted such race car legends as A.J. Foyt, Parnelli Jones, Rusty Wallace and Dick Trickle.
Speedway President Susan Deery began working at the venue at age seven.
“I sat in the first row of bleachers, which were wooden back then,” Deery said. “I ran the lineup of race drivers up to the track announcer. That was my job. I got 50 cents a night.”
What's next for the Speedway?
Future uses for the site have not been determined, said Louis Schriber, with Shorewood Development Group, which manages HJS Development.
“There is significant interest in the land and part of what Shorewood does is we really focus on commercial development,” Schriber said. “Grocery-anchored shopping centers, functional strip centers with quick-service food and ancillary retail that goes with that.”
Forest Hills Lodge, which was built in 1977 and has hosted hundreds of wedding receptions, parties and other special events over the years, will be razed this summer.
Site work at the Speedway property is expected to begin in the fall to prepare the land for future commercial development, according to Schriber.
Loves Park Mayor Greg Jury said the impending demolition of the Speedway is bittersweet.
“There’s going to be a lot of race fans who are going to be disappointed, but what I hope they do is appreciate what this (Deery) family brought to this community for the last 75 years,” Jury said. “Not just here at the Speedway, but also at Forest Hills Lodge. I hope with us working with them closely and their developer, they’re able to bring in some quality businesses that will benefit the community and the city of Loves Park.”
'It was our job and our passion'
In addition to auto racing, Rockford Speedway hosted a variety of other events including concerts.
Rockford radio station WXRX/104.9 FM hosted its Memorial Day Weekend Wing Ding concert at the Speedway in the early 2000s. A performance headlined by Rock and Roll guitar hero Ted Nugent in the late 1970s attracted an estimated 30,000 spectators.
“It was our job and our passion,” Susan Deery said while reflecting on her life at the Speedway. “It was what we woke up every morning and did. We like to entertain, and we like show business. It’s a cool job because it’s different every day and who wouldn’t want to do that?”
“I learned everything I know about life and working and dealing with life from the experiences at this corner of Forest Hills Road and (Route) 173,” Tom Deery said.
Jody and Hugh Deery purchased an interest in the speedway in 1959 before becoming sole owners in 1967. Hugh Deery died in 1984. Jody Deery died in June.
Ken DeCoster covers business news and features. Contact him at 815-987-1391, kdecoster@rrstar.com or @DeCosterKen.
This article originally appeared on Rockford Register Star: Rockford Speedway to close, redevelopment in the works
