In news that is big time stuff through the drag racing world, BangShift learned that Alan Chervitz has sold his operating stake in Bradenton Motorsports Park, a track that he has been the primary operator of for 18 years. 28 year old Victor Alvarez has purchased Chervitz’ interest in the facility and during a candid conversation with both men we got the inside scoop on how this whole thing came to pass. Chervitz has been a great force at the facility for nearly two decades and has brought the facility to national prominence with an incredible racing surface, a willingness to try new and innovative events, along with cultivating one of the most capable track staffs in the sport. The close and rock solid nature of the relationship between Chervitz and Alvarez brought the two men to the table with regard to this business deal.

“Victor grew up at this track and he has a lot of genuine love for the facility,” Chervitz said. “It was crucially important for me to find someone who would honor the legacy of the facility, honor the legacy of Are Malone, and commit to keeping this a race track for a very long time. Victor is that young man.” Continuing on that theme Chervitz told us that despite constant rumors about development threatening the track, the county has no plans to bring utilities like sewer to the track’s area for at least a decade. Until that happens the area is not one favored by developers. Frankly, it is awesome news for everyone who loves Bradenton Motorsports Park.

So who is Victor Alvarez, this 28-year old guy now taking the reigns of the long running Florida facility? First and foremost, he is a racing enthusiast who has founded and grown the FL2K event at Bradenton. The roll racing, street car race has expanded leaps and bounds over the years. Secondly he is a business owner who founded and has successfully operated Induction Performance for nearly a decade. The Florida shop is responsible for many high profile builds and continues to thrive today. Incidentally, Alvarez has been a track sponsor for years as well. He is blown away by the opportunity. “This is still very surreal for me,” he said. “Alan has been a mentor, a friend, and someone who I have been close with for years. We meet multiple times a month and have great conversations. A while back this whole thing kind of came up as a joke and now it is reality.”

Alvarez brings a global perspective to the track as someone who promotes events, runs a business that caters to racers and high performance enthusiasts, as well as being a racer himself. “For me, this is about creating the best racer, fan, and customer experience that we can. I want to build on what Alan has done here for many years. There are signature events like the Snowbird Nationals, the US Street Nationals, longstanding relationships with the NMRA, NMCA, and loads of professional teams who test here all winter. These are things we need to preserve and grow along with working on some of the current trends in drag racing. I’m excited beyond words for the chance to have this role at a track I have been coming to since I was a kid.”

For Chervitz the moment is bittersweet. “I have had some health stuff over the last few years and my passion is still very much tied into this track,” he said. “But, I need to enjoy my life, my wife, my family, while I have the time. I would not have sold my stake in this place to anyone. It needed to be the right person. It needed to be someone of the current generation who understands how to market, talk to, and cater to the younger base that we need to keep coming into this sport. In short, I would not have sold this to anyone but Victor. I am very glad that we both came to the realization that he was ready for this at the same time.”

So there you have it. The story behind the story on the sale and ownership change at Bradenton Motorsports Park. We feel like this is a win for all of the parties involved and a win for the sport of drag racing. A motivated young man with a well known track is a good thing. History has shown it and we feel that the future will, too.

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