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64-633: Chicagoland Speedway is a 1.520 mi (2.446 km) tri-oval speedway with a curved backstretch in Joliet, Illinois , southwest of Chicago . The speedway opened in 2001 and actively hosted NASCAR racing including the NASCAR Cup Series until 2019. Until 2010, the speedway has also hosted the IndyCar Series , recording numerous close finishes including the closest finish in IndyCar history. The speedway

128-455: A $ 500,000 repave of the track was announced that was completed the next month. To Carrier's ire, the new surface saw increased tire wear, which Carrier blamed on how the track was resurfaced. In lieu of Carrier's anger of the new surface, he announced another repave in May 1989. The surface received complaints by drivers for the surface being too rough and bumpy. By the fall of 1991, Carrier announced

192-413: A compromise was reached. In May 1999, The Motorsports Alliance combined with Route 66 Raceway LLC to form Raceway Associates, LCC with Coyne as president alongside George and France. Raceway Associates revealed the track would be a 1.5 miles (2.4 km) d-shaped tri-oval superspeedway. Joie Chitwood III was named vice president and general manager of the facility. During the announcement, France stated

256-564: A football stadium and field. On January 17, 1961, local Tennessean recreational conglomerate businessman Larry Carrier announced his intentions of building a racetrack in Bristol, expanding his recreational conglomerate within the Tri-Cities, Tennessee , area. The track was constructed with no major issues, and opened in July of that same year for a speed record run. Carrier ran the track until 1977, when it

320-525: A local recreation conglomerate within the Tri-Cities, Tennessee , area, wanted to build a race track. He drew up initial plans to build a track in Piney Flats, Tennessee , using land his real-estate agent father had bought. However, the plan was rejected by local ministers in the area. Carrier instead opted to build the track five miles south on land formerly used as a dairy farm. Carrier, with later assistance from R. G. Pope and Carl R. Moore, drew up ideas for

384-515: A major racing facility had been built or was near completion near Las Vegas , Los Angeles and the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex . The Chicago area was an untapped market for motorsports that had potential to be very lucrative. In 1996, the search began for a site to build a speedway somewhere near Chicago. Several sites were considered, and a track was built in suburban Cicero ( Chicago Motor Speedway ), but eventually attention turned to

448-451: A new 5,000-seat grandstand and new concrete walls. The track throughout the 1980s saw increases in popularity and continued sellouts for the track, with the success of the track being remarked as "unprecedented in NASCAR racing" by The Charlotte Observer writer Tom Higgins. By the end of the decade, sellouts were guaranteed for the track months before the track's races occurred, along with

512-439: A portion of the complex were denied by Carrier, with Carrier claiming that he was planning to buy out National Raceways, Hodgdon's company that owned the Bristol track. At the end of January 1986, Carrier's purchase was officially confirmed, paying $ 4.5–5 million for the company. Carrier also announced the sale of the dragstrip to Ruth to finance Carrier's purchase. With his purchase, Carrier announced further renovations, including

576-474: A race weekend spurred fears of crippling the local Tri-Cities economy. In February 1996, Smith denied rumors of moving the track's spring race weekend to the new Texas Motor Speedway , along with announcing intentions of increasing capacity to 120,000, an increase from 81,000 from when Smith bought it. Initial renovations started in March, with further plans for expansion and events being announced by Byrd. The track

640-401: A third repave. The surface still oversaw more complaints for being too bumpy, and after the 1992 Food City 500 , Carrier announced another complete repave of the track. This time, Carrier opted to pave the surface in concrete instead of asphalt, which was what the track had been using since its inception. The repave was completed in July of that year. Despite Carrier stating at the start of

704-437: A tri-oval has six. More formally, according to the four-vertex theorem , every smooth simple closed curve has at least four vertices , points where its curvature reaches a local minimum or maximum. In a tri-oval, there are six such points, alternating between three minima and three maxima. This term is most often used to describe the shape of many automobile racetracks . The use of the tri-oval shape for automobile racing

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768-450: Is owned and operated by NASCAR. First discussions of building a major speedway near Chicago took place in an informal meeting between Indianapolis Motor Speedway President Tony George and International Speedway Corporation Chief Executive Officer Bill France Jr. in late 1995. Together they formed The Motorsports Alliance, a joint company owned by Indianapolis Motor Speedway Corporation and International Speedway Corporation. By 1995,

832-647: The Bristol International Raceway from 1978 to 1996 and as the Bristol International Speedway from 1961 to 1978) is a 0.533-mile (0.858 km) oval short track in Bristol, Tennessee . The track has held a variety of events since its opening in 1961, including NASCAR races, NCAA FBS college football games, and sprint car races. The track has been owned by Speedway Motorsports, LLC (SMI) since 1996 with Jerry Caldwell currently serving as

896-578: The COVID-19 pandemic , races at the Chicagoland Speedway for the 2020 season were canceled. Shortly thereafter, most of the track employees were laid off. On May 11, 2020, it was leaked that large parts of the land around the track would be sub-developed into an industrial park, leaving the future of the speedway unknown. On September 27, 2020, rumors arose that Chicagoland Speedway as well as Kentucky Speedway would lose their NASCAR races in 2021, which

960-466: The Joliet area where George Barr had negotiated to build Route 66 Raceway . Barr convinced Joliet officials to meet with the Motorsports Alliance to discuss building their speedway adjacent to Route 66 Raceway. The success of Route 66 Raceway, completed in 1998, led to the city conducting an impact study of the proposed speedway. The study revealed the new speedway would generate $ 300 million for

1024-511: The Knoxville News Sentinel reported the track had a capacity of 21,000, a press box, around 10,000 parking spaces, and shower rooms upon a 120-acre facility. The track has since seen mass expansion during the ownerships of Larry Carrier and Speedway Motorsports, LLC (SMI). As of 2024, the facility features a capacity of 146,000, down from its peak of 162,000. The facility also features a 30-by-63 foot television screen that hangs over

1088-448: The R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company , Jeff Byrd, replacing Scalf as general manager. Upon the track's purchase, Smith's ownership was met with suspicion. Many local businesses and fans feared that the track could lose a NASCAR race weekend as a result of NASCAR experiencing a surge in popularity in the 1990s, with Smith having a previous record of buying or building bigger tracks and taking away race weekends from smaller tracks. The loss of

1152-561: The RCA Dome , Los Angeles Coliseum and the Rose Bowl , was selected to lead the design of the facility. Construction management company Bovis Lend Lease headed the construction of the speedway. Construction started in August 1999, with groundbreaking September 28, 1999. On May 8, 2000, in a press conference at Chicago's Navy Pier , the track's name and inaugural events were announced. Construction of

1216-590: The Southeastern 500 and the Volunteer 500 (known as the Food City 500 and Bass Pro Shops Night Race for sponsorship reasons, respectively). The former was first run on October 22, 1961. In 2020, in an attempt to reverse declines in attendance, track officials announced that the race would take place on a temporary dirt surface. The idea was scrapped after three years, reverting to using the concrete surface. The latter

1280-404: The 1990s that he had no intention of selling the track, sometime in the early 1990s, motorsports mogul Bruton Smith displayed interest of buying Bristol International Raceway. According to Scalf, although Carrier refused, Smith insisted on purchasing the track, stating, "everything is for sale". Within the next three weeks, Carrier, Scalf, and Smith negotiated the potential sale of the track, with

1344-562: The Indy Lights series, conducted an oval test at Chicagoland Speedway, marking the first time since 2010 any level of the Mazda Road to Indy was at the track. The test was used by INDYCAR officials to give the Dallara IL-15 its first official oval laps. On January 28, 2019, it was revealed on ISC's 2018 annual report that the raceway's track seating was reduced from 55,000 to 47,000. Due to

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1408-662: The Joliet and Will County region and over 3,000 jobs. The Joliet city council unanimously approved the speedway on January 19, 1999. Following the approval, the Will County Board extended the Des Plaines River Valley Enterprise Zone in order to give a tax break to the speedway developers. The tax break news also led to the Joliet High School district threatening to bail out of the enterprise zone, but

1472-583: The Redskins and the Philadelphia Eagles after a failed attempt by Marshall to hold the game at the Charlotte Motor Speedway . The track was met with optimism throughout Tennessee and with sports personalities. The track was praised for its layout and amenities by team owner Bud Moore , driver Cotton Owens , and Redskins public relations director Dave Slattery. The Governor of Tennessee at

1536-462: The United States. Bristol Motor Speedway (BMS) in its current form is measured at 0.533 miles (0.858 km), with the track's turns ranging from 24 degrees to 30 degrees in banking. The straightaways are banked at four degrees at the bottom and progresses up to 9 degrees at the top. When the track was initially constructed, the track had 27 degrees of banking. Before 2007, the track marketed that

1600-731: The Volunteers winning. A week after the Battle at Bristol, the track played host to another football game, this time a for NCAA Division I FCS game between the East Tennessee State Buccaneers and the Western Carolina Catamounts . Bristol Motor Speedway will host a Major League Baseball game between the Atlanta Braves and Cincinnati Reds on August 2, 2025, which will be the first regular-season MLB game played in

1664-467: The association's headquarters at the track. By the mid-1970s, Carrier wanted to focus more on his drag racing endeavors with the IHRA. On November 2, 1977, Carrier announced the sale of the track to Nashville businessmen Lanny Hester and Gary Baker for $ 1 million. At the time of the duo's purchase, the track had seen stagnating attendance, which the duo attributed to shortening its NASCAR races to 400 laps. Upon

1728-491: The biggest charlatans I had ever encountered", sharing sentiments with Gossage, who both left soon after Hodgdon bought the track. By the end of 1984, Hodgdon faced a litany of legal issues. In November, The Tennessean ' s Larry Woody reported that Hodgdon was facing accusations of bid rigging in his home state of California along with his company, the National Engineering Company, facing bankruptcy. By

1792-477: The capacity of the track to 50,000. In May 1982, Baker and Hodgdon also purchased the dragstrip from Carrier. By October, according to Gossage in a letter to the editor of the Herald Courier , he claimed that Hodgdon increased capacity by 3,000, added new sewer and water lines, and expanded parking. In July 1983, Hodgdon purchased the rest of Baker's interest in the track for $ 2 million, completely buying out

1856-439: The dragstrip project was officially announced by Carrier, with the facility announced to be a 27,000-seat, 1 ⁄ 4 mile (0.40 km) long facility built on a 500-acre plot of land at a budget of $ 700,000. A month after the announcement, Russ DeVault, writer for the Herald Courier , predicted that Carrier was planning to build a bigger facility that was at least 1 mile (1.6 km) long; Carrier neither denied or admitted

1920-723: The end of December, he was facing additional lawsuits from the North Carolina Motor Speedway and overdue payments to the Tennessee State Fair and Exposition Commission. He later failed to meet deadlines for a $ 102,000 payment for the Bristol track. By January 1985, the Bank of Virginia planned to put the track and the dragstrip up for auction on February 8. However, the auction was eventually scrapped when Hodgdon filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy , requesting for protection and reorganization. Despite this, Carrier declared that

1984-441: The facility was scheduled on January 23, it was delayed by poor weather for two days to the 25th. The next month, new local modified races were announced at the track. By March, the track was selling tickets, with Tennessee Ernie Ford buying the first ticket. Within same month, Carrier was able to negotiate with Washington Redskins owner George Preston Marshall to hold a National Football League (NFL) exhibition game between

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2048-400: The infield, along with stated plans to expand seating. In August, the seating expansion was officially confirmed, with an intent to expand to 160,000. In 2006, the track officially announced a repave of its track surface; however, the repave was later rescheduled to occur in 2007. By the time the new variable-banking system was complete in August, the turns varied from 24 to 30 degrees, with

2112-472: The middle of the track that is named Colossus TV. In 1964, plans for a drag strip were announced by then-track owner Larry Carrier and National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) officials. After a hasty construction process, the 1 ⁄ 4 mile (0.40 km) dragstrip was completed by May 1965. The dragstrip has gone under renovations since the 1990s, including an $ 18 million renovation in 1997. In 1960, businessman Larry Carrier, continuing plans to expand

2176-406: The predicted project. In March 1965, the track announced plans to build a 2.25 miles (3.62 km) long road course that would utilize parts of the dragstrip. By May, the dragstrip was finished in time for its opening in early June. By the beginning of 1966, the track was beginning to construct the road course. In 1969, Carrier announced a repave and reconfiguration of the track. The banking in

2240-513: The racing surface being widened from 40 to 43 feet. The track repave saw criticism for removing the one-lane and rough style racing Bristol became reputable for; criticism became so prevalent that an ashamed Byrd was stated to have repeated "y'all, we're sorry" to fans leaving the track after the 2008 Sharpie 500 . In 2010, the track saw its streak of 55 consecutive sellouts for its NASCAR races end. In October of that year, after Byrd died in October,

2304-612: The significance of the new speedway: The construction of a major league racing facility of this magnitude and quality in the Chicago metropolitan market symbolizes the ongoing transformation of auto racing from a narrowly-focused regional competition to a major mainstream sport. This type of racing will rival the NFL, NBA and Major League baseball for fan and sponsorship involvement. We are absolutely thrilled to be here. Architecture and engineering firm HNTB , which has built stadiums and arenas such as

2368-426: The situation being described by Scalf as "where one family-owned track was basically competing with corporate America". Although Carrier stated fears to Scalf about losing NASCAR race weekends, he eventually agreed to sell off the complex with the exception of a 78-acre campground. On January 23, 1996, the sale of the track was confirmed at the cost of $ 26 million, with an executive for the sports marketing division of

2432-656: The speedway announced IndyCar would not return to the track for the 2011 season. The speedway also announced changes to the NASCAR schedule for 2011, with the NASCAR Cup Series race moving to September 16–18 as the first race in the 2011 Chase for the Championship. The Nationwide Series and Camping World Truck Series also raced the same weekend, in addition, the Nationwide Series had a stand-alone race day on June 4. On May 14, 2015, Andersen Promotions, which organizes

2496-432: The speedway resulted in a few problems. In the summer of 2000, homes near the speedway were flooded as a result of heavy rains and run-off from excavation. In February 2001, a worker was killed after falling from the skybox suites on top of the grandstands. Construction was completed in spring 2001. The track has seen little expansion since its construction, with the only major addition being the installation of lights around

2560-583: The state of Tennessee . The track on numerous occasions has served as a facility to assist the general public in a variety of situations. In 2002, the track acted as a temporary high school for students at Sullivan East High School when their school was closed due to a black mold infection. In the early 2010s, Remote Area Medical held a medical clinic at the track. The track has been used as an evacuee center for several hurricanes, including Hurricane Irma in 2017, Hurricane Florence in 2018, and Hurricane Dorian in 2019. The track has also been used as

2624-451: The striking of a five-year renewal with ESPN . The track by this point had expanded to 50,000 seats and generated more than $ 138 million annually in economic revenue, with stated future intentions to build $ 400,000 worth of improvements. In 1989, the track also sought to expand to hold major concerts according to then-general manager Ron Scalf. During the late 1980s and the early 1990s, the track oversaw numerous repaves. In September 1988,

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2688-496: The term "tri-oval" is also used to specifically describe the part of the track which represents the top triangular point of the course, which is used as the main stretch, the pit straight and usually the start–finish line. It is recognizable in most tracks by a manicured grass area. The modern tri-ovals were often called cookie cutters because of their (nearly) identical shape and identical kind of races. Bristol Motor Speedway Bristol Motor Speedway (formerly known as

2752-531: The time, Buford Ellington , declared a "Volunteer 500" week in the state of Tennessee. Jimmy Smyth, a writer for the Johnson City Press , praised that local residents in the Tri-Cities area now had a track nearby instead of driving hundreds of miles to another track. The track officially opened to the public on July 23, 1961, for a paved half-mile speed record attempt by driver Tommy Morgan. Two days later,

2816-456: The track constructed the Kulwicki Tower, which was completed by 2000 and increased capacity by 12,000 seats to 147,000. In 2000 and 2001, the track held its first dirt races on a temporary dirt surface; however, the races were scrapped after 2001 due to issues with lengthy cleanups. In 2002, the track expanded further; the track built a new pedestrian tunnel that connected the grandstands to

2880-610: The track hosted an exhibition National Football League (NFL) game between the Washington Redskins and the Philadelphia Eagles after an initial failed attempt to host an event at Charlotte Motor Speedway . In 2013, an NCAA Division I FBS game was officially announced for the track between the Tennessee Volunteers and the Virginia Tech Hokies , to take place in 2016. The game took place on September 10, with

2944-451: The track in 2008. This was "phase one" of four phases that were originally designed for construction and possible expansion. Phase four would consist of a Bristol type seating capacity completely surrounding the speedway. The Indycar Series ran at the track since 2001, recording three of the top five closest finishes in Indycar history, including the closest in 2002. Despite the close finishes,

3008-514: The track in any capacity since 2019. The track length varies between the two major series that run at Chicagoland Speedway. The NASCAR timing and scoring use a length of 1.50 miles (2.41 km). The IRL timing and scoring used a track length of 1.52 miles (2.45 km). As of June 2019, the fastest official race lap records at Chicagoland Speedway are listed as: (As of 6/30/19) * from minimum 2 starts. ++ Since 2001. ** Since 2018. Tri-oval While an oval has four turns,

3072-409: The track on paper bags. On January 17, 1961, the three announced plans to build a 20,000-seat, 100-acre, 1 ⁄ 2 mile (0.80 km) track adjacent to U.S. Route 11E at a budget from $ 750,000 to $ 1,000,000. Along with the announcement, two annual NASCAR -sanctioned races were announced, with further intentions to use the track for other entertainment purposes. Although groundbreaking on

3136-536: The track opened for NASCAR-sanctioned activities, with a practice session for the 1961 Volunteer 500 . The next year, Carrier announced in the Bristol Virginia–Tennessean of a new recreational building near the track along with highway renovations. The track was favored in the local media by this point; the Virginia–Tennessean declared the track to be the "best" and "fastest" half-mile track in

3200-421: The track promoted its vice president of corporate sales, Jerry Caldwell, to become the track's general manager. Two years later, in response to both fan criticism along with Smith's stated displeasure with the progressive banking system, the track announced the elimination of the progressive banking system. In October 2015, the track announced the construction of Colossus TV, a 30-by-63 foot television screen that

3264-428: The track's banking was 36 degrees; this was eventually later found to be incorrect, with the true banking being 30 degrees. When the track is temporarily covered with dirt, the track uses a progressing banking system from 16 to 19 degrees. The track is also the only track left on the NASCAR schedule that utilizes two pit road lanes instead of one, combined pit road lane. At the time of the track's initial construction,

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3328-459: The track's events for the year would still occur. NASCAR eventually confirmed Carrier's declaration in February, with Carrier being proclaimed by the Johnson City Press as the one who was able to maintain events at the track. The track also struck a five-year deal to broadcast its NASCAR races nationally on ESPN . In November 1985, rumors of Kentucky businessman and drag racer Jim Ruth buying out

3392-558: The track's general manager. The track is served by the concurrent U.S. Route 19 and U.S. Route 11E , along with Tennessee State Route 394 . The speedway has a capacity of 146,000 as of 2021. In addition to the Bristol Motor Speedway, the track's complex also features a two-lane, 1 ⁄ 4 mile (0.40 km) long drag strip. The main track has also on several occasions been temporarily covered with dirt to host various types of dirt track racing, and on occasions has acted as

3456-546: The track's purchase, the duo announced $ 200,000 worth of renovations, a rebranding to "Bristol International Raceway", an increase of purse money, and a revert to the traditional 500 lap distance for its NASCAR races. In addition, the track planned to run its first ever night race at the 1978 Volunteer 500 , with temporary lights being installed during for the night race. The renovations did see success, with increased attendance according to Kingsport Times writer Denny Darnell. In January 1981, Baker bought out Hester's share of

3520-602: The track. As a result of Hodgdon's purchase, Carrier was appointed to become the general manager. The next month, Carrier announced a new renovation plan over several years. However, by the late fall, staff were disgruntled; according to staff who worked with Hodgdon, he was heavily disliked. Then-public relations manager of the Hodgdon-owned Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway , Tom Roberts, had a grudge with Hodgdon, and immediately realized "I needed to be looking for another job... I looked at him as one of

3584-459: The track. However, just 10 months later, then-public relations manager of the track, Eddie Gossage announced that California businessman Warner W. Hodgdon bought out half of Baker's share of the track's ownership. According to Baker, while he did not initially intend on selling some of his interest, his opinion changed when Hodgdon displayed interest of buying out some of Baker's interest. With Hodgdon's investment, Hodgdon stated plans to increase

3648-516: The turns was changed to a progressive banking system from 31 to 35 degrees and the straightaways would be changed to 20 degrees, which Carrier promised would produce speeds nearing 100 miles per hour (160 km/h). The repave was completed by July of that year, and in the next major race, drivers saw average lap speeds of over 100 mph. The next year, when Carrier created the International Hot Rod Association (IHRA), he set up

3712-472: The world. The track did face difficulties; according to Carrier, the 1961 NFL game lost them $ 36,000. As a result of the loss, Pope left the track soon after, leaving the track to be run by Carrier and Moore. In October 1964, the Bristol Herald Courier reported that the track was negotiating with National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) officials on building a proposed dragstrip . Two months later,

3776-503: Was also renamed "Bristol Motor Speedway" within the month. By the end of the year, Byrd estimated the track had spent $ 20 million in renovations, with more renovations being announced in November. By April 1997, the track surpassed Neyland Stadium as the largest sports arena in Tennessee by capacity. The track continued to oversee further expansion in the late 1990s and early 2000s. In 1999,

3840-517: Was conceived by Bill France Sr. during the planning for Daytona. The triangular layout allowed fans in the grandstands an angular perspective of the cars coming towards and moving away from their vantage point. Traditional ovals (such as Indianapolis ) offered only limited linear views of the course, and required fans to look back and forth much like a tennis match. The tri-oval shape prevents fans from having to "lean" to see oncoming cars, and creates more forward sight lines. In other racing vernacular,

3904-536: Was first run on July 30, 1961; the first major event held at the track. In 1978, the race switched to running at night. Also in 2020, BMS ran a one-off iteration of the NASCAR All-Star Race . Along with its Cup Series dates, the track also hosts lower-series NASCAR races, including second-tier NASCAR Xfinity Series and third-tier NASCAR Truck Series races. On various occasions, the track has held American gridiron football games at varying levels. In 1961,

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3968-492: Was officially confirmed by the speedway two days later on September 29. In addition, neighboring Route 66 Raceway announced it would remain closed through the 2021 season, leaving both tracks without scheduled races for the 2021 season. On January 6, 2023, it was announced that Chicagoland Speedway would host the SuperMotorcross World Championship Playoff Round 2. This would be the first race at

4032-408: Was sold to businessmen Gary Baker and Lanny Hester. The duo's ownership was quickly bought out by Warner W. Hodgdon, who ran the facility until 1986 when Hodgdon suffered financial troubles. Carrier later regained control of the facility, owning it until 1996 when Bruton Smith bought control of it. Since Smith's purchase, BMS underwent major expansion, becoming one of the largest sporting facilities in

4096-454: Was touted as the world's largest "outdoor, permanent, center-hung digital display". Construction on the screen started in November and was completed in April 2016. In that same year, the track began applying PJ1 TrackBite , a traction compound, on the track's lower groove in an attempt to artificially create multi-groove racing. Since 1961, the track has run two annual NASCAR Cup Series races:

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