"If we tried to run a race, we'd be looking for an accident," said Dennis Sullivan, president of the Utah Salt Flats Racing Association of the dangerously thin, popcorn-like salt on Course #2, that runs to the right of Floating Mountain, revealing unstable dirt that is hazardous for driving upon at such high speeds. The USFRA "Test and Tune" races for the upcoming Speed Week were cancelled this weekend. There are four "courses" on the Bonneville Salt Flats used by the Utah Salt Flats Racing Association, but only the two longest--Course #1 or the "Short" course that is 3-5-miles and Course #2 or the "Long" Course that is 5-7-miles--are operational during Speed Week. Levels of salt at the Bonneville Salt Flats are depleting rapidly. Many mineral extraction companies use salt from the flats, diverting the lake's natural water supply, affecting already record low lake water levels. All of these factors contribute to lack of salt on the salt flats that recharge naturally by regular flooding and ebb and flow of the salt water.

For the second year in a row, organizers of the time trials on the Bonneville Salt Flats have canceled Speed Week.

A statement circulated by the Southern California Timing Association Monday said the condition of the salt flats limited the event to a single track of 2.5 miles. Organizers had said they needed at least one, 3-mile track in order to proceed.

Almost 600 people had pre-registered to race at this summer's event, which was scheduled to begin on Aug. 8, according to Russ Eyers, a member of the SCTA. If it had gone forward, next month's event would have been one of the largest in its decades-long history.