Phoenix Raceway
Phoenix Raceway is a dogleg oval track in Avondale, Arizona. The track has held a variety of events since its opening in 1964, including NASCAR, IndyCar, and CART races. It has a seating capacity of 42,000 as of 2019. Phoenix Raceway is currently owned by NASCAR and led by track president Latasha Causey.
Phoenix Raceway opened in 1964 under the control of Richard Hogue as a multi-layout facility. After slow expansion for nearly a decade, the facility was bought out by Phoenix businessman Malcolm Bricklin in 1973 under the General Vehicle brand. The company's ownership was short-lived due to the company's troubles and eventual bankruptcy, and the speedway was bought out by a group of Arizona businessmen led by Bob Fletcher in 1976. After a series of ownership changes from the late 1970s to the early 1980s, the facility oversaw a period of mass expansion under the ownership of Buddy Jobe, who bought the track in 1985 and owned it until 1997, when the International Speedway Corporation purchased the facility. Since ISC's purchase, the facility has undergone two major reconfigurations: one in 2011 that altered the track's dogleg and one in 2018 that changed the location of the start-finish line.
Description
Configuration
Phoenix Raceway in its current form is measured at, with 9° of banking in the first two turns, 11° of banking in the last two turns, 9° of banking on the frontstretch, and 3° of banking on the backstretch, according to Jayski. The track is known for its frontstretch kink, commonly referred to as a "dogleg" that was added to accommodate the track's original road course, which used parts of the oval alongside specialized portions outside the oval.When the facility first opened, multiple layouts were included. Alongside the oval track's opening in 1964, a road course layout that used both parts of the oval and specialized sections, and a dragstrip were included. Additionally, since 1992, an 11-turn infield road course measuring was included in the facility's layouts.
Amenities
Phoenix Raceway is located in Avondale, Arizona, and is served by Avondale Boulevard, which is an exit of Interstate 10. As of 2019, the facility has a capacity of 42,000, according to Forbes. The track also offers a general admission seating area on the side of a hill outside the track's first and second turns; the section is named "Rattlesnake Hill" as a tribute to old stories of Phoenix Raceway officials reportedly having to remove numerous animals before races, including rattlesnakes and scorpions.Track history
Planning and construction
On July 10, 1963, The Arizona Republic's Frank Gianelli reported that a group formed by businessman Richard Hogue acquired a plot of land originally used to grow cotton in the Estrella Mountains. With the purchase, the group made plans to build a US$500,000 motorsports complex, including a oval, a road course, and a dragstrip, under the name of Phoenix International Raceway. Initially, Hogue only originally considered building the road course, but was convinced to add an oval to the facility by racing promoter J. C. Agajanian. The plan immediately faced opposition from the competing Arizona State Fairgrounds, who wished to pave their track in order to continue hosting United States Auto Club races despite PIR officials wanting to collaborate with Fairgrounds officials. However, the Fairgrounds' paving plan was vetoed unanimously by the Arizona Fair Commission on August 26. On the same day, the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors passed a permit to begin PIR construction, in the process effectively causing the Fair's shutdown.Groundbreaking took place on September 19, with Hogue stating in a groundbreaking interview that "we'll be racing by late November or early December." In November, Hogue announced the first events for the track, with Sports Car Club of America and NASCAR Grand National Series events being announced for December and January 1964, respectively. However, the track's opening was pushed back to January 4 due to construction delays. By the end of the year, with paving complete, the facility was approved for SCCA, USAC, and National Hot Rod Association events. At the end of the facility's construction, the entire complex cost approximately US$1 million to build.
Hogue years
PIR opened as scheduled, running informal SCCA events in January 1964. A month later, the first formal events at the facility were held, with Jack Hinkle winning the first highlight race at PIR's road course. PIR received mixed initial reception; although its amenities were praised, some spectators complained about a hidden 50-cent grandstand fee alongside visibility problems caused by light poles. PIR's drag strip held its first events on March 1. The oval held its first race 21 days later, with A. J. Foyt winning a USAC event. In April, alongside obtaining a sanction from the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile, PIR ran its first FIA-sanctioned event, with Dave MacDonald winning a event.Initially, PIR struggled with attendance, causing the facility to cancel international events in 1964 due to cost issues. In July, Harry Redkey and Bob Huff, racing promoters of the Manzanita Speedway and Tucson Speedway, respectively, took over operational duties of PIR, with Huff stating hopes of implementing "a series of major improvements" and a seating expansion to 13,500 at the facility. By November, renovations to the facility's grandstand and walls were made. However, the facility still faced heavy traffic issues in the Bobby Ball Memorial event that took place in the same month, partially causing the cancellation of a USAC stock car race in early 1965. Traffic improvements to PIR were completed in March 1965 alongside the widening of the track's surface in the turns. In June, a US$10,000 renovation to PIR's dragstrip that aimed to install increased lighting started. By the end of 1965, Hogue stated in a response to a PIR critic in a letter to the editor that PIR invested over US$100,000 in renovations, including a refurbished main grandstand and the addition of 2,000 seats.
PIR experienced numerous crashes resulting in serious injury or death in its early years. In its first ever dragstrip event on March 1, PIR experienced its first fatality when drag racer Robert Snyders crashed during a qualifying run on the drag strip. In early December, Bobby Marshman succumbed to second- and third-degree burns suffered during a tire testing crash on November 27. In August 1965, the dragstrip oversaw its second fatality when 17-year-old Phil Miner lost control of his car and crashed at approximately. In February 1967, 13-year-old Maurice Gallegos suffered major head injuries after hitting a truck during a go-kart race; Gallegos survived the incident and later sued PIR for US$1,687,624 for "inadequate and ineffectual protection" and a lack of "prompt and adequate assistance after the accident". On February 27, 1972, United States Air Force captain Bruce Helfert died in a sports car crash on the facility's road course.
Nancy Hogue era
Sometime between 1965 and 1967, Richard Hogue and his wife, Nancy, divorced. By February 3, 1967, Nancy was described in The Arizona Republic as the sole owner of PIR. On the 15th, racing promoter J. C. Agajanian took over Redkey and Huff as the promotional director of PIR. Two days later, Nancy filed an injunction order against Redkey and Huff for "fail to return... the corporate's properties, papers and records." She also revealed that she fired the duo as they spent "extravagant amounts of money for travel, hotels, entertainment, telephone calls, salaries, etc." In response, the duo sued Hogue for 200,000 on March 2 for multiple claims, including breach of contract, claims of Nancy deceiving the duo, and Nancy refusing to give any stock to the duo despite an agreement.By October 1967, the Arizona Daily Star claimed that grandstand seating had expanded to 25,000. On January 23, 1968, PIR held its first major stock car racing events, with Don White winning a USAC event. In March, Agajanian confirmed discussions about removing PIR's backstretch dogleg from its oval track, stating that the corner was "dangerous as hell". Three months later, the decision was confirmed by Jerry Raskin, PIR's public relations official, with the backstretch becoming a straight line. Reportedly, the reconfiguration was complete by September; however, the claim that the dogleg was ever removed has been disputed by racing historian Kevin Triplett, who did not find any evidence that the reconfiguration ever happened. In October 1969, construction of a two-year, 100,000 renovation project focusing on additional seating and track adjustments was completed. A year later, Phoenix hotel businessman Charlie Alexander signed a three-year lease from Nancy to become the racing director of PIR. In 1972, in response to criticism from the previous year of a dangerous and slippery track surface, track officials started putting down a traction compound to combat the issue; the fix was received well by driver Bobby Unser.
Short-lived FasTrack rebrand
On December 6, 1972, the Arizona Republic reported that Nancy Hogue sold PIR to Newport Beach, California, businessman Paul O'Shea. However, nine days later, the Republic retracted their claim, stating that the facility was instead bought by the Malcolm Bricklin-owned General Vehicle Inc., with O'Shea assisting with the company's purchase; it was also announced that Alexander was ousted from his lease on the facility. In a press conference held on January 23, 1973, newly appointed track president Anthony Kopp announced the track's rebranding to "FasTrack International Speedway" as part of Bricklin's FasTrack brand, a subsidiary under General Vehicle. Kopp also announced plans for US$30,000 worth of renovations, including the expansion of permanent seating capacity to 16,000, the construction of a new pit road, and other miscellaneous amenity improvements. Two months later, the facility experienced its fifth fatality when driver Bob Criss died in a practice crash for a USAC event.General Vehicle soon after its purchase of PIR experienced major financial difficulties, primarily related to the problems of the General Vehicle-manufactured Bricklin SV-1. As a result, by April 1975, FasTrack International Speedway director Russ Kurtz stated in the Arizona Daily Star that the facility had been on sale "for a number of months"; however, he also stated that he did not see the track being sold in the near future. General Vehicle filed for reorganization on October 1, leaving FasTrack in a state of "limbo". In December, Bricklin resigned from General Vehicle, and the company and its subsidiaries was declared bankrupt by federal bankruptcy judge Edward Davis on January 12, 1976, with Bricklin in a reported US$34.6 million in debt. Davis also ruled to let FasTrack International Raceway to continue hosting races to pay off creditors.