- Memphis International Raceway
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Memphis International Raceway Location 5500 Victory Lane, Millington, Tennessee, 38023 Time zone GMT-6 Coordinates 35°16′58″N 89°56′51″W / 35.28278°N 89.9475°WCoordinates: 35°16′58″N 89°56′51″W / 35.28278°N 89.9475°W Capacity 35,000 (Oval) - 25,000 (Drag Strip) Owner Joseph G. Lubeck Opened 1987 Major events IHRA Nitro Jam Tri-oval Surface Asphalt Length .75 mi (1.2 km) Banking Turns - 11°
Straights - 4° front, 3° backDrag Strip Surface Asphalt Length .8326 mi (1.34 km) Road Course Surface Asphalt Length 1.8 mi (2.9 km) Memphis International Raceway (formerly known as Memphis Motorsports Park) is an auto racing park located across the Loosahatchie River from Memphis, Tennessee, approximately ten miles south of Millington, Tennessee. The facility opened in 1987 with a drag strip and 1.8-mile (2.9 km) road course. It includes a 3/4-mile tri-oval short track, built in 1998, which once hosted the NASCAR Nationwide Series and Camping World Truck Series, as well as an ASA Late Model Series race. The 4,400-foot (1,340 m) drag strip used to host such events as National Hot Rod Association, American Drag Racing League, AMA Dragbike Championship Series, and the Super Chevy Show. An IHRA Nitro Jam event has been scheduled to be hosted at Memphis in 2011.
Contents
History
Memphis International Raceway was founded in 1986 by Ed Gatlin who, along with a group of investors, bought a 400-acre tract of land in northeast Shelby County, Tenn., and built a drag strip with an adjacent road course, a dirt track and go-kart track.
The entire facility was purchased by the Grand Prix Association of Long Beach in 1996, and in 1997, a ¾-mile paved tri-oval was added on the site of the old dirt track, while a new dirt track was built on the site of the former go-kart track. The name of the facility was also changed-to Memphis Motorsports Park-and the tri-oval opened on June 5, 1998.
The following month, Memphis Motorsports Park was acquired by Dover Motorsports, Inc. in connection with its purchase of the Grand Prix Association of Long Beach. Memphis Motorsports Park closed October 30, 2009 due to lack of finances. Its parent company, Dover Motorsports, Inc. announced that it was ceasing all operations at Memphis Motorsports Park and that it would not be promoting any events in Memphis in 2010. The Memphis facility was under an agreement of sale to Gulf Coast Entertainment but Gulf Coast was unable to secure financing.[1] The track's Camping World Truck Series date was moved to Nashville Superspeedway and its Nationwide Series date to Gateway International Raceway, and later abandoned after a year. Dover Motorsports, Inc. auctioned off the complex on December 14, 2010 to Palm Beach International Raceway for $1.9 million.[2][3][4]
It was announced on January 31, 2011 that the deal between Palm Beach International and Dover Motorsports was finalized, and the track is expected to re-open in April. The track was also renamed to Memphis International Raceway, and a new logo was created to reflected the change which adopted a similar theme with its sister track in Palm Beach.[5][6] The track became sanctioned with IHRA, which is expected to hold an IHRA Nitro Jam event in 2011.[7]
Tracks
Drag Strip
The drag strip immediately drew the attention of the NHRA and was awarded a sanction in 1988 as the host site of the Mid-South Nationals. While the NHRA has 140 member tracks, Memphis was one of only 23 to host a national event. It also was the section of the complex used by other events such as the Mid-South SCCA events and the Super Chevy Show. The last NHRA race, O’Reilly NHRA Mid-South Nationals, at Memphis was to be hosted on October 4, 2009, but a rain delay postponed the event to October 5, 2009. In the winner's circle were Jeff Arend (Funny Car), Morgan Lucas (Top Fuel), Jason Line (Pro Stock) and Michael Phillips (Pro Stock Motorcycle).[8]
The strip will host IHRA events with its new owner, including a Nitro Jam event, as their sister track in Palm Beach is also affiliated with IHRA. Dates for the 2011 IHRA events have yet to be announced. The American Drag Racing League announced, on March 3, 2011, that they will hold an event during the weekend of May 20, 2011 at MIR.[9]
Paved Oval
Start/Finish line of the NASCAR Oval
On September 13, 1998, before a sold-out crowd and a national television audience, the facility hosted its first NASCAR event-the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Memphis 200. NASCAR returned every year since with two events—the Truck Series in the summer, and the Nationwide Series in the fall. Ron Hornaday took home his second consecutive Elvis trophy in the last MemphisTravel.com 200 Camping World Truck Series race held at the oval. A late caution forced a green-white-checkered finish which gave Hornaday the edge on the restart to beat Brian Scott. On October 24, 2009, Brad Keselowski won the race at the oval by holding off Kyle Busch to the finish line on the 11th and final annual racing event, for both the Nationwide Series and the oval, as the track would not carry any racing events in 2010, when Dover Motorsports, Inc. announced the closure of Memphis Motorsports Park, a week after that race.
With the removal of Lucas Oil Raceway from the Camping World Truck Series calendar, Memphis Raceway is expected to consider bidding for that Truck date for 2012.[citation needed]
Records
Series Driver Car Date Speed Time Layout NASCAR Nationwide Qualifying Jeff Green Chevrolet Monte Carlo October 28, 2000 120.267 miles per hour (193.55 km/h) 22.450 NASCAR Oval NASCAR Nationwide Race Kevin Harvick Chevrolet Monte Carlo October 28, 2000 92.352 miles per hour (148.63 km/h) 2:01:49 NASCAR Oval NASCAR Camping World Qualifying Greg Biffle Ford F-150 June 24, 1999 120.139 miles per hour (193.34 km/h) NASCAR Oval NASCAR Camping World Race Travis Kvapil Ford F-150 June 30, 2007 91.806 miles per hour (147.75 km/h) NASCAR Oval NHRA Top Fuel ET* Brandon Bernstein Hemi Powered Top Fuel September 2008 3.825 Drag Strip NHRA Top Fuel MPH* Brandon Bernstein Hemi Powered Top Fuel September 2008 313.88 miles per hour (505.14 km/h) Drag Strip NHRA Funny Car ET* Ashley Force Hood Ford Mustang September 2008 4.079 Drag Strip NHRA Funny Car MPH* Melanie Troxel Dodge Charger R/T September 2008 302.28 miles per hour (486.47 km/h) Drag Strip NHRA Pro Stock ET Allen Johnson Dodge Stratus R/T September 2008 6.591 Drag Strip NHRA Pro Stock MPH Greg Anderson Pontiac GXP September 2007 209.17 miles per hour (336.63 km/h) Drag Strip NHRA Pro Stock Bike ET Chip Ellis Suzuki Pro Stock Bike September 2007 6.892 Drag Strip NHRA Pro Stock Bike MPH Chip Ellis Suzuki Pro Stock Bike September 2007 193.21 miles per hour (310.94 km/h) Drag Strip *Top Fuel and Funny Car based on 1,000 feet records under the new NHRA regulations. Pro Stock and Pro Stock Motorcycle are still 1,320 feet.
Series Hosted
Current
- IHRA 2011–
- ADRL 2011–
Former
- Camping World Truck Series, MemphisTravel.com 200, 1998–2009
- Nationwide Series, Kroger On Track for the Cure 250, 1999–2009
- NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series 1988–2009
- ASA Late Model Series ?–2009
- AMA Dragbike ?–2009
See also
References
- ^ "Dover Motorsports, Inc. Announces Closing of Memphis Motorsports Park and Realignment of Racing Dates (press release)". October 30, 2010. http://www.dovermotorsports.com/track/press/article.php?dir=200910&id=3283. Retrieved October 31, 2010.
- ^ Memphis Daily News (November 11, 2010). "Motorsports Park Set for Auction Block". http://www.memphisdailynews.com/editorial/Article.aspx?id=54128. Retrieved January 16, 2011.
- ^ Memphis Daily News (December 14, 2010). "Memphis Motorsports Park Sells for $1.9M". http://www.memphisdailynews.com/editorial/Article.aspx?id=54887. Retrieved January 16, 2011.
- ^ Yahoo! Finance (December 20, 2010). "Entry into a Material Definitive Agreement". http://biz.yahoo.com/e/101220/dvd8-k.html. Retrieved January 16, 2011.
- ^ "Deal closed on sale of Memphis Motorsports Park". USA Today. January 31, 2011. http://www.usatoday.com/sports/motor/2011-01-31-3021058989_x.htm. Retrieved January 31, 2011.
- ^ "Moroso Investment Partners closes on Memphis Motorsports Park facility". January 31, 2011. http://www.racepbir.com/news/pbir-news/382-moroso-investment-partners-closes-on-memphis-motorsports-park-facility-.html. Retrieved February 3, 2011.
- ^ "Memphis International Raceway joins IHRA family". February 8, 2011. http://www.ihra.com/article/7292.html. Retrieved February 14, 2011.
- ^ "AREND, TEAM KALITTA CELEBRATE EMOTIONAL WIN". October 5, 2009. http://www.draglist.com/artman2/publish/race_results/2009_NHRA_Memphis_Final_Results.shtml. Retrieved January 17, 2011.
- ^ "ADRL Adds Memphis International Raceway As Tenth Race for 2011 Tour". March 3, 2011. http://www.adrl.us/index.php/main/news/. Retrieved March 3, 2011.
External links
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- Sports venues in Memphis, Tennessee
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