NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle star Matt Smith has fond memories of almost every NHRA-sanctioned track he’s competed on since joining the class two decades ago.

And, Bandimere Speedway, the site of the upcoming final Mile-High Nationals on July 14-16 outside of Denver in Morrison, Colo., is no different.

Smith, who has won 36 career Pro Stock Motorcycle national events and has captured six PSM world championships in 2007, 2013, 2018, 2020, 2021, 2022.

Four of Smith’s 36 Wallys came at the Mile-High Nationals in 2007, 2008 and 2021 and 2022.

Smith has one last chance to add to his total at Bandimere as the curtain will drop on the event forever on July 16. 

Back on April 21, NHRA and the Bandimere family jointly announced the 2023 Dodge Power Brokers NHRA Mile-High Nationals at Bandimere Speedway would be the last NHRA national event at the historic track.

First opened in 1958, the Bandimere family has agreed to sell the current property and land, with the 2023 racing season marking the end of drag racing at the location.

If Smith does win at Bandimere, he will tie Andrew Hines for most Pro Stock Motorcycle wins at the Mile-High Nationals at five. Hines’ victories at the facility came in 2006, 2010, 2014, 2016 and 2019.

“I think it's really sad. It's a great facility,” Smith said about Bandimere Speedway closing. “I know the family loves drag racing. I really enjoy going there. I mean it's a challenge and what I like more than anything is I love a challenge when it comes to racing.

“It's kind of why I'm on a Suzuki right now. I mean, it's a challenge to get this thing to run compared to where I've been the last 15 years on a (Buell). I'm up for the challenge and that's what I thought Denver was, was a big challenge for everybody.”

Having an elevation of 5,800 feet, Bandimere Speedway puts the minds of tuners into overdrive.

“When I got really good up there is when we stayed over after a race,” Smith said. “Two years in a row, we stayed after on a Monday and tested there, and that's when I learned a lot of stuff because you just can't test and do stuff you need to do in qualifying or during the race. We made an example to stay over because we were going straight onto Sonoma (Calif.). It was beneficial for us to stay over and test there on Monday. We learned a lot. I applied that for the following year. And I mean we've been dominant there the last two years.

“Between me and Angie (Smith, his wife, and fellow Pro Stock Motorcycle racer), I mean we were number one and two qualifiers there last year and I was the first one and only one ever to go (7.0 seconds) at over 190 mph on the mountain. I think that's a testament to just learning stuff and testing and trying to figure something out that people are not used to.”

Over the years, it seems like drivers and crew chiefs have had a love-hate relationship with the Mile-High Nationals because it is such a one-off race – like a road race in NASCAR. Smith made his feelings for Bandimere Speedway known.

“It's definitely a track I'll miss,” he said. “I don't know how I'll do on the Suzuki up there because I've never ran a Suzuki up there ever in my whole life. So, I'm not real sure what to expect. But hopefully we'll run pretty decent. I'm going to apply some of the same technology that I'll apply to the V-Twin to a certain extent of what I can get done for this race. But it is one of those deals. I mean, knowing that it's the last race, I can't go spend a bunch of money on building a whole new transmission and motor combination just for one race only that we're never going back to. It is kind of pointless to do that.”

With Angie running a V-Twin at the Mile-High Nationals, Smith is optimistic his team can make it three wins in a row at Thunder Mountain.

“I mean, she was (7.)13 or (7.)16 out there, I think last year and like I said, she was number two qualifier,” Matt said. “I feel like she has a good chance of winning that race and doing a really good job out there this year.”

Smith acknowledged seeing another NHRA dragstrip close – Atlanta, Houston and Phoenix most recently joined that list that now includes Denver – is hard to digest. 

“I mean, I just don't understand why we're losing so many tracks,” Smith said. “I feel like the racetrack is profitable, especially if they have a local program because the goal, is to get people off the street from racing and get them to a track. So, if we're losing tracks like this and we're closing up, and it's because of money, then we're not promoting our sport good enough to get people off street racing and get them over to the racetrack. 

“I think the other thing is maybe NHRA needs to look at getting their price down to have these events there so the track can make money to survive. Because without these tracks, there's no racing. And we have to have multiple different tracks across the country to be able to go racing.”