Back to the Future: SCRAMP holds on for another year.

In its search for a new concessionaire to manage Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, Monterey County has been spinning its wheels rapidly while not moving very far.

It looked as though the county was trying to ditch the cash-strapped nonprofit, the Sports Car Racing Association of the Monterey Peninsula (SCRAMP), that has managed the raceway for six decades. But now, after three separate proposals were not to the Board of Supervisors’ liking, the county is pursuing a one-year management contract with SCRAMP.

“SCRAMP and the county are working together to ensure a successful 2017 season,” says Brad Littlefield, spokesperson for SCRAMP. “We should iron out the details in the near future.”

SCRAMP will not be managing the track with the publicly traded International Speedway Company, Littlefield says. The local nonprofit made a joint proposal with the motor-sports giant ISC, which owns the Daytona International Speedway and a dozen other large venues. Neither party would comment on the details of the now-stalled proposal.

Two other proposals were received over the Summer of 2016: one from a newly created local nonprofit called Friends of Laguna Seca, and another from the Long Beach-based World Automotive Championship of California.

Neither seemed to have the upfront capital the county wanted a new concessionaire to bring to the table. Still, none of the proposals have been rejected as the county looks for more time to find a long-term concessionaire.

“Monterey County is in the process of negotiating with its current concessionaire, SCRAMP, for a management agreement that will ensure a successful 2017 racing season at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca,” county spokesperson Maia Carroll said by email.

“Once such an agreement is in place, the County will continue its efforts to determine a long-term concessionaire for the Laguna Seca Recreation Area. All three entities which submitted proposals last year are still considered viable candidates in this process,” Carroll continued.