Recently, the Governor of Utah announced that in order to protect America from the influence of the Chinese Communist Party regime, according to the state’s law on “hostile foreign entities,” a Chinese company has been forcibly required to sell a race track located in Tooele County. The reason for this action is that the race track is situated near sensitive military facilities.
According to public records in Tooele County, “Mitime Utah Investment LLC,” a company with connections to the Chinese Communist Party, sold a 512-acre land in Grantsville on January 22, where the Burt Brothers race track is located.
The buyer is a private investment company based in Utah, PV3 Enterprises. The company stated in a press release its plan to “restore the facility, reopen it to the public, and return it to normal operation to serve racers, fans, partners, and the broader community.”
Records indicate that the property was purchased under the name of UMC Holdings LLC. The new owner of the race track, PV3 Enterprises, mentioned that details about the future plans for the facility will be announced later.
The Utah-based Mitime Utah Investment LLC has been accused of having close ties with the CCP. In response, Beau Mason, the Utah Department of Public Safety, stated that they have gathered enough evidence to link the company to restricted foreign entities, violating the newly enacted laws of Utah, hence forcing the company to divest this asset.
Mason mentioned, “The land is now back under the control of Utah. This land is adjacent to the Tooele Army Depot and the Utah Test and Training Range, one of the most critical military testing areas in the United States. We conduct vital national defense testing of advanced weapons systems and military capabilities here, so having a company associated with the CCP in this area is unacceptable and concerning.”
On February 12, Governor Spencer Cox stated at a press conference, “This is a huge win for Utah, for America, for national security, and for our military. This underscores why laws like these are so crucial.”
Cox added that this is not about fear or targeting specific groups but about protecting Utah’s land, water resources, infrastructure, and military personnel. He emphasized the importance of welcoming legal investments and collaborations while not allowing hostile governments to exploit key assets for illegal purposes. Concerns were also raised about the possibility of drones being launched from the site to monitor sensitive military facilities.
In a statement, Brittany Lopez, Assistant County Manager of Tooele County, expressed excitement about the change in ownership of the Burt Brothers race track and the opportunities it brings to the community.
She further stated, “The race track is a significant asset in the area, and we look forward to this transition promoting economic and tourism development, as well as bringing positive impacts to the entire county.” Lopez thanked Governor Cox, Representative Bolinder, and the Utah legislative body for their support in making this possible.
Representative Pierucci mentioned a new bill that will reduce the ownership threshold from 51% to 25%, compelling more companies with affiliations to “foreign hostile forces” to divest their land. Other legislators have proposed bills to strengthen critical infrastructure like water systems against cyber attacks, and there are also laws restricting the use of genetic information.
In addition, last year in July 2025, due to similar concerns, Utah prevented the Chinese company Cirrus Aircraft from purchasing land near Provo airport.
The prevention of this acquisition was due to a new law passed in 2024, prohibiting companies owned or controlled by the governments of China, Iran, North Korea, and Russia from owning land in Utah, which also applies to entities holding company shares.
In 2023, Arkansas became the first state in the country to mandate a Chinese company to sell farmland, ordering ChemChina’s subsidiary Syngenta Seeds LLC to sell a 160-acre research site in Craighead County. The reason was the company’s failure to timely report foreign ownership, resulting in the land changing ownership in May 2025.
Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders conducted further investigations into more Chinese companies related to the CCP, emphasizing that “the CCP is a hostile foreign force, and it is not allowed to own land in Arkansas.”
Furthermore, the Chinese company Fufeng Group purchased 300 acres of land near Grand Forks Air Force Base in North Dakota to build a corn factory. The local U.S. Air Force raised national security concerns about this, leading to the city council rejecting the purchase plan in 2023.
Florida and Texas have also passed similar bans in recent years, prohibiting Chinese citizens (non-citizens/green card holders) from buying real estate or farmland. While most do not retroactively apply to previously held land, there are ongoing legal challenges. Currently, over 20 states have passed restriction laws planning to prohibit Chinese purchases of farmland and are considering reclaiming land.