Homestead-Miami Speedway
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| Homestead-Miami Speedway | |
 |
|
| Facility statistics | |
|---|---|
| Location | 1 Speedway Blvd. Homestead, Florida 33035 |
| Broke ground | August 24, 1993 |
| Opened | November 5, 1995 |
| Owner | ISC |
| Operator | ISC |
| Construction cost | $70 million |
| Architect | |
| Former names | |
| Metro-Dade Homestead Motorsports Complex (1995-1996) |
|
| Major events | |
| NASCAR Nextel Cup Ford 400 |
|
| Seating capacity | |
| 65,000 | |
| Current dimensions | |
| Track shape | Oval |
| Track length | 1.5 (NASCAR) 1.485 (IRL) 2.3 (Road Course) |
| Track banking | Turns 20° (variable) Straights 3° |
Homestead-Miami Speedway is a race track in Homestead, Florida southwest of Miami. It plays host to Ford Championship Weekend, the final races of the season in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup, Busch Series, and the Craftsman Truck Series. These races are currently all sponsored by Ford Motors, taking the names Ford 400, Ford 300, and Ford 200, respectively.
The speedway was constructed, with the efforts of promotor Ralph Sanchez, as part of a plan to help Homestead rebound after the devastation caused by Hurricane Andrew. Groundbreaking began August 24, 1993, less than a year after the hurricane. It opened in November 1995 with a NASCAR Busch Series race. In the spring of 1996, the CART series held its first race there.
The facility is considered by some to be one of the most beautiful in the country. Though located southwest of Miami, the track reflects the art deco district of downtown Miami with its liberal use of colors such as aqua, purple and silver, among other colors.
However, the racing at Homestead was initially not considered very good. The track opened as a four-turn, rectangular-oval, based on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway's layout. The sharp, flat turns and aprons made passing difficult and lowered overall speed. The geometry also created unfavorably severe crash angles. In 1996, track management attempted to correct the problems by widening the aprons of the turns by as much as 24 feet. In the summer of 1997, an $8.2 million reconfiguration project changed the turns from a quad-oval to a traditional, continuous turn oval.
In 2003, the track was reconfigured once again. The turns were changed from mostly flat to steep variable banking. Shortly afterwards, lights were installed to allow night racing for the first time. The renovations were praised by fans, and the track has produced a number of close finishes, including 2005's last-lap battle between Greg Biffle and Mark Martin.
On March 26, 2006 however, Indy Racing League driver Paul Dana suffered fatal injuries in the warm-up session before the season-opening round of the championship. He was involved in a high-speed collision, with Ed Carpenter at over 215 mph. His death is the first in the Indy Racing League since Tony Renna died at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in October 2003, and only the 3rd ever since the series started. He also is the only other driver to suffer fatal injuries at the speedway since John Nemechek in a Craftsman Truck Race in March 1997, and Jeff Clinton who died in a Grand Am sports car event at the track in March 2002
[edit] Records
| Record | Year | Date | Driver | Car Make | Time | Average Speed (mph) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NASCAR Nextel Cup Series | ||||||
| Qualifying | 2003 |  Jamie McMurray |
Dodge | 29.816 | 181.111 | |
| Race (400 miles) | 1999 | November 14 | Tony Stewart |
Pontiac | 2:51:14 | 140.335 |
| NASCAR Busch Series | ||||||
| Qualifying | 2004 | Casey Mears |
30.348 | 177.936 | ||
| Race (300 miles) | 2001 | November 10 | Joe Nemechek |
2:16:10 | 132.191 | |
| NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series | ||||||
| Qualifying | 2005 | David Reutimann |
31.193 | 173.116 | ||
| Race (200 miles) | 2002 | November 15 | Ron Hornaday |
1:30:30 | 133.260 | |
| Indy Racing League IndyCar Series | ||||||
| Qualifying | 2006 | March 25 | Sam Hornish, Jr. |
Dallara/Honda | 24.462 | 218.539 |
| Race (297 miles) | 2006 | March 26 |  Dan Wheldon |
Dallara/Honda | 1:46:15.530 | 167.730 |
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- Homestead-Miami Speedway Official Site
- Homestead-Miami Speedway Page on NASCAR.com
- Trackpedia guide to driving this track
- High Resolution image from Google Maps
- Maps and aerial photos
- Street map from Google Maps or MapQuest
- Satellite image from Google Maps, Microsoft Virtual Earth, or WikiMapia
- Topographic map from TopoZone
- Aerial image or topographic map from TerraServer-USA
| Current NASCAR Nextel Cup Series racetracks |
|---|
|
Atlanta - Bristol - Brooklyn, Michigan - Charlotte - Darlington - Daytona - Dover - Fontana, California - Fort Worth - Indianapolis - Joliet, Illinois - Kansas City - Las Vegas - Loudon - Martinsville - Miami - Pocono - Phoenix - Richmond - Sonoma, California - Talladega - Watkins Glen |
| Current NASCAR Busch Series racetracks |
|---|
| Atlanta, Bristol, Brooklyn, Michigan, Charlotte, Darlington, Daytona, Dover, Fontana, California, Fort Worth, Indianapolis, Joliet, Illinois, Kansas City, Las Vegas, Loudon, Madison, Illinois, Martinsville (1982–1994, 2006), Memphis, Mexico City, Miami, Milwaukee, Montreal (2007), Nashville, Phoenix, Richmond, Sparta, Kentucky, Talladega, Watkins Glen |
| Current NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series racetracks |
|---|
|
Atlanta - Bristol - Brooklyn, Michigan - Charlotte - Daytona - Dover - Fontana, California - Fort Worth - Indianapolis - Kansas City - Las Vegas - Loudon - Madison, Illinois - Mansfield - Martinsville - Memphis - Miami - Milwaukee - Nashville - Phoenix - Talladega - Sparta, Kentucky |
| Tracks of the Indy Racing League |
|---|
| Ovals Indianapolis Motor Speedway Chicagoland • Homestead • Iowa • Kansas • Kentucky • Michigan • Milwaukee • Motegi • Nashville • Richmond • Texas Road/Street Courses Former Tracks |
| Tracks of the Champ Car World Series |
|---|
| Current Tracks (2007)
Assen • Cleveland • Edmonton • Houston • Las Vegas • Long Beach • Mexico City • Mont-Tremblant • Phoenix • Portland • Road America • San Jose • Surfers Paradise • Toronto • Zhuhai • Zolder Former Tracks (Ovals) Former Tracks (Road Courses) Former Tracks (International) |
