Texas Motor Speedway
 |
| 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 500
Dickies 500
NASCAR Nationwide Series
O'Reilly 300
O'Reilly Challenge
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series
WinStar World Casino 400
Silverado 350K
IRL IndyCar Series
Bombardier Learjet 550
CORR (temporary circuit)
|
| Quad-oval |
| Surface |
Asphalt |
| Circuit length |
1.5 mi (2.4 km) |
| Turns |
4 |
| Banking |
Turns: 24° |
| Lap record |
0:23.136 (Kenny Bräck, Rahal Letterman Racing, 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 layout is very similar to Atlanta Motor Speedway and Lowe's Motor Speedway (formerly Charlotte Motor Speedway). The track measures 1.5 miles (2.4 km) around and is banked 24 degrees in the turns, and is of the quad-oval design, where the front straightaway juts outward slightly. The track is owned by Speedway Motorsports, Inc., the same company that owns Atlanta and Lowe's Motor Speedways, as well as the short-track Bristol Motor Speedway.
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]
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 Dickies 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:
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. [2]
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 [3] 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 the possibility of drivers blacking out on the track, CART cancelled the race two hours before the scheduled start.
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Stats
NASCAR Records
As of 04/06/09
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Race Winners
- Race Extended Due to Green-White-Checker Finish
Current Races Hosted
Texas Motor Speedway
Victory Lane at the April 2007 NEXTEL Cup race
Tire changes and refueling at the 2006 Dickies 500
See also
External links
Coordinates: 33°02′13″N 97°16′59″W / 33.03689°N 97.28309°W / 33.03689; -97.28309
