EMMETT, Idaho — The checkered flag is in sight for Blue Valor Motorplex in Emmett.
The new NASCAR-sanctioned racetrack is in its final stages of construction. Once completed, the track will have families making new memories at a place full of old memories - the Old Boise Cascade Sawmill.
The multipurpose racetrack is one of several attractions revitalizing the old sawmill, in a plan to turn the site into a destination point for people across the valley.
"We're going to be hosting events such as lower-level NASCAR racing, local series circle track, drifting, go-karts," Travis Milburn, promoter for Blue Valor Motorplex said. "We're also going to be having potentially some time trial car racing. So pretty much anything motorsports you can do in a facility of this size, we're going to be we're going to be doing it."
Blue Valor Motorplex is a one-third mile paved oval with a go-kart track on the inside. It features one corner with progressive banking, and one high banked corner. The racetrack will have 2500 seats when it opens, developers plan to expand its capacity to 6000 seats.
The racetrack sits on a 127-acre property at the site of the Old Boise Cascade Sawmill near downtown Emmett, which closed over a decade ago.
"It used to be the lifeblood of the city," developer John Wood said. "It was in operation for over 110 years, it used to employ 1000 people a day. "
The new racetrack is part of an effort to rev up the area while preserving the old sawmill - which is still standing.
"Really bringing in the new while keeping the old," Milburn said. "It's built not just for the racetrack; the racetrack is just one small piece of the whole puzzle."
That puzzle also includes Stoney's Roadhouse - which opened in 2020 and hosts county music concerts, a drive-in movie theatre, and a planned 137 full hookup RV park.
"So, it's really built to host everything," Milburn said. "It's not just one thing here or there. So, we want to affect and touch as many people as possible. So, there will be things going on here that have nothing to do with racing, but the track itself can still be a part of that."
Wood says the unique attraction offers enough for families from around the valley to make a weekend full of memories.
"The whole idea here is that somebody can come out here on a Friday night, watch a car race, drive-in movie, see a concert, and take their motorhome back home on Sunday afternoon," Wood said.
Developers say that construction on the racetrack is almost complete. They plan on paving the track once the weather warms up.
"The goal of this facility is to make something that'll be here for the standing of time. Something that all different families will enjoy with the movies, the drive-in, the concerts, the camping, we're on the river," Wood said. "And to make sure that it's viable and that it always stays part of the community."
Blue Valor Motorplex expects to wave the green flag for events at the racetrack to start in July. More information can be found on the Kart Idaho website.
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