Michigan International Speedway
Michigan International Speedway is a D-shaped oval superspeedway in Cambridge Township, Michigan, just south of the village of Brooklyn. It has hosted various major auto racing series throughout its existence, including NASCAR, CART, and IndyCar races. The speedway has a capacity of 56,000 as of 2021. Along with the main track, the facility also features three road course layouts of varying lengths designed by British racing driver Stirling Moss, which utilizes parts of the oval, parts located within track's infield, and parts located outside of the track's confines. The facility is owned by NASCAR and is led by track president Joe Fowler.
In the 1960s, Windsor Raceway owner Lawrence LoPatin ordered the construction of Michigan International Speedway to expand his recreational holdings. The facility was completed in 1968, running its first races in October of the same year. Soon after, the track fell into financial trouble after a series of business decisions by LoPatin to expand his auto racing company, American Raceways, sunk the company into major amounts of debt. In 1973, American Raceways sold ownership of the speedway to motorsports businessman Roger Penske, who saved the facility from financial ruin. Under Penske's leadership, the facility was expanded extensively. In 1999, the facility was sold off to the France family-owned International Speedway Corporation. MIS underwent major downsizing in the 2010s in efforts to modernize the facility, with capacity decreasing to more than half of its peak. Track ownership again changed hands in 2019, when NASCAR merged with ISC.
Description
Configuration
The track in its current form is measured at, with 18 degrees of banking in the turns, 12 degrees of banking on the frontstretch, and five degrees of banking on the backstretch. Numerous road track layouts exist within the track's infield and outside the track's confines. As part of the original construction plan, a road course designed by British racing driver Stirling Moss was made. The road course is split into three different layouts made to cater to different abilities of racers. Different layouts of,, and were reported by the Lansing State Journal.Amenities
Michigan International Speedway is served by U.S. Route 12 and M-50, and covers over 1,400 acres according to The Daily Telegram. As of 2021, MIS has a capacity of 56,000 according to Autoweek. At its peak, the track boasted a seating capacity of 137,243 in 2006 according to Autoweek. MIS contains three luxury seating options: the Acceleration Club in the track's fourth turn, the Champions Club located underneath the track's press box, and the Victory Lane Club near the track's pit road.Track history
Planning and construction
In March 1966, treasurer of the newly built horse racing track Windsor Raceway, Lawrence LoPatin, expressed hopes of expanding the raceway into a "resort complex". After a visit to the Florida-based Sebring International Raceway, he decided that the first phase of expansion would include the construction of a "Grand Prix type auto-racing track, from 2.5 to 2.9 miles in length." After studying several markets, he decided to build a racetrack that would serve the Detroit, Cleveland, and Chicago areas. Four months later in July, LoPatin announced initial plans to build the Michigan Motor Raceway, a, 100,000-seat track on the intersection between Interstate 94 and U.S. Route 23 in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Although groundbreaking was scheduled to start on October 1, the plan was killed that same month due to mounting opposition from local residents. Another site approximately south of the original location was then considered. In April 1967, the site was revealed to be in Lenawee County in Cambridge Township, with LoPatin later stating in a press conference the following month that he hoped to start construction on the track in the next 90 days pending the formation of a financing plan for a budget of $4 million. By September, local media reported that the now, $4.5 million facility was set to open sometime in 1968. To finance the facility, track officials filed a registration statement in October to publicly offer common stocks and debentures that totaled approximately $3 million.Groundbreaking on the Michigan International Speedway occurred on September 27, 1967, with British racing driver Stirling Moss commencing construction. Initial plans for the facility included a oval designed by Charles Moneypenny and an "extension" road course layout designed by Moss, with Moss stating that the road course was split into three layouts meant to accommodate different skill levels of racers; one at, one at, and one at. An opening date for MIS was set for October 6, 1968, with a IndyCar-style race inaugurating the facility; the date was later pushed back a week. For MIS' first race, two grandstands seating 12,500 were constructed, putting seating capacity at 25,000. In September, Gordon Johncock and Wally Dallenbach Sr. ran the first testing laps at the facility, with Johncock setting a fastest lap of.
Turbulent American Raceways years
MIS opened as scheduled on October 13, 1968, with Ronnie Bucknum winning the first ever race at the facility amidst a crowd of 55,108. Although the race was seen as a success, the facility experienced major traffic problems, with traffic jams on the two-lane U.S. Route 12 being reported as long as. Three days after its inaugural race, NASCAR signed a 10-year contract to run two NASCAR Grand National Series races annually. In the following months, LoPatin struck numerous business deals to grow what would eventually become American Raceways, Inc.. In December, LoPatin announced a merger with the Atlanta International Raceway. Within the first couple months of 1969, he announced the construction of the Texas International Speedway and the purchase of controlling interest of the Riverside International Raceway. Later in the year, LoPatin stated his intents of building another facility in Burlington County, New Jersey. LoPatin's business endeavors were seen as a response to the rising popularity of auto racing in the United States in the 1960s, with LoPatin being a key figure in said expansion. The first NASCAR Cup Series race at MIS was run on June 15, with Cale Yarborough winning the event. In November, the track's first general manager, Frank Cipelle, was appointed.By the end of the 1969 racing season, although the racing at MIS was praised, weather problems during all four major races in the season affected attendance and in turn, the facility's profits. American Raceways' troubles were soon publicized after their director of operations, Les Richter, left the company. MIS lacked a United States Auto Club event after 1968 due to MIS disagreeing with USAC for the amount of purse money needed for a USAC race, depriving fans of promised major IndyCar racing. In addition, LoPatin entered into a dispute with NASCAR founder Bill France Sr. over how stock car racing should expand its popularity. In January 1970, ARI merged with the STP Corporation; by this point, ARI had amassed over $15 million in debt. Weather and subsequent attendance declines that year further compounded ARI's financial issues. Throughout the first half of 1970, LoPatin faced criticism for his handling of the Atlanta International Raceway, with AIR track officials leading campaigns to sack LoPatin after several executives either left or were fired by LoPatin.
Short-lived leadership of Les Richter
LoPatin was fired from his position as chairman of ARI on July 30, 1970, on the condition that the company continue its commitments to running the remaining events at ARI-owned tracks the following month. Les Richter, who had left the company a few months earlier, was appointed as the new chairman of ARI. Although MIS track officials stated optimistic hopes of revitalizing ARI by ending its mass expansion and cancelling the proposed New Jersey project, in October, Manufacturers National Bank initiated foreclosure proceedings to pay off over $1 million in overdue mortgage payments, with local Michigan law stating that the speedway had to be sold at a sheriff's auction in order to pay off the overdue payments. Despite the law, MIS general manager Frank Cipelle stated that the chances of the auction ever happening were "very little". After the auction was delayed twice, on January 10, 1971, the Associated Press reported that MIS' financial problems were resolved, with ARI selling its 48% interest of Riverside International Raceway worth $425,000 to avoid the auction. However, a year later, although Richter admitted that they were able to make a profit in the 1971 racing season, it was not enough to pay off the facility's debentures. As a result, MIS submitted a bankruptcy petition, entering receivership. The ousted LoPatin was asked by Richter to create a financing plan to save the track from liquidation in March; however, all plans fell through, and the track was ordered to be sold at a sheriff's auction in December.Roger Penske era
Early Penske years
Initially, an offer was made by the Manufacturers National Bank of Detroit for $1.458 million was made in December, with oil businessman Pat Patrick and car dealership owner James S. Gilmore Jr. taking over the facility if the purchase went through. By March 1973, Patrick along with two other businessmen agreed to buy out the facility for $2.5 million, with the sale effective on June 14. However, on May 26, motorsports businessman Roger Penske announced that he had taken over the option to purchase the facility from Patrick, with Penske stating that the announcement of Patrick buying the facility "was a bit premature." Penske's purchase was approved by judge David Patton on June 1, with Penske paying $2.7 million for the facility.Upon the purchase's approval, Penske stated in a press conference that he aimed to renovate the garage area and numerous spectator amenities along with repaving the oval's surface. He also cautioned that the track's schedule may be cut down depending on how races in June and July of that year did. General manager Frank Cipelle left his position soon after Penske's purchase, being replaced by John LeFere. Official attendance estimates of the next two races reached 88,500, being seen as a success in local Michigan media. As a result, Penske approved the running of a doubleheader IndyCar race, revitalizing the track. By the next year, Penske proclaimed in the Detroit Free Press that MIS had the "greatest potential of any track in the U.S.", with Penske stating in an interview with the Free Press' Joe Falls that he aimed to expand seating capacity if attendance remained high. Penske later stated that year that he hoped to eventually expand the facility to seat more than 100,000.
Renovations and incidents under Penske's early leadership remained slow. Initially, Penske sought to construct a roval-style road course contained within the infield of MIS to replace the original road course layout, but the plans were postponed due to a contractor's strike. In 1977, a resurfacing of MIS' track surface was announced in August and completed approximately two months later. In the early 1980s, MIS added seating capacity a total of three times, adding in 1981, 1982, and 1985. In 1986, MIS underwent another resurfacing that was completed in time for the 1986 Miller American 400. That same year, MIS oversaw its first driver fatality when NASCAR driver Rick Baldwin crashed during a qualifying session on June 16, dying 11 years later in a coma due to complications from the crash. The following year, track officials planned to add a dog-leg chicane on the track's backstretch to slow down speeds for IndyCar races; however, the idea was scrapped after testing. In 1988, MIS expanded grandstand seating capacity to "over 40,000." In 1992, Clifford Allison became the second fatality to occur at the facility when he crashed during a practice session for a NASCAR Busch Series race.
Numerous leadership changes occurred until the mid-1980s. In 1978, LeFere resigned from his position as general manager, being replaced by Citibank executive Jim Melvin. Melvin left soon after to become the president of Championship Auto Racing Teams, being replaced by United Airlines executive Rick Nadeau in November 1979. Nadeau left track leadership three years later to become a sports marketer for a printing company, with Darwin Doll replacing Nadeau. Doll held the position until 1986, when he was replaced by Gene Haskett when Doll left to serve as the general manager of Sears Point International Raceway.