Texas Motor Speedway
| The Great American Speedway | |
|---|---|
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| Location | 3545 Lone Star Circle, Fort Worth, Texas 76177 |
| Capacity | 191,122 (NASCAR & IndyCar) |
| Owner | Speedway Motorsports, Inc. |
| Operator | Speedway Motorsports, Inc. |
| Broke ground | April 11, 1995 |
| Opened | February 29, 1996 |
| Construction cost | $250 million USD |
| Former names | Texas International Raceway (1996) |
| Major events | NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Samsung Mobile 500 AAA Texas 500 NASCAR Nationwide Series NASCAR Camping World Truck Series |
| Oval | |
| Surface | Asphalt |
| Length | 1.5 mi (2.4 km) |
| Turns | 4 |
| Banking | Turns: 24° |
| Lap record | 0:22.542 (Paul Tracy, Team Green, 2001, Cart FedEx Championship Series) |
Texas Motor Speedway is a speedway located in the northernmost portion of the U.S. city of Fort Worth, Texas – the portion located in Denton County, Texas.
The track measures 1.5 miles (2.4 km) around and is banked 24 degrees in the turns, and is of the oval design, where the front straightaway juts outward slightly.
The track layout is similar to Atlanta Motor Speedway and Charlotte Motor Speedway (formerly Lowe's Motor Speedway).
The track is owned by Speedway Motorsports, Inc., the same company that owns Atlanta and Charlotte Motor Speedways, as well as the short-track Bristol Motor Speedway.
Contents |
[edit] History
The speedway has been managed since its inception by legendary racing promoter Eddie Gossage. His creative, colorful, fan-friendly approach to managing the track has become the standard by which all other tracks have been measured. He was the first to introduce Personal Seat Licenses to the sport, as well as Season Tickets. His stance on allowing fans to bring their own coolers, even in the face of restrictive Texas laws that at one time prohibited the speedway from selling alcohol as a result, has made him a favorite of the fans.
Based on qualifying speeds in 2004, 2005, and 2006 (with Brian Vickers shattering the qualifying record at Texas with a speed of 196.235 mph (315.810 km/h) in the 2006 Dickies 500 qualifying), the Texas Motor Speedway was once considered the fastest non-restrictor plate track on the NASCAR circuit, with qualifying speeds in excess of 192 mph (309 km/h) and corner entry speeds over 200 mph (320 km/h). However, as the tracks' respective racing surfaces continue to wear, qualifying speeds at Atlanta have become consistently faster than at Texas (2005 and 2006). Brian Vickers holds the qualifying record at TMS. In 2006, he posted a 196.235 mph (315.810 km/h) speed. Elliott Sadler beat the record before Brian, qualifying in the 49/50th spot. Being the last person out on the track, Brian nipped Elliott Sadler's qualifying time. [1] The NASCAR records still fall short of the all-time TMS qualifying record though. Driving a Lola Ford Champ Car, Kenny Brack took pole for the aborted Firestone Firehawk 600, with an average speed of 233.447 mph in 2001.
Two racetracks formerly on the Winston Cup (now Sprint Cup Series) schedule were closed to make room for Texas Motor Speedway's two race dates, with the North Wilkesboro Speedway being bought by TMS owner Bruton Smith and New Hampshire International Speedway owner Bob Bahre. The track was closed with one of the track's two dates going to both new owners. The North Carolina Speedway in Rockingham, North Carolina was also sold to Smith as a result of the Ferko lawsuit with the track's one remaining date also being handed over to Texas.
Texas Motor Speedway is home to two NASCAR Sprint Cup races: the Samsung 500 and the AAA Texas 500, as well as two Nationwide Series races, the O'Reilly 300 and the O'Reilly Challenge and the Indy Racing League IndyCar series race, the Bombardier Learjet 550. The track also hosts two NASCAR Camping World Truck Series races, the Sam's Town 400 (which takes place on the same weekend as the Indycar Bombardier Learjet 550) and the Chevy Silverado 250.
For a short time during construction in September 1996, the track's name was changed to Texas International Raceway. SMI's customary track naming convention had planned to have the "Motor Speedway" as part of the name. However, in August 1996, a small quarter-mile dirt raceway in Alvin, Texas (now known as Texas Thunder Speedway) had filed suit to use the name. On December 2, 1996, a settlement between the two tracks saw the "Texas Motor Speedway" name reinstated to the 1.5-mile (2.4 km) oval, and the small number of Texas International Raceway merchandise instantly became collectible. The following is a map of Texas Motor Speedway:
On August 17, 2010, a press conference was held and it was announced that TMS's spring race will become a Saturday night event in 2011. The Samsung Mobile 500 will be held on Saturday April 9, 2011.
Jeff Burton (1997) and Dale Earnhardt, Jr (2000) both earned their first Cup win at Texas Motor Speedway. Earnhardt's victory was a then-record for fewest races to notch a victory in the "modern era" on the Cup circuit, winning in just his 12th start, breaking the record held by his father, Dale Earnhardt (16 starts). (The record has since been broken three times, by Kevin Harvick (3 starts), Jamie McMurray (2 starts) and Trevor Bayne (2 Starts))
[edit] Firestone Firehawk 600
The Firestone Firehawk 600, a CART race, was to be held on April 29, 2001. During practice and qualifying, however, 21 of 25 drivers [2] complained of dizziness and disorientation during two days of practice. Drivers experienced sustained G forces over 5 Gs, more than the typical human tolerance. With their powerful turbocharged engines and superspeedway downforce packages, the Champ Cars were averaging speeds well in excess of 230 mph. Much faster than the speeds seen regularly by Sprint Cup cars, and faster still than IRL machinery of the time.
With the possibility of drivers blacking out on the track, CART cancelled the race two hours before the scheduled start.
[edit] NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Stats
[edit] NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Records
(As of 11/6/11)
| Most Wins | 3 | Carl Edwards |
| Most Top 5s | 10 | Matt Kenseth |
| Most Top 10s | 13 | Matt Kenseth |
| Starts | 22 | 4 Drivers |
| Poles | 2 | 4 Drivers |
| Most Laps Completed | 6997 | Jeff Burton |
| Most Laps Led | 756 | Matt Kenseth |
| Avg. Start* | 8.0 | Steve Park |
| Avg. Finish | 8.7 | Matt Kenseth |
* from minimum 5 starts.
[edit] NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Race Winners
- An asterisk (*) indicates that the race was extended beyond the scheduled distance due to the green-white-checker finish rule
| Season | Date | Winning Driver | Car # | Sponsor | Make | Distance | Avg Speed | Margin of Victory |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | April 6 | Jeff Burton | 99 | Exide Batteries | Ford Thunderbird | 501 mi (806 km) | 125.111 mph (201.347 km/h) | 4.067 sec |
| 1998 | April 5 | Mark Martin | 6 | Valvoline | Ford Taurus | 501 mi (806 km) | 136.771 mph (220.112 km/h) | 0.573 sec |
| 1999 | March 28 | Terry Labonte | 5 | Kellogg's | Chevrolet Monte Carlo | 501 mi (806 km) | 144.276 mph (232.190 km/h) | UC |
| 2000 | April 2 | Dale Earnhardt Jr | 8 | Budweiser | Chevrolet Monte Carlo | 501 mi (806 km) | 131.152 mph (211.069 km/h) | 5.920 sec |
| 2001 | April 1 | Dale Jarrett | 88 | UPS | Ford Taurus | 501 mi (806 km) | 141.804 mph (228.211 km/h) | 0.73 sec |
| 2002 | April 8 | Matt Kenseth | 17 | DeWalt | Ford Taurus | 501 mi (806 km) | 142.453 mph (229.256 km/h) | 0.888 sec |
| 2003 | March 30 | Ryan Newman | 12 | Alltel | Dodge Intrepid | 501 mi (806 km) | 134.517 mph (216.484 km/h) | 3.405 sec |
| 2004 | April 4 | Elliott Sadler | 38 | M&Ms | Ford Taurus | 501 mi (806 km) | 145.358 mph (233.931 km/h) | 0.028 sec |
| 2005 | April 17 | Greg Biffle | 16 | Post-it/National Guard | Ford Taurus | 501 mi (806 km) | 130.055 mph (209.303 km/h) | 3.244 sec |
| 2005 | November 6 | Carl Edwards | 99 | Office Depot | Ford Taurus | 501 mi (806 km) | 151.055 mph (243.099 km/h) | 0.584 sec |
| 2006 | April 9 | Kasey Kahne | 9 | Dodge Dealers/UAW | Dodge Charger | 501 mi (806 km) | 137.943 mph (221.998 km/h) | 5.229 sec |
| 2006 | November 5 | Tony Stewart | 20 | Home Depot | Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS | 508.5* mi | 134.891 mph (217.086 km/h) | 0.272 sec |
| 2007 | April 15 | Jeff Burton | 31 | Prilosec OTC | Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS | 501 mi (806 km) | 143.359 mph (230.714 km/h) | 0.410 sec |
| 2007 | November 4 | Jimmie Johnson | 48 | Lowes/Kobalt | Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS | 501 mi (806 km) | 131.219 mph (211.177 km/h) | 0.944 sec |
| 2008 | April 6 | Carl Edwards | 99 | Aflac | Ford Fusion | 508.5* mi | 144.814 mph (233.056 km/h) | 0.399 sec |
| 2008 | November 2 | Carl Edwards | 99 | Office Depot | Ford Fusion | 501 mi (806 km) | 144.814 mph (233.056 km/h) | 8.310 sec |
| 2009 | April 5 | Jeff Gordon | 24 | DuPont/National Guard GED Plus | Chevrolet Impala SS | 501 mi (806 km) | 146.372 mph (235.563 km/h) | 0.378 sec |
| 2009 | November 8 | Kurt Busch | 2 | Miller Lite Operation Home Front | Dodge Charger | 501 mi (806 km) | 146.372 mph (235.563 km/h) | 25.686 sec |
| 2010 | April 19 | Denny Hamlin | 11 | FedEx Ground | Toyota Camry | 501 mi (806 km) | 146.23 mph (235.334 km/h) | 0.152 sec |
| 2010 | November 7 | Denny Hamlin | 11 | FedEx Office | Toyota Camry | 501 mi (806 km) | 140.456 mph (226.042 km/h) | 0.488 sec |
| 2011 | April 9 | Matt Kenseth | 17 | Crown Royal Black | Ford Fusion | 501 mi (806 km) | 8.315 sec | |
| 2011 | November 6 | Tony Stewart | 14 | Office Depot | Chevrolet Impala | 501 mi (806 km) |
[edit] Current Races Hosted
Texas Motor Speedway
- IZOD IndyCar Series – Firestone 550
- Sprint Cup Series – Samsung Mobile 500
- Sprint Cup Series – AAA Texas 500
- Nationwide Series – O'Reilly 300
- Nationwide Series – O'Reilly Auto Parts Challenge
- Camping World Truck Series – Sam's Town 400
- Camping World Truck Series – WinStar World Casino 350K
- ARCA Racing – Rattlesnake 150
Other races such as the Lone Star Legends [1] series take place during the summer. The dirt track facility hosts the occasional Monster Truck show as well as motocross and short course racing.[2]
[edit] Other Events
June 14, 1997 Texas Motor Speedway hosts the Fruit of the Loom CountryFest for an estimated 185,000 spectators. Featured performers were Jo Dee Messina, Bryan White, Wynonna Judd, Vince Gill, The Charlie Daniels Band, Hank Williams Jr., Leann Rimes, Travis Tritt, and Randy Travis.
Ongoing classes & events are held regularly at the facility, such as the Texas Driving Experience[3] and Team Texas.[4]
The first annual Christian alt-rock festival FortyFest was held at the Texas Motor Speedway "Little Texas" facility in August, 2010.
Texas Motor Speedway made an unsuccessful overture to move the annual Texas-Oklahoma rivalry football game from the Cotton Bowl to the infield of the modern racing facility in 2004. [3]
[edit] See also
[edit] References
[edit] External links
- Texas Motor Speedway Interactive Map
- Trackpedia guide to driving Texas Motor Speedway
- Texas Motor Speedway Official Site
- Texas Motor Speedway Page on NASCAR.com
- GNEXTINC.com: Texas Motor Speedway Page – Local area information, track specs, mapping, news and more.
- Jayski's Texas Motor Speedway Page – Current and Past Texas Motor Speedway News
- Texas Motor Speedway Fan Page – Photographs and articles on past speedway events.
- Dale Jarrett Racing Experience at Texas Motor Speedway
- High Resolution image from Google Maps
Coordinates: 33°02′13″N 97°16′59″W / 33.03689°N 97.28309°W
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- Champ Car circuits
- Buildings and structures in Denton County, Texas
- Indy Racing League tracks
- NASCAR tracks
- International Race of Champions tracks
- Sports venues in Fort Worth, Texas
- NASCAR races at the Texas Motor Speedway
- Motorsport venues in Texas
- American Le Mans Series circuits
- Visitor attractions in Denton County, Texas
