Texas World Speedway
Texas World Speedway was built in 1969 and is one of only seven superspeedways of two miles (3 km) or greater in the United States, the others being Indianapolis, Daytona, Pocono, Talladega, California, and Michigan. TWS is located on approximately 600 acres (2.4 km²) on State Highway 6 in College Station, Texas. There is a 2-mile (3 km) oval, and several road course configurations. The last major race occurred at the track in 1981. The track is still used by amateur racing clubs such as the SCCA, NASA, driving schools and car clubs, as well as hosting music concerts and the like.
During the 1980s the track fell into a state of disrepair, and both NASCAR and the IndyCar Series chose to drop it from the schedule. It continued to operate in a limited role for amateur racing. In 1993, the track reopened after a repaving and moderate refurbishment. It hosted a race for the ARCA series but due to the lack of modern facilities and amenities, it has since served as a circuit for amateur and club racing, along with private testing, and also hosts NASCAR teams' testing for Michigan International Speedway and California Speedway because of NASCAR conducting new 2006 restrictions prohibiting both tracks from being used for tests. With the 2009 NASCAR testing ban, the track expects more testing in the three national series because the track is not on any of the three circuits, and therefore is legal.
During a January 2009 test, Greg Biffle managed to reach 218 miles per hour (351 km/h) in a test for Roush Fenway Racing as part of evading NASCAR's testing ban. This became the fastest time ever achieved on this track by any competitor (amateur or professional).[1]
Race history
USAC winners
Season | Winning Driver | Chassis | Engine | Team |
---|---|---|---|---|
1973 | Al Unser | Parnelli | Offy | Vels Parnelli Jones |
1974 | Gary Bettenhausen | McLaren | Offy | Penske Racing |
1976 | A.J. Foyt | Coyote | Foyt | A.J. Foyt Enterprises |
1976 | Johnny Rutherford | McLaren | Offy | Bruce McLaren Motor Racing |
1977 | Tom Sneva | McLaren | Cosworth | Penske Racing |
1977 | Johnny Rutherford | McLaren | Cosworth | Bruce McLaren Motor Racing |
1978 | Danny Ongais | Parnelli | Cosworth | Interscope Racing |
1978 | A.J. Foyt | Coyote | Foyt | A.J. Foyt Enterprises |
1979 | A.J. Foyt | Coyote | Foyt | A.J. Foyt Enterprises |
1979 | A.J. Foyt | Parnelli | Cosworth | A.J. Foyt Enterprises |
NASCAR race winners
Season | Winning Driver | Manufacturer |
---|---|---|
1969 | Bobby Isaac | Dodge |
1971 | Richard Petty | Plymouth |
1972 | Richard Petty | Dodge |
1972 | Buddy Baker | Dodge |
1973 | Richard Petty | Dodge |
1979 | Darrell Waltrip | Chevrolet |
1980 | Cale Yarborough | Chevrolet |
1981 | Benny Parsons | Ford |
SCCA CanAm winners
Season | Winning Driver | Chassis | Engine |
---|---|---|---|
1969 | Bruce McLaren | McLaren M8B | Chevrolet |
IMSA World SportsCar Championship winners
Season | Winning Driver | Chassis | Engine |
---|---|---|---|
1995 | Wayne Taylor | Ferrari 333SP | Ferrari |
1996 | Wayne Taylor , Jim Pace | Riley & Scott Mk III | Oldsmobile Aurora V8 |
External links
- Trackpedia guide to driving the Texas World Speedway
- Texas World Speedway – Homepage
- City of College Station – Homepage
30°32′15″N 96°13′14″W / 30.53762°N 96.22058°W
- ^ "Notebook: Biffle hits 218 mph in test at Texas World". Nascar.com. January 22, 2009. Retrieved 3 December 2010.