Who is the new owner of Heartland Motorsports Park?
Related Video: The video above originally aired on Wednesday, July 24.
TOPEKA (KSNT) - With the sudden end of the auction for Heartland Motorsports Park, many are wondering who will take up ownership of the race track and what will happen to it.
27 News, working for you, is continuing to follow this story and check with various sources to find out the latest information concerning the fate of the park. Check the story below for the latest information we've gathered.
27 News reached out to Chris Payne with Shelby Development LLC, owner of Heartland Motorsports Park, on Friday, July 26 to get his thoughts on the auction's conclusion. While Payne did not comment on who purchased the park or for what amount it sold for, he did say bidders for the property did not have any interest in keeping the park as a race track.
"I was kinda hoping to pass that torch on to someone else," Payne said. "All the interested parties were for redevelopment of some sort."
Payne expressed disappointment over the lack of interest in keeping the park in its current format. However, he did touch on the decision being up to the future owner as to what should be done with the property and whether or not to keep the track.
"I was the only one who wanted to see it succeed," Payne said. "There was no interest in any of the parties as continuing it as a race track."
No date is set yet for when the buyer's identity and the amount the park and surrounding properties were purchased for will be released. When asked what his future plans are, Payne said he is focusing his efforts on rounding out his time as owner of Heartland Motorsports Park.
"I need to decompress," Payne said. "I have no idea what I'm doing after this. My focus is to clear this off my plate."
27 News checked with multiple local and national organizations for information as to who might have won the auction for Heartland Motorsports Park. So far, none of these organizations are confirmed to be the mystery buyer for the park.
"Amazon has a policy of not commenting on our future roadmap, but I can say we are a dynamic business and we are constantly exploring new locations and weighing a variety of factors when deciding where to develop future sites to best serve customers."
Amazon spokesman statement on the Heartland Motorsports Park auction - July 24
City of Topeka spokesman Daniel Garret also confirmed on the day the auction ended the city did not purchase the park. Bob Ross with the Greater Topeka Partnership (GTP) also said his organization has no knowledge on the new owner or plans being considered for the property.
"We are encouraged by the news about the pending ownership of the former Heartland Park property," said Sean Dixon, president of Visit Topeka in a written statement. "We look forward to working with that team once plans are announced."
27 News has also reached out to Advisors Excel, the Metropolitan Topeka Airport Authority (MTAA) and other drag-racing organizations in the country to see if they purchased the park.
On Wednesday, July 24 the auction for the park and all surrounding parcels closed about two hours ahead of the auction deadline. Chris Payne with Shelby Development LLC, the owner of Heartland Motorsports Park, accepted a pre-auction offer for the track and all surrounding parcels of land, according to an email sent out by United Country | Heritage Brokers & Auctioneers.
Public bids for the park had reached the $3.5 million range with some other vacant lots of land nearby seeing bids in the $80,000-$90,000 range. The online-only auction was originally set to run from June 5 to July 17 but was extended to July 24.
Tax issues between Payne and Shawnee County have been ongoing for years. Payne originally purchased the property in 2015 for $2.4 million and changed the name to Heartland Motorsports Park.
Last year, Shawnee County commissioners said Payne hadn’t paid any taxes since 2017. In response, Payne issued a letter to the community on the ongoing dispute with the county.
The Kansas Court of Appeals ruled against Shelby Development LLC and sided with Shawnee County in July 2023. This prompted Payne to announce the race track had lost the NHRA National Event and later led to the Country Stampede leaving Topeka to set up in the Bonner Springs area.
In April 2024, 27 News learned from a Shawnee County spokeswoman that Payne's tax debt to the county had reached more than $3.2 million. The number increases daily and will continue to do so until the amount is paid off. Payne told 27 News in April 2024 that he intended to use proceeds from the auction to pay off the county.
"Taxes follow the property," Shawnee County Treasurer Larry Mah said. "So until those taxes are paid, they'll continue to collect interest and any new owner will be responsible in full for those taxes."
Payne put up 29 parcels of land, amounting to more than 600 acres, for the auction with the majority being offered at no reserve. Tracts 13-22 were offered as a package deal and consisted of Heartland Motorsports Park itself. The appraisal value for all the parcels combined, including the race track, amount to more than $8.5 million, according to the Shawnee County Appraiser's website.
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