Sun Sets on the Speedway

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Years before the Demaras family became ‘Demaras Racing’ visits up to Sunset Speedway were a summer tradition. The place was exciting, local and inexpensive for a family of four. After a couple seasons, lead racer Daniel Demaras even got to compete in stock-car racing on the high-banked oval.

But last September was the final lap at Sunset Speedway. Not because the engines ran out of gas, but because the land is more valuable as a place to store junk than it is as a race track. There’s something terribly sad about that.

In operation since 1968, the historic short-oval 100 km north of Toronto has seen several ownership changes. When Brian and Sandra Todish purchased the track in 2009 with financial partners, they tried to return Sunset Speedway to its former glory. The grandstands were rebuilt, the track resurfaced, and overall the place was modernized. But sentiment doesn’t balance books. The money just wasn’t there.

There’s nothing ‘new’ about an old track going out of business, but where this story gets downright depressing is when local found out what urgent developments planned for the property; a self-storage facility.

Over 1,200 storage units in 18 buildings, spread across a 10-hectare area that once echoed with V8 engines and cheering crowds. Sunset Speedway was a truly grassroots, entry point to motor racing. For a couple grand each summer, drivers could compete in bone-stock cars, or for a ‘one-off’ experience, bring the daily driver to the ‘King of the Hill‘ competition while the family watched. Instead of a community gathering place, this spot on Yonge St will be a monument to clutter.

Supporters of the track didn’t go quietly. Drivers and locals argued it was more than just a business—it was a cultural hub, a place where young people could get involved in motorsports, learn hands-on skills, and stay off the streets. In an era where everything is online, Sunset Speedway offered something real, tangible and loud. That apparently isn’t worth as much as storing old couches and winter tires.

There’s no arguing that the economics didn’t work, and maybe the province should have stepped in to help keep the historic facility alive. Yet somehow, the region has lost something bigger than just a dusty old racetrack. Sunset Speedway was more than just a connection to history, it’s a piece of the community’s identity that’s been lost.

That last event will celebrated the track, and even some old-timers shed a tear. But that was 6 months ago, and progress waits for no one. Then the lights are out, the asphalt will get torn up, and the roar of engines will be replaced by silence.

All to make room for people’s junk.

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