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Portsmouth (Ohio) Raceway Park is expected to reopen soon under new ownership of the Jent family of Hillsboro, Ky., who have owned and operated Mudlick Valley Raceway in Wallingford, Ky., for four seasons.

"We are beyond grateful for this opportunity and cannot wait to begin this exciting new chapter," the Jent family posted in announcing the confirmation of the Portsmouth purchase that had been brewing for weeks.

The Jents purchased the 3/8-mile oval from the Coleman family, which founded the 36-year-old track at the confluence of the Scioto and Ohio Rivers, a longtime and popular Dirt Late Model fixture. Jamie and Judith Jent thanked "the entire Coleman family for placing their trust in us to carry the torch at Portsmouth Raceway Park. This facility has long been one of the most prestigious dirt tracks in the country, and we are honored to continue building upon the incredible foundation they created."

The reopening date at Portsmouth, which has been closed August 2024, will be announced soon. The track has hosted 11 Dirt Track World Championships on the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series, 37 Lucas Oil events overall and has a list of track champions including Jackie Boggs, Delmas Conley, Bob Adams Jr., Kenny Christy, Brandon Fouts and Audie Swartz.

The Jents and track workers have had access to the Portsmouth oval and have been making improvements while awaiting the sale to become official.

The Jents said their commitment to Mudlick Valley "remains as strong as every," but in splitting time and resources between the tracks, they announced Mudlick Valley's remaining 2026 schedule has been reduced to two events: July 4's Valvoline American Late Model Iron-Man Series race and a Sept. 6 Super Late Model special. Six other previously scheduled events have been cancelled.

Editor's note: Updates with more details.