When Mark Wytaske took on Chateau Speedway five years ago, he had a 10-year plan on bringing it back to its former glory. Now, he’s hoping for a miracle as a divorce between him and his wife, Annette, puts the future of Lansing, Minnesota, track in jeopardy.
“I was trying to become sole proprietor of the speedway, but it is not working out,” Mark said. “My lawyer offered [my wife] $60,000 at the start and plus that on several occasions. Her lawyer declined the offer. I feel the price is fair. I’m 62 years old and I can’t afford to pay more than I offered.”
Promoting a racetrack is stressful, but Mark wanted to clear the air on that.
“A lot of people may want to believe the racetrack caused our marital issues,” said Mark. “In reality, it was less than 10% of our problems. I’ve had to take a deep breath and step back. Maybe I’m being selfish thinking I could hang onto it for myself. Now, I’m thinking someone else will swoop in and take it over. The last thing I want is for the track to close.”
The Wytaskes took over Chateau Speedway in 2018. Mark, a former racer, ranks in the top five for all-time wins at the track. He couldn’t stand by as the property’s demise loomed on the horizon.
“If they sold off all the equipment, I knew the place was never going to come back,” said Mark. “I grew up there. I couldn’t let that fire sale take place. The track has been good to me.”
They bought Chateau Speedway as a business. It sits on 25 acres of land leased from Charlie Klock.
“My 10-year plan was to make small improvements, pay off the mortgage in five years, and invest in new aluminum grandstands and concession stands after that,” Mark said. “Now, I’m changing my focus.”
Mark hopes to find an angel investor or someone who could purchase the business to keep it on the trajectory he laid out.
“The most important thing is to get the gates open,” Mark said. “The track can’t sit idle again. We brought it back, and it was thriving last season.”
Mike Adaskaveg has written hundreds of stories since the website’s inception. This year marks his 54th year of covering auto racing. Adaskaveg got his start working for track photographer Lloyd Burnham at Connecticut’s Stafford Motor Speedway in 1970. Since then, he’s been a columnist, writer, and photographer, in racing and in mainstream media, for several outlets, including the Journal Inquirer, Boston Herald, Stock Car Racing, and Speedway Illustrated. Among Adaskaveg’s many awards are the 1992 Eastern Motorsport Press Association (EMPA) Ace Lane Photographer of the Year and the 2019 National Motorsports Press Association (NMPA) George Cunningham Writer of the Year.
