ISM Raceway

ISM Raceway

Address: 7602 S. Avondale Blvd., Avondale , Arizona 85323
Avondale , Arizona , USA
Route type:	Permanent racetrack
Owner:	International Speedway Corporation
Operator:	International Speedway Corporation
Opening:	February 16, 1964
Speedway oval
Tri-oval
Route data
Important events:	Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series TicketGuardian 500 Can-Am 500 NASCAR Xfinity Series Axalta Faster. Tough. Brighter. 200 Galaxy 200 ticket NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Lucas Oil 150 IndyCar Series Desert Diamond West Valley Phoenix Grand Prix
Route length:	1.645  km (1.02  mi )
Curve superelevation:	Curves 1 & 2: 11 ° Curves 3 & 4: 9 ° Start-finish straight: 3 ° Back straight: 9 °
Audience capacity:	42,000
http://www.ismraceway.com/

Coordinates: 33 ° 22 ′ 29 "  N , 112 ° 18 ′ 40"  W.

The ISM Raceway is a race track in the form of a tri-oval with a length of about a mile in the US city of Avondale in the state of Arizona . It was opened in 1964 under the name Phoenix International Raceway as a replacement for the racetrack at the Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum and was to become the new home of formula racing in the greater Phoenix area.

history

The Indy Car World Series and the IndyCar Series were held at the former Phoenix International Raceway until 2005 when, due to a management decision at the International Speedway Corporation, the focus was shifted to other racing series and, for the first time, no racing in formula racing was held. The first race of the NASCAR Sprint Cup took place in 1988. It was won by Alan Kulwicki , who completed his Polish lap of honor here for the first time, i.e. a lap in the opposite direction of travel after the checkered flag.

There were no more formula racing races on the speedway between 2005 and 2016, during this time it was still used by various Indy Racing League teams for test drives or for filming corresponding commercials. The last race of the Grand American Road Racing Association series took place on the road course in the infield, which was originally built for the IMSA series .

In addition to the races of the various NASCAR series, the so-called Copper World Classics , a competition of the United States Automobile Club with different racing classes, take place on the oval course . It was co-hosted with the Indy Racing League races from 2002 to 2004, but with the series retreating, it will return to its original date during the winter months.

NASCAR has been holding a second race in the Sprint Cup since 2005. It replaces the spring race that was previously held at Darlington Raceway in South Carolina . In contrast, the race of the IndyCar Series was removed from the calendar from the 2006 season.

On November 15, 2015, the Phoenix International Raceway was officially renamed the Jeff Gordon Raceway for that one day . The occasion was Jeff Gordon's last race in Phoenix and the penultimate race ever.

In April 2016, the IndyCar Series and Indy Lights returned to the speedway after eleven years.

At the end of January 2017, plans for a reconstruction of the route were presented. Work began to begin in February of that year and lasted until November 2018. Mainly the comfort of the system from the 1960s was improved. The highlight is the new interior with the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Garage Fan Zone . Spectators can watch the races from there. A pedestrian tunnel connects the infield with the outer grandstands. The hospitality area on the new main stand has also been improved. Free WiFi is available in all tiers . The route itself was not rebuilt, but the start was moved. The cost of the rebuild was $ 178 million.

At the end of September 2017, the operators of the racetrack and the ISM Connect company announced a multi-year sponsorship agreement , including naming rights. The income was used to finance part of the renovation. The Phoenix International Raceway has been called ISM Raceway since 2018 .

Route description

Fans before a race at Phoenix International Raceway.

The ISM Raceway has a unique shape of a tri-oval with a curve in the middle of the back straight. This unusual shape exists because the architects of the original complex had to take into account the restrictions imposed by the chain of hills on the property on the one hand and the integration of an additional street course and an acceleration section on the other. The acceleration track for dragster races was hardly used due to the nearby Firebird International Raceway , which regularly held acceleration races . The external street course was mainly used for private test drives and as a parking lot during races on the oval course, so that it was later replaced by a street course in the infield. Until the construction of an access tunnel to the infield in 2004 and 2005, access was only possible via the intersection of the old road and acceleration course with the oval.

Another feature of the ISM Raceway that is worth mentioning is the so-called “Hillside”, a popular spectator area with fans just outside of Turn 4 on Monument Hill. A US Geological Survey station , from which the original survey of Arizona began, is located on the hill .

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  Routing until 2010

• 

  Route change 2011, the old route in gray

In 2011 the track was completely re-asphalted, the front straight was widened by a few meters and the pit lane that was moved as a result was now concreted instead of paved. As before at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway , the curves were equipped with a progressive camber (increasing towards the edge of the curve). In addition, the dogleg curve was widened and equipped with a greater cant of a maximum of 11 °. This should make the track faster and make the races more interesting for the spectators.

Former events

• USAC - Phoenix 150
• CART - Slick 50 200

Records

Route layout from 2011 (1,022 miles)

• NASCAR Sprint Cup Qualifying: Jimmie Johnson , 25,147 s (146,308 mph), 2015
• NASCAR Sprint Cup Race: Kasey Kahne , 2:45:47 (115,403 mph), 2011
• NASCAR Xfinity Series Qualifying: Kyle Busch , 25,992 s (141,933 mph), 2015
• NASCAR Xfinity Series Race: Sam Hornish, Jr. , 2:21:18 (86,794 mph), 2011
• Indy Car Series Qualifying (2-lap average): Helio Castroneves , 38.2604 s (192.324 mph), 2016
• Indy Car Series Race: Scott Dixon , 1:49 (139,822 mph), 2016

Old track layout until 2011

• NASCAR Sprint Cup Qualifying: Ryan Newman , 26.499 s (135.854 mph), 2004
• NASCAR Sprint Cup Race: Tony Stewart , 2:38:28 (118.132 mph), 1999
• NASCAR Xfinity Series Qualifying: Denny Hamlin , 26,872 s (133.968 mph), 2009
• NASCAR Xfinity Series Race: Jeff Burton , 1:44:13 (115.145 mph), 2000
• NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Qualifying: Johnny Benson , 27.137 s (132.660 mph), 2006
• NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Race: Kevin Harvick , 1:24:26 (108.104 mph), 2002
• Indy Car Series Qualifying: Arie Luyendyk , 18,758 s (183,599 mph), 1996
• Indy Car Series Race: Sam Hornish, Jr. , 1:30:24 (137,758 mph)

Web links

Commons : ISM Raceway  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

• Official website of the ISM Raceway (English)
• ISM Raceway on the website of NASCAR (English)

Individual evidence

1. ^ Scott Page: International Speedway Corporation continues to reduce track seating. In: espn.com. ESPN , January 26, 2019, accessed May 7, 2019 . 
2. ↑ Archived copy ( memento of the original from November 17, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. 
3. ↑ azcentral.com: NASCAR fans, rejoice! The Phoenix International Raceway is getting some upgrades Article dated February 2, 2017
4. ↑ stadionwelt.de: Phoenix Raceway is being comprehensively modernized Article from February 27, 2017
5. ↑ phoenixraceway.com: New Amenities ( Memento of the original dated August 11, 2017 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (English) 
6. ↑ Phoenix Raceway signs ISM Connect as Naming Rights Partner. In: ismraceway.com. September 26, 2017, accessed May 7, 2019 . 
7. ↑ PIR To Be Reconfigured