Running a modern drag strip isn’t for the faint of heart and over the past few years many tracks have been forced to close, but where some see a difficult business model, the Mianabi family saw an opportunity. Porla, Essie, and Parsa Mianabi took over San Antonio Raceway, renamed it the Alamo City Motorplex, and have begun the process of returning the facility to greatness by becoming an NHRA-sanctioned track and hiring the talented Madyson Ayesh to manage the facility.

Making trips to the greater San Antonio area introduced the Mianabi family to the city and they fell in love with the region. According to Parsa, his father saw the potential the track and property had to offer so he jumped at the chance to take over the facility.

“My father, being the businessman he is, saw a great opportunity with this track that others might look past. We also saw within the racing community a tight-knit group, and that matches the vibe of San Antonio itself of being a big city with a small town feel. The track is located on the outskirts of the city and so far the community has been very inviting.”

The track has a rich history of hosting big events but had recently fallen into a state of disrepair. Accepting the challenge, the Mianabi’s rolled up their sleeves and got to work on bringing the track back to life. They began to update equipment and physical improvements to the track that would make both racer and fan experiences better. Making the switch to become an NHRA-member track in Division 4 is another part of the bigger plan at work.

“There are multiple factors that brought us to this choice to become an NHRA track. With the NHRA we felt it would be a better step and are more in line with what our goals are for the Alamo City Motorplex. They offered us some big events that would help facilitate the establishment of us as a strong track within the Southwestern United States. Our intentions aren’t for the Alamo City Motorplex to be just an ‘okay’ track — we want to become the best track in Texas, and also become one of the best tracks in the nation,” Parsa explains.

To assist with making sure the vision for the Alamo City Motorplex is realized, the Mianabi family wanted to bring in someone with experience to help run the facility. Kansas native Madyson Ayesh has been added to the staff as Track Manager to help infuse new energy and raise the level of what’s to come in future at the Alamo City Motorplex.

“Our decision to go with Madyson came from the fact she was born into the racing industry and she really has a passion for it. Based off what she’s achieved so far we decided we wanted to support her — so far we haven’t been disappointed at all. She has a lot of experience with the NHRA so she knows what needs to be done working with them. She has that drive and innovative ideas that are going to help bring in new and younger racers to the track,” Parsa says.

The Mianabi family is dedicated to making the Alamo City Motorplex one of the best tracks in Texas. By investing in the facility and its staff they are trying to set the stage for some great racing in 2019 and beyond. With so many tracks shutting down, it’s a welcome change to see new owners coming into the sport and wanting to draw in more fans and racers.