SAVED! Daytona's Brickyard burger joint to live on under new owners. Here's the scoop.

DAYTONA BEACH ― Buyers have emerged to save Daytona Beach's Brickyard Lounge & Grill just days before the deadline its founders set to either sell or close it after 30 years in business.

The identity of the buyers remains a secret for now, but the iconic burger joint is under contract to be sold on Aug. 31, confirmed Realtor Dan Lyonnais late Thursday afternoon.

"The Brickyard Lounge & Grill will live on!," wrote Lyonnais in a text message responding to an inquiry from The Daytona Beach News-Journal. "(The sale is) scheduled to close at the end of the month."

The Adams, Cameron & Co. Realtor is the agent Brickyard founders Renny and Penney Miles have been using to shop their business around to prospective buyers.

Renny Miles did not respond to a request for comment.

Identity of the buyers remains a mystery

The buyers "wish to remain anonymous at this point (but) great things are coming. Stay tuned," Lyonnais wrote. "Customers will not be disappointed."

Lyonnais confirmed that the buyers are a local family. "They've been customers at the Brickyard for years."

The building had also been for sale, separate from the restaurant, but landlord Rick Hilliard has agreed to take it off the market now that the soon-to-be new operators of the Brickyard have informed him on their intentions to sign a new multi-year lease, said Lyonnais.

They plan to keep the menu, recipes and staff

The new owners "plan to keep all the staff," Lyonnais said, adding that as of late Thursday they had not yet had a chance to formally introduce themselves to the Brickyard's employees. "Menus and recipes and employees will all remain the same. They are committed to keeping the tradition and legacy of the Brickyard."

The Brickyard opened 30 years ago this month

Renny and Penney Miles opened the Brickyard Lounge & Grill in August 1993, leasing the distinctive standalone two-story A-frame building at 747 W. International Speedway Blvd., across the street from Bethune-Cookman University.

The building previously was home to a restaurant/bar called the Flame Lounge. Miles and his wife chose to call their restaurant the Brickyard because of its brick exterior. The building was built in 1961.

The Mileses previously lived in Virginia where Renny was a sales representative for General Foods. But he had visited Daytona Beach in the early 1980s to sell NASCAR-themed apparel he and a friend had produced themselves.

During one such visit, Renny Miles and his buddy had their merchandise seized by none other than Bill France Sr., the founder of NASCAR, who had his security guards detain them for several hours for selling unsanctioned merchandise on Speedway property.

When word spread that Miles and his wife had opened the Brickyard, France's son, Bill France Jr., personally walked into the restaurant to introduce himself, saying he wanted to meet the brash entrepreneur that his late father had told him so much about.

Bill France Jr. became a regular customer, often bringing visiting NASCAR team owners and drivers to try the food.

The inside walls of the Brickyard are adorned with photos and newspaper and magazine articles of the many NASCAR drivers and officials who have eaten there over the years. Sports Illustrated a few years ago included the Brickyard in its list of the "22 Best Places for a Bite and a Beer on the (NASCAR) Cup Circuit."

The Brickyard has been a favorite hangout for locals as well. "Some consider them to have the best burger in town," said Costa Magoulas, dean of the college of hospitality and culinary management at Daytona State College, in a recent interview.

Rumors have been spreading

Several social media posts have been circulating in recent days claiming that the Brickyard would be closing Aug. 27, several days ahead of the previously announced deadline.

The rumor was partly true. "The Brickyard is closing after Saturday, but only temporarily for remodeling and updating," said Lyonnais. "The new owners are hoping to reopen by early October in time for Biketoberfest. I think it's going to be better than ever."

Employees keeping their fingers crossed

Donna Gross, a server/bartender at the Brickyard the past seven years, said on Thursday that she and her co-workers had heard the restaurant might be under contract to be sold, but were not ready to celebrate until the sale actually closes.

"I love working here," she said. "It's the best job I've had in this town. I'm very hopeful. People have been coming in sad about this place (possibly closing). They don't want it to be gone."

Cheryl Principe has been a server/bartender at the Brickyard for the past eight months. "A lot of people are coming in for a last burger or for a last serving of our wings," she said.

When asked what makes the food special, Principe was quick with the answer. "It's that grill," she said. "Thirty years of deliciousness."

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: SAVED! Daytona's Brickyard burger joint to get new owners