Concept Haulers Motor Speedway will welcome new owners and new name - Norway Motorsports Park

Be careful what you say at a driver’s meeting, you just may talk yourself into buying a kart track. Concept Haulers Motor Speedway in Sheridan, Illinois – roughly 70 miles southwest of downtown Chicago – has hosted numerous national and regional karting programs over its multiple decades of history. The facility heads into a new era with new co-owners Mario DeMaria and Jeff Lohmar.

Concept Haulers Motor Speedway was built in 1988 originally as a 1/6-mile dirt oval under the name of Norway Speedway with Bob’s Kart Shop based at the track. By 1994, the facility was transformed into a sprint track, expanded to the current layout two years later. Since that time, it has hosted Superkarts! USA, World Karting Association, Route 66 Sprint Series, CKNA, Margay Ignite Challenge, and many other programs, in addition to yearly club series. The facility owns a rental kart fleet, promoting Junior High School and High School leagues each summer over the last few years. New asphalt was put down in November 2023 with rave reviews from club racers, sparking the interest of past club racers to return this year.

The following was the statement by now former owners Les and Diann Finke, published on August 20:

Concept Haulers Motor Speedway has been sold to a new owner. While there has been an abundance of purchase talk through the years, we now have a signed offer. This is a sort of bitter-sweet moment in our lives as we have spent a great deal of time and effort there over the years since 1988. I designed the track and helped construct it along with some of the garage buildings, pit spaces, electric pit spots and other things, ending with the repave last fall. On the other hand, we are in our late 70’s and have enjoyed reasonably good health, allowing us to work the long hours required but we cannot expect that to go on forever. We are satisfied that the new owners are committed to keeping it as a racetrack and look forward to observing it run in a healthy manner. We will continue to operate through the fall schedule and transfer ownership nearer to years end so Mario and Jeff can securely establish their programs for the 2025 season.

We will cherish the many relationships we have enjoyed over the years and would like to say Thank You to the many who have contributed to our memories. We have heard many times over how this venue had become their favorite track and have some people racing here with their kids now after they have moved on from driving.

It was a driver’s meeting for a club race at Concept Haulers Motor Speedway that put Jeff Lohmar and Mario DeMaria together as the new co-owners. DeMaria had opened to Finke about purchasing the facility. Despite DeMaria’s continual discussions through the 2023 season, nothing moved forward. During a driver’s meeting, DeMaria commented to Lohmar about purchasing the track, and the two began discussing ways to put together a plan. Their offer to Les was the ticket, and papers were signed for the purchase of the facility on August 17, with the closing date set for a time in the coming months.

DeMaria is a karting dad with 16 years of road racing cars, whose son Luca is finishing up his last year in the Kid Kart division. He comes in with years of experience in business management sales and is excited about the future of the facility.

Lohmar is a karting family already, with himself and two sons competing in karting for the last 10 years. Jeff – a former manager of a lumber company, now owner of rental properties and real estate – has been a member of the Driver Council at CHMS, racing at the facility for several years and expanding out to regional racing with Cup Karts North America. He feels this will be a crazy and fun opportunity for himself and his family.

Speaking with both DeMaria and Lohmar, the pair are looking at short term and long term goals for upgrading the facility. Increasing the safety aspect of the track itself is at the top of the list along with securing full-time concessions to service racers each week. They will be assessing the buildings on the property to ensure they are utilized properly. Garages and a kart shop are already on the facility, with plans to dress up the look throughout the property in the future.

The track will feature a new name – Norway Motorsports Park. The new owners feel the track is among the top-five in the country and hope to welcome in more new karters and other karting series to the Sheridan, Illinois facility.

Facebook: Norway Motorsports Park

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