Bryan Sperber’s last act as president of ISM Raceway could be to figuratively spike the ball in Gatorade Victory Lane after the Nov. 11 Can-Am 500 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race.
It turns out that celebration will include not only the race winner but the end of Sperber’s 16-year tenure at the former Phoenix International Raceway and completion of a $178 million transformation that many believe will make it the second-nicest track in the country with modern amenities and facilities for fans, sponsors and competitors.
Sperber notified his staff Monday. He and Joie Chitwood, chief operating officer of International Speedway Corp., the track’s parent company, met last week at ISC’s headquarters in Daytona Beach, Fla. Daytona International Speedway is ISC’s flagship venue and underwent a $400 million modernization a few years ago.
Both Sperber and Chitwood, in exclusive telephone interviews with The Arizona Republic Monday evening, said the decision was Sperber’s and the parting is amicable. Chitwood said it was too soon to know when a replacement will be named.
— Arizona Republic —