Phoenix International Raceway
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| Phoenix International Raceway Logo | ||
|---|---|---|
| Location | Avondale, Arizona | |
| Capacity | 76,800 | |
| Owner | International Speedway Corporation | |
| Address | 7602 S. Avondale Blvd., Avondale, AZ 85323 | |
| Major Events | NASCAR Sprint Cup Series NASCAR Nationwide Series NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series |
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| "D"-shaped Tri-Oval | ||
| Surface | Asphalt | |
| Circuit Length | 1 mi (1.6 km) | |
| Turns | 4 | |
| Banking | Turns 1 and 2 - 11° Turns 3 and 4 - 9° Backstretch - 9° Frontstretch - 3° |
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| Road Course | ||
| Surface | Asphalt | |
| Circuit Length | 1.51 mi (2.43 km) | |
| Turns | 13 | |
Phoenix International Raceway, or just PIR, is a one mile tri-oval race track located in Avondale, Arizona. It opened in 1964, as the new home of major open-wheel racing in the Phoenix area, replacing the track at the Arizona State Fairgrounds as an automobile racing venue.
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[edit] History
Due to a change in focus by the track's current owners, ISC, the Phoenix area's long history of hosting Indy-style racing (only Indianapolis itself and Milwaukee have had more) came to an abrupt end in 2005, when PIR failed to host an Indy Racing League event for the first time. Ironically, stock car racing's top series, NASCAR's Sprint Cup Series, didn't even run at PIR until 1988. Their inaugural race was won by the late Alan Kulwicki, who debuted his Polish Victory Lap here after taking the checkered flag.
PIR has a unique tri-oval shape, with a curve in middle of its backstretch between turns two and three, commonly referred to as "the dogleg". This exists because the original builders were constrained by both the rocky hills located on the property and their incorporation of an external road course and dragstrip into PIR's design. Once nearby Firebird International Raceway became a regular stop on drag racing tours, PIR's dragstrip was rarely used. The external road course, which was used mainly for private testing and as parking lot access roads during oval events, was later replaced by the current infield road circuit. Prior to construction of a tunnel under turn four in 2002-03, the only access to the PIR's infield during events was via crossovers, where the old external road course and dragstrip intersected the oval. Once the tunnel was built, the crossovers were permanently sealed off.
The other notable feature of PIR is the presence of the "Hillside", a fan-favorite viewing area located on "Monument Hill" just outside of turn four. At the top of this hill lies a USGS bench marker known as Gila and Salt River Meridian that is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Long before PIR existed, this spot was the original land survey point for all of what later became the state of Arizona. The original surveyors chose this location to begin their work because it is the nearest high ground from the confluence of the Salt River and the Gila River, and offered a great view after only a gentle climb.
The present-day Avondale Boulevard (formerly known as 115th Avenue) marks the north-south meridian of that original survey, while the aptly-named Baseline Road runs east-west along the surveyors' baseline. The survey benchmark also denotes the western boundary of the Gila River Indian Community. In PIR's earlier years, residents of this neighboring Native American community were rumored to have sometimes sold concessions through the fence to hungry race fans unwilling to walk back down to the track's food and beverage stands.
Until 2005, PIR's oval annually hosted at least one major Indy-style racing event, dating back to its initial construction. It is still used year-round by various Indy Racing League teams for private testing as well as for the filming of television commercials featuring that series' cars.
The infield road course, originally built for IMSA was most recently used by the Grand American Road Racing Association.
The oval also remains home to what was traditionally called the Copper World Classic, a weekend of predominantly open-wheel competition with USAC midget and Silver Crown cars as well as modifieds. From 2002-04, the event was incorporated into early-spring the Indy Car Series / Indy Pro Series weekend, but with the departure of IRL, the Copper World event has returned to its original late-winter date on PIR's racing schedule.
In 2005, the track hosted a second NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race event, replacing the spring race formerly held at Darlington Raceway, in South Carolina. The track currently hosts the annual Subway Fresh Fit 500, considered one of NASCAR's top annual races.[1]
In a recent poll conducted by Sports Illustrated, 12 percent of NASCAR drivers voted PIR as their favorite track. That was enough for a second place tie with Atlanta Motor Speedway.[2] David Reutimann said he "loves that place. It's just a weird-shaped racetrack, and I grew up racing on stuff that was odd-shaped. I think I like it because it's not the normal track. It's flat and fast."
Scenes from the movie Taxi were filmed at the track.
[edit] Previous Events
- USAC - Phoenix 150
- Indy Lights - Phoenix 75
- CART - Slick-50 200
- IRL - XM Satellite Radio Indy 200
- Rolex Sports Car Series - The GAINSCO Grand Prix
[edit] Current Events
- NASCAR Sprint Cup Series - Subway Fresh Fit 500
- NASCAR Sprint Cup Series - Checker Auto Parts 500
- NASCAR Nationwide Series - Bashas' Supermarkets 200
- NASCAR Nationwide Series - Arizona.Travel 200
- NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series - Phoenix 150
[edit] NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Stats
[edit] NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Records
(As of 104/13/08)
- Most Wins - (2) -Jeff Burton, Dale Earnhardt Jr, Kevin Harvick, Davey Allison, Jimmie Johnson
- Most Top 5's - (9) -Mark Martin
- Most Top 10's - (15) -Jeff Gordon, Mark Martin
- Starts - (23) - Mark Martin
- Poles - (4) - Ryan Newman
- Laps Led - (868) - Rusty Wallace
- Avg Start (Minimum 5 starts) - (8.1) - Rusty Wallace
- Avg Finish (Minimum 5 starts) - (5.2) - Alan Kulwicki
[edit] NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Race Winners
- (*)Rain Shortened Event
- (**)Race Extended Due to Green-White-Checker Finish
| Season | Date | Winning Driver | Car # | Sponsor | Make | Distance | Avg Speed | Margin of Victory |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | November 6 | Alan Kulwicki | 7 | Zerex | Ford Thunderbird | 312 mi | 90.457 mph (145.576 km/h) | 18.5 sec |
| 1989 | November 5 | Bill Elliott | 9 | Coors | Ford Thunderbird | 312 mi | 105.683 mph (170.080 km/h) | 6 cl |
| 1990 | November 4 | Dale Earnhardt | 3 | GM Goodwrench | Chevrolet Lumina | 312 mi | 96.786 mph (155.762 km/h) | 0.67 sec |
| 1991 | November 3 | Davey Allison | 28 | TexacoHavoline | Ford Thunderbird | 312 mi | 95.746 mph (154.088 km/h) | 11.44 sec |
| 1992 | November 1 | Davey Allison | 28 | Havoline | Ford Thunderbird | 312 mi | 103.885 mph (167.187 km/h) | 3.22 sec |
| 1993 | October 31 | Mark Martin | 6 | Valvoline | Ford Thunderbird | 312 mi | 100.375 mph (161.538 km/h) | 0.17 sec |
| 1994 | October 30 | Terry Labonte | 5 | Kelloggs | Chevrolet Lumina | 312 mi | 107.463 mph (172.945 km/h) | 3.09 sec |
| 1995 | October 29 | Ricky Rudd | 10 | Tide | Ford Thunderbird | 312 mi | 102.128 mph (164.359 km/h) | 0.53 sec |
| 1996 | October 27 | Bobby Hamilton | 43 | STP | Pontiac Grand Prix | 312 mi | 109.709 mph (176.560 km/h) | 1.23 sec |
| 1997 | November 2 | Dale Jarrett | 88 | Quality Care/Ford Credit | Ford Thunderbird | 312 mi | 110.824 mph (178.354 km/h) | 2.105 sec |
| 1998 | October 25 | Rusty Wallace | 2 | Miller Lite | Ford Taurus | 257 mi* | 100.375 mph (161.538 km/h) | 0.17 sec |
| 1999 | November 7 | Tony Stewart | 20 | Home Depot | Pontiac Grand Prix | 312 mi | 118.132 mph (190.115 km/h) | 2.081 sec |
| 2000 | November 5 | Jeff Burton | 99 | Citgo Supergard | Ford Taurus | 312 mi | 105.041 mph (169.047 km/h) | 0.854 sec |
| 2001 | October 28 | Jeff Burton | 99 | Citgo Supergard | Ford Taurus | 312 mi | 102.613 mph (165.140 km/h) | 2.645 sec |
| 2002 | November 10 | Matt Kenseth | 17 | DeWalt Power Tools | Ford Taurus | 312 mi | 113.857 mph (183.235 km/h) | 1.344 sec |
| 2003 | November 2 | Dale Earnhardt Jr | 8 | Budweiser | Chevrolet Monte Carlo | 312 mi | 93.984 mph (151.253 km/h) | 0.735 sec |
| 2004 | November 7 | Dale Earnhardt Jr | 8 | Budweiser | Chevrolet Monte Carlo | 315 mi** | 94.848 mph (152.643 km/h) | 1.431 sec |
| 2005 | April 23 | Kurt Busch | 97 | Irwin/Sharpie | Ford Taurus | 312 mi | 102.707 mph (165.291 km/h) | 2.315 sec |
| 2005 | November 13 | Kyle Busch | 5 | Kelloggs | Chevrolet Monte Carlo | 312 mi | 102.641 mph (165.185 km/h) | 0.609 sec |
| 2006 | April 22 | Kevin Harvick | 29 | GM Goodwrench | Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS | 312 mi | 107.063 mph (172.301 km/h) | 2.774 sec |
| 2006 | November 13 | Kevin Harvick | 29 | Reese's | Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS | 312 mi | 96.131 mph (154.708 km/h) | 0.250 sec |
| 2007 | April 21 | Jeff Gordon | 24 | DuPont | Chevrolet Impala SS | 312 mi | 107.71 mph (173.342 km/h) | 0.697 sec |
| 2007 | November 11 | Jimmie Johnson | 48 | Lowe's | Chevrolet Impala SS | 312 mi | 102.989 mph (165.745 km/h) | 0.870 sec |
| 2008 | April 12 | Jimmie Johnson | 48 | Lowe's | Chevrolet Impala SS | 312 mi | 103.292 mph (166.232 km/h) | 7.002 sec |
[edit] Track Records
- NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Qualifying: Ryan Newman, 26.499 sec. (135.854 mph), 2004
- NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Race: Tony Stewart, 2 hrs. 38 min. 28 sec. (118.132 mph), 1999
- NASCAR Nationwide Series Qualifying: Kyle Busch, 26.902 sec. (133.819 mph), 2004
- NASCAR Nationwide Series Race: Jeff Burton, 1 hr. 44 min. 13 sec. (115.145 mph), 2000
- NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Qualifying: Johnny Benson, 27.137 sec. (132.660 mph), 2006
- NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Race: Kevin Harvick, 1 hr. 24 min. 26 sec. (108.104 mph), 2002
[edit] References
- ^ NASCAR's Best Races
- ^ "PIR a front-runner among drivers", The Arizona Republic, 2007-07-10. Retrieved on 2007-07-13.
[edit] External links
- Phoenix International Raceway Official Site
- Phoenix International Raceway Page on NASCAR.com
- Trackpedia guide to driving this track
- High Resolution image from Google Maps
- Phoenix International Raceway is at coordinates Coordinates:
- NASCAR's Best Races
[edit] See also
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