Driving on the great 80 transcontinental highway – about 120 clicks due west of Salt Lake City and a short drive from the casino town of Wendover in Nevada (with some large billboards advertising clubs with plenty of scantily clad girls), motorists will stumble upon a section of the state that is remarkably flat and white in all directions. These are the densely packed salt flats of Bonneville.
Bonneville Speedway is located about 10 minutes from the 80 freeway. Motorists who do not want to deviate from this long boring drive will first notice the salt flats next to the freeway including some eclectic and randomly placed artwork including one of a shark rising above the salt. An ideal place to see these flats is right off of the 80 from a rest area on either side of the freeway about 10 miles east of Wendover. Pull over, lighten the load in one of the bathrooms and then walk out onto the salt flats. After rains sometimes standing water will puddle up in areas. We’ve also noticed amateur drone enthusiasts hovering their drones over this white landscape.
And at other times we have driven through in the middle of what looks to be a dust storm, perhaps a salt storm is a better description of this phenomenon – with high winds whipping up dust and salt particles creating almost whiteout looking conditions. When one is in the middle of this event, its hard to tell where the ground ends and the sky begins.
But those interested in seeing where the actual Bonneville Speedway is located can pull off of the 80 on Leppy Pass Road and drive about 5 minutes – turning onto the appropriately named Bonneville Speedway Road – before this road ends in a circular paved area. If conditions are dry, motorists can drive out onto the salt flats – and those more daring, can test the limits of their vehicle’s uppermost speed limits. Racing has occurred here since 1914. During wet conditions, access is restricted only to the Bonneville Speedway Road as the salt pan becomes soft with standing water – and tires will sink into it. Another other parts of the salt flats feature an extremely thin crust of salt which is easily broken.
Named the fastest race track on earth, the fastest speed limit to date for a wheel driven vehicle at Bonneville has been 503 mph. Total area for the speedway is around 30,000 acres. For more information, visit: www.bonnevilleracing.com
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