Opportunity Abounds at Desert Thunder Raceway

Desert Thunder Raceway Foundation Press Release

“Make the opportunity available and watch miracles happen,” said Shane Weybright, owner of Desert Thunder Raceway Foundation in Price, Utah. When the threatened closure of a beloved dirt track meets a man in the midst of a spiritual journey, miracles can happen. In 2020, Shane and Erin Weybright bought and renovated Desert Thunder and now the local and racing communities unite on race weekends to witness the growth the track brings.

Shane Weybright found the racing world as a little boy in Illinois. He and his best friend visited nearby racetracks and laid on the ground at the corners of the tracks.

“I would lay there with my face against the fence watching the cars sliding sideways, going full throttle just a few feet away from us,” he said. “The dirt, the exhaust, all of it was just awesome. That’s where I got hooked. That’s where I fell in love.”

Racing bicycles and later cars became Weybright’s passion. In the late 1990s, he raced Sprint cars and enjoyed visiting local tracks and the warm community of drivers and fans.

Weybright met his wife Erin Weybright, joined the Army and began raising a family. After his tour in the Army, he ran multiple businesses. “The responsibilities of life became the priority,” he said. “Racecars just weren’t.”

After losing several important people in his life, Weybright said he looked at his life and reevaluated his priorities. “I looked at everything. I asked, what am I teaching my kids? What am I doing?” he said. “So, we sold everything and moved to Colorado. People thought we were crazy because our family lived in Illinois for generations and we had two daughters in high school and one in college.”

The Weybright family worked at a guest ranch in Colorado, and while there, realized their hearts were no longer in Illinois. Working on the ranch gave Weybright space to think about what was important to him and what he wanted out of life.

“Something pulled me back to racing. I hadn’t been to a racetrack in Colorado, and I found out there were two tracks within an hour of me,” he said. “I found a modified car to buy before I even went to the track and completely tore it apart. There were a thousand pieces in the shop. Then, I put it all back together and I raced it that year in Aztec and Cortez.”

Weybright won Rookie of the Year at both tracks and ranked third in IMCA national points. From his new friends in the racing community, he heard a small track he had visited in Price, Utah, was under threat of seizure by Carbon County for back taxes.

“People were upset the track was going to be gone. There aren’t racetracks nearby and it would make a big impact if that racetrack went away,” Weybright said.

These events coincided with Weybright’s spiritual journey. “I asked for guidance and saw the platform of the stage. I thought, we can make a difference here, even if we don’t race,” he said. “We put our heads together and Desert Thunder Raceway Foundation was born.”

The track and the grounds were in poor condition, overgrown with weeds and littered with debris, with poorly maintained facilities.

“The desert was taking back over. The Howards were doing the best they could, but they were putting the races on with a working man’s budget,” he said. The Weybrights found themselves in the position to work with the track full time.

After purchasing the track in 2020, the Howard family, previous owners of the racetrack, managed the races while the Weybrights observed and addressed problems as they arose. They cleaned and expanded the track and brought in better lighting to make the facilities safer for drivers. Improved grand stands made the races more comfortable for the crowd.

Before the 2021 season, Desert Thunder put on 12 races each year. Under the management of the Weybrights, Desert Thunder will host over twice that number this year. “We now have the local crowd to support a 27-race show,” Weybright said.

Every other weekend, local businesses sell food and ice cream out of food trucks. Children squeal with excitement as they stand close enough to the track to be drenched by the watering truck and check out stationary race cars before the races begin. Drivers and fans rave about the positive changes, upgrades and work the Weybrights poured into the track.

“Desert Thunder Raceway has come a very long way very fast,” said IMCA Hobby Stock driver Jason Duggins. “Shane Weybright and his crew give it their all and it makes it a great place to be racing.”

“I love racing at Desert Thunder,” said IMCA Sport Compact driver Mylee JoAnn Goldwich-Rhames. “The Weybrights are so sweet and the place is beautiful. Everyone is just so friendly.”

“I’ve been coming to races at Desert Thunder since I was a kid,” said Austin Hall, videographer for IMCA TV. “This place has changed a lot. There’s so much Shane has done, it’s not even funny.”

The Weybrights hope to expand the track into a motor sports complex and provide facilities for motocross and side-by-side racing.