An institution of the Mahoning Valley landscape will spin its tires under new leadership this year.

Mahoning Valley Speedway, located at 2562 Blakeslee Boulevard Drive East in Lehighton, will have a new promoter who will guide the future of the track.

Bill Osborn Jr., who started RIP Motorsports back in 2004, said the track has been leased to him.

“Leased for the first year to see how everything goes,” Osborn said Monday morning. “The future plan is to buy the whole track and bring it back up to date.”

Osborn, of Phillipsburg, New Jersey, said the goal is to get the dirt track back to its early days.

“I control the RC (Remote Control) part,” he said. “I spent the last few years developing (it).”

Osborn noted they just had a very successful day on Sunday, in which they had about 10 kids attend.

“We’re trying to get the community more involved,” he said. “The kids are the future of any kind of racing; the kids got to get involved.

“And that’s our goal; to bring new people and more people to the area and bring them a facility that they want to come to.”

There will be racing every Saturday night, he posted on Facebook.

“Fans, drivers, and teams can expect the same hard-hitting action Mahoning Valley Speedway is known for, with exciting updates ahead as we roll into a new era,” the post states.

“I know I’m not going to make everybody happy; it’s impossible, But, I’ll always try.”

A union contractor of New York City who builds hi-rise buildings, Osborn described his plans for the speedway moving forward.

“As soon as weather permits, we’ll do some repairs to the main track,” he said. “I feel I can turn it around and make it something great.”

However, Osborn admitted there’s much work to be done, and specifically mentioned the bleachers which he noted are desperate need of repair.

“I have a lot of work to do,” he said. “It’s a very large project.”

Osborn said he’s looking for volunteers to assist him with the work.

He said there will be open practice at the speedway March 28 and April 4.

Osborn said the first race will be the ROC, which will headline opening night on April 18.

He added the Fan Appreciation Race will be held Aug. 22.

The 30-acre site has been on the market for $3 million, and is being marketed as a prime commercial opportunity.

The listing, brokered by Coldwell Banker Realty agent Aaron Clouser, highlights the property’s development potential.

It’s zoned C-1 Commercial and features about 1,500 feet of frontage along Route 443 with three approved highway access points.

The property includes 28.87 acres of land and 30,000 square feet of indoor space.

The speedway opened in the mid-1950s as a dirt oval and was originally operated by the Lehighton Stock Car Racing Association.

After a period of inactivity, it was brought back to life in 1987 by Ward and Dottie Crozier, who paved the track following the closure of Dorney Park Speedway.

Most recently, the track had been under the direction of Jack and Rebecca Carlino.