Kansas Speedway
Kansas Speedway is a 1.5 miles (2.4 km) tri-oval race track in Kansas City, Kansas. The speedway was built in 2001 and currently hosts two annual NASCAR race weekends. The IndyCar Series also raced at the speedway between until 2011. The speedway is owned and operated by International Speedway Corporation.
History
International Speedway Corporation began exploring the idea of building a racing facility in the midwest in 1996. Attention was turned towards the Kansas City area in 1997. Officials considered both the Missouri and Kansas side of the city but eventually settled with the Kansas side because of better funding. Architecture firm HNTB, which also designed Chicagoland Speedway, was selected to design the facility, and firm Turner Construction was selected to provide construction management.[1] Construction began on the 1,200 acres (490 ha), 1.5 miles (2.4 km) speedway in May 1999, and in July, preferred tickets went on sale. The demand at the ticket sales prompted ISC officials to expand the planned 32 by an additional 36, expanding capacity from 75,000 to 82,000. Speedway officials were hopeful to have the track completed sometime in 2000, and possibly host a race, but construction was delayed by weather and further complicated by lawsuits from nearby land owners.[2] In May 2000, both IndyCar and NASCAR announced events to be held at the speedway for the 2001 season. Track paving began in September 2000, and construction of the speedway was completed in early 2001.[3]
Additional seats have been added since initial construction. In 2003, 1,600 seats were added, and in 2005, 1,500 seats plus a 7,000 square feet (650 m2) concession and restroom building were added. Both expansions were headed by the track's original contractors, HNTB and Tuner Construction.[1]
Present day and future
The speedway is currently constructing a $380 million Penn National Gaming Hollywood Hotel and Casino at the track. The hotel/casino will overlook turn two and is expected to open in the first half of 2012. The state-of-the-art casino will feature a 100,000 square feet (9,300 m2) gaming floor capacity for 2,300 slot machines, 61 table games and 25 poker tables. It will also feature 28,000 square-feet of other amenities including restaurants, clubs and nightlife attractions. The addition of the casino is estimated to bring nearly 440,000 tourists per year and create over 1,000 full time positions; elevating the state to a first-class, year-round tourist destination.[4]
Lights are also being added to the speedway. This comes along with the addition of a second NASCAR weekend beginning with the 2011 season. All the NASCAR races at the track are scheduled to be run during the day, with the lights being available in case of a rain delay.[5] The first night race at the track is scheduled to be an ARCA race on October 7, 2011.[6] Speedway officials are also looking into repaving the track and adding an infield road course. If repaved, the track would likely upgrade to progressive banking.[7]
Races
Current races
- Price Chopper 400, Kansas 400 (Working title, Inaugural event)
- NASCAR Nationwide Series - Kansas Lottery 300
- NASCAR Camping World Truck Series - O'Reilly Auto Parts 250
- ARCA
Former races
- IZOD IndyCar Series - RoadRunner Turbo Indy 300 (2001-2010)
- Firestone Indy Lights Series - Kansas Lottery 100
- NASCAR Winston West - Kansas 100 (2001–2002)
- CART Dayton Indy Lights Series - Kansas 100 (2001)
- USAC Silver Crown Series - KansasSpeedway.com 100
Track Records
| Record | Date | Driver | Time | Speed/Avg. Speed | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NASCAR Sprint Cup Series | |||||
| Qualifying | October 8, 2005 | Matt Kenseth | 29.858 | 180.856 mph (291.060 km/h) | |
| Race | October 3, 2010 | Greg Biffle | 2:54:02 | 138.077 mph (222.213 km/h) | |
| NASCAR Nationwide Series | |||||
| Qualifying | October 8, 2005 | Martin Truex Jr. | 30.178 | 178.938 mph (287.973 km/h) | |
| Race | September 29, 2001 | Jeff Green | 2:19:24 | 129.125 mph (207.807 km/h) | |
| NASCAR Camping World Truck Series | |||||
| Qualifying | July 2, 2005 | Bill Lester | 31.100 | 173.633 mph (279.435 km/h) | |
| Race | July 7, 2001 | Ricky Hendrick | 2:00:09 | 125.094 mph (201.319 km/h) | |
| IZOD IndyCar Series | |||||
| Qualifying | July 6, 2002 | Scott Dixon | 218.085 mph (350.974 km/h) | ||
| Race | April 29, 2007 | Dan Wheldon | 1:36:56 | 188.169 mph (302.829 km/h) | |
References
- ^ a b "Kansas City Projects". Turner Construction. Retrieved 29 November 2010.
- ^ "Kansas track facing construction delays". CNN/SI. July 3, 1999. Retrieved 29 November 2010.
- ^ "Track History". Kansas Speedway. Retrieved 29 November 2010.
- ^ "Hollywood Casino Gets Green Light". April 30, 2010. Retrieved 29 November 2010.
- ^ "Second Sprint Cup race at Kansas Speedway is official". The Wichita Eagle. August 11, 2010. Retrieved 29 November 2010.
- ^ "ARCA to christen Kansas Speedway lights". Kansas City Star. November 24, 2010. Retrieved 29 November 2010.
- ^ "Kansas Speedway May Soon Be In For A Repave". RacinToday. October 5, 2010. Retrieved 29 November 2010.
- ^ "Race Results at Kansas Speedway". racing-reference.info. Retrieved November 29, 2010.
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External links
- Kansas Speedway Official Site
- Kansas Speedway Page on NASCAR.com
- Kansas Speedway on RacewayReport.com – Local area information, track specs, mapping, news and more.
- Super High Resolution image from Windows Live Local
- High Resolution image from Google Maps