Copper Raceway Park (West Jordan)

In May 1964 newspapers announced an NHRA-sanctioned quarter-mile strip for West Jordan, to be called International Raceway and Dragstrip. Paul Darrough and Ray Richards, business manager of Ramona Raceway in San Diego, said they would lease 160 acres along Highway 48 for a 2.5-mile road course, a 2.2-mile stock car track and a drag strip, with the strip built first. Ron Winegar was named track director, and engineers were at work on the site. Ground was finally broken on March 8, 1965, after a year of planning, on a 160-acre site three miles west of West Jordan on 7800 South, and the first race was set for June 19, 1965. It opened under AHRA sanction, since NHRA had sanctioned the new Bonneville Drag Strip, and was due to host the AHRA Summer Nationals that first year. The plans for other tracks changed to a 3/8-mile oval, a sports car course and a one-mile oval, none of which were built. In June 1966 the track moved its drag racing from Saturday to Friday nights. Racing seems to have ended after two seasons. Police used the strip for skid training in 1968, and in 1969 EMDEKO International hired Craig Breedlove to test a new auto stabilizer on it. Ted McKenna remembered informal racing on the old track as late as 1972.