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145-569: Elliott William Barnes Sadler (born April 30, 1975) is an American former professional stock car racing driver. He last competed part-time in the NASCAR Xfinity Series , driving the No. 10 Chevrolet Camaro for Kaulig Racing . Sadler is one of 36 drivers who have at least one win in each of NASCAR's top three series. A native of Emporia, Virginia , he is the younger brother of former NASCAR driver Hermie Sadler . Sadler began racing in go-karts at

290-461: A 0.400 mi (0.644 km) dirt track. TMS features numerous amenities, including the world's largest HD video screen, a Speedway Club overlooking the first turn, and a 10-story building dedicated for office space and condominiums . Following the decline of the Texas World Speedway that began in the 1980s, the state of Texas found itself without a major racetrack and races for more than

435-458: A 6-race winning streak. Despite finding success in late model racing , Sadler was having a hard time catching the eye of NASCAR team owners. He sold all of his racing equipment to buy a Busch Series car, and ran some races as an independent in 1995 and early 1996. A race at Hickory Motor Speedway in early 1996 formed a connection between Sadler and Diamond Ridge Motorsports , the team he would drive for in late 1996 and all of 1997 and 1998 in

580-486: A Daytona 500 race, it was still a significant improvement over its predecessor the Dodge Charger 500. NASCAR feared that these increasing speeds significantly surpassed the abilities of the tire technology of the day, and it would undoubtedly increase the number of gruesome wrecks that were occurring. As a result, the 1970 Homologation rules were changed so that one car for every two U.S. dealers had to be built for sale to

725-796: A Midwest regional series. In addition to the ARCA Menards Series , it also sanctions the ARCA Midwest Tour since 2007, and previously the ARCA Lincoln Welders Truck Series from 1999 to 2016. NASCAR purchased ARCA in early 2018. For the 2020 season, the NASCAR K&;N Series East and West were rebranded under the ARCA banner as the ARCA Menards Series East and ARCA Menards Series West . Outside of NASCAR, there are

870-618: A cost of A$ 54 million, was modeled on a scaled down version of the famous Charlotte Motor Speedway . Other tracks used included the 1 ⁄ 2 mile (805 metre) Speedway Super Bowl at the Adelaide International Raceway (also owned by Jane, this was the only paved oval track in Australia other than the Thunderdome, though with only 7° banking in the turns it was more of a traditional flat track), as well as road courses such as

1015-516: A crash collecting Ron Fellows . After medical issues forced Brian Vickers to sit out the end of the 2013 racing season, Sadler was named to drive the No. 55 MWR for the final four Sprint Cup races of 2013. After going winless, he won the 2014 Aaron's 312 after defending Chris Buescher and Regan Smith , It was his first win since 2012 and his first with Gibbs. On October 31, 2014, it was announced Sadler would join Roush Fenway Racing in

1160-533: A crash on the track's pit road when Niclas Jönsson lost control of his car while trying to exit pit road, crashing into the parked car of Tyce Carlson while Carlson's crew was working with his car. The next year, during a NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race, the track oversaw its first fatality when driver Tony Roper crashed on the track's frontstretch, suffering a fatal basilar skull fracture that caused renewed controversy within NASCAR over driver safety. In 2001,

1305-479: A crash took place, sealing the win for Byron. Sadler clinched the first NASCAR Xfinity Series Regular Season Championship with a fifth-place finish in the Go Bowling 250 at Richmond Raceway . Sadler entered the night with a 91-point edge over JR Motorsports teammate William Byron and needed to come out of the race ahead by at least 61 points in the standings. Sadler finished the race 95 points ahead of Byron. Sadler

1450-400: A custom built machine, or a heavily modified streetcar. Individual sanctioning bodies (like NASCAR, ACT , PASS , UARA, ASA , CARS Tour , etc.) maintain their own late model rule books, and even individual racetracks can maintain their own rule books, meaning a late model that is legal in one series or at one track may not be legal at another without modifications. The national touring series,

1595-521: A decade. In the early 1990s, the newly incorporated and rising Speedway Motorsports and its founder, Bruton Smith , sought to build a major racetrack west of the Mississippi River , deciding on the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex in 1994 with eventual longtime track general manager Eddie Gossage . Construction began in 1995 and was completed in 1996, with TMS holding its first races in 1997. Upon

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1740-495: A great deal of available data, and NASCAR was formed just as some of the improved technology was about to become available in production cars. Until the advent of the Trans-Am Series in 1967, NASCAR homologation cars were the closest thing that the public could buy that was actually very similar to the cars that were winning national races. The 1949 Oldsmobile Rocket V-8 with a displacement of 303 cu in (5.0 L)

1885-411: A handful of races for Lyndon Amick . Sadler's only Top 10 finish in 2000 was 7th at Bristol, after failing to qualify at Talladega Superspeedway , and he dropped to 29th in points. The season also featured a chaotic crash at Michigan during practice that saw the car take flight after blowing a tire going into turn one, barrel rolling several times before coming to a rest on its wheels. Sadler recounted

2030-411: A highly sophisticated purpose built race car with race-tuned V-8 engines developing 480 kW (650 bhp), quick change axles and gearboxes and biased and staggered chassis and braking set up for constant left turning. However large bumpers were mandatory with contact very much encouraged to remove opponents. The sport can be seen at venues throughout Britain and Mainland Europe. A downsized version of

2175-453: A lawsuit for breach of contract; however, the lawsuit was dropped after the GEM ;– Petty Enterprises merger and he returned to the ride for 2009. After all of the offseason issues, Sadler found himself in the No. 19 Stanley Tools -sponsored Dodge for Richard Petty Motorsports in the 2009 Sprint Cup Series season. In the 2009 Daytona 500 , Sadler took the lead on lap 123 and stayed in

2320-596: A local hospital for precautionary reasons). Sadler started the 2004 season with a Top 10 finish in the Daytona 500 and six races later, he won at Texas Motor Speedway for his second career win. He stayed in the Top 10 in points all season and won at California Speedway , beating Kasey Kahne and Mark Martin . He made the Chase and finished a career-high ninth in the championship points standings. He had another flip-crash at Talladega on

2465-418: A lower bank of 8 degrees to accommodate open-wheel cars. In addition, for open-wheel races, a temporary wall was planned to be implemented each time an open-wheel series raced in order to reduce speeds. The plan met skepticism from open-wheel personalities such as Cary Agajanian and Jimmy Vasser over the feasibility of such a system. By June 1996, Agajanian reported that the speedway had ditched plans to make

2610-512: A major racetrack west of the Mississippi River with the rise of popularity in stock car racing. Smith employed the help of then Vice President of Public Relations at the Charlotte Motor Speedway , Eddie Gossage , to find a suitable location for the track. Three primary markets were decided on by Bruton: Las Vegas , the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex , and St. Louis . In Las Vegas, the duo found out that local businessman Ralph Engelstad

2755-470: A meeting at the Streamline Hotel in order to form an organization that would unify the rules. When NASCAR was first formed by France in 1948 to regulate stock car racing in the U.S., there was a requirement that any car entered be made entirely of parts available to the general public through automobile dealers. Furthermore, the car models were required to have sold over 500 units to the public. This

2900-424: A new bump, along with water leakage issues. Further criticism was placed against the speedway and Gossage after a t-shirt was printed that stated "Shut Up and Race"; Gossage claims that NASCAR came up with the idea. Gossage announced a complete repave of the track, this time completely removing the dual-banking system. In 1999, during the final practice session of the 1999 Mall.com 500 , 11 people were injured in

3045-617: A new date at the Circuit of the Americas , with the track instead running the NASCAR All-Star Race as an attempt by SMI CEO Marcus Smith to increase declining attendance. After two spring races that were met with relative scorn, the spring date was removed for 2023, with the All-Star Race moving to North Wilkesboro, the track TMS removed back in 1997. The spring date returned in 2024 as

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3190-684: A number of other national or regional stock-car sanctioning bodies in the United States. There are a few organizations that cater to these local short tracks . The American Speed Association (ASA), Champion Racing Association (CRA), International Motor Contest Association (IMCA), United Auto Racing Association (UARA), Championship Auto Racing Series (CARS), and they all sanction their own forms of stock-car racing, on varying types of track, and with various levels of media coverage. The International Race of Champions (IROC) and Superstar Racing Experience (SRX) are usually perceived as being outside of

3335-513: A poor racing product, leading calls from drivers to completely renovate the track. In August, Ramage was removed as general manager after only one year, having been promoted to becoming SMI's vice president of government relations and deputy counsel. SMI replaced Ramage with Mark Faber, who previously worked in Las Vegas as the T-Mobile Arena 's senior vice president of global partnerships. Under

3480-503: A press conference on May 13, 2021, with his retirement effective after the 2021 NASCAR All-Star Race that was set to take place on June 13. After Gossage's retirement, TMS leaders announced that they would reduce capacity down to 75,000 and renovate the suites at the track. On August 4, 2021, Marcus Smith announced that Rob Ramage, a Texas Motor Speedway executive and counselor, had been promoted to replace Gossage as general manager. In an interview with D Magazine , Ramage pledged that

3625-448: A race in 2007. Sadler struggled in 2008, garnering only two Top 5's, eight Top 10's, and 16 Top 20's. He had four DNF's and 12 finishes of 30th or worse. Sadler led 21 laps in 2008, his fewest since the 2000 season. He ended the year 24th in the points standings. In December 2008, it was reported that A. J. Allmendinger would replace Sadler in the No. 19 Best Buy-sponsored Dodge for Gillett Evernham Motorsports in 2009. Sadler threatened

3770-566: A result of the track's only Cup Series date, which was in the fall, shifting back to the spring. A second weekend to TMS was awarded in the aftermath of the Ferko lawsuit in 2005. The date remained on the schedule annually until 2023, when it was moved to the spring. 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. TMS used to hold IndyCar Series races from 1997 to 2023. In 2024,

3915-579: A row) in the boxier Plymouth Belvedere. The 1969 season featured the Torino Cobra or Torino "Talladega" which had enough aerodynamic body improvements that it gave it a higher speed than the 1968 Torino, with no other changes. The Cobra, featuring extended nose and reshaped rockers, was renamed Talladega part way through the 1969 season when the Boss 429 replaced the 427. Starting in 1963 up till this point, Ford had won six straight Manufacturer Championships, and by

4060-465: A segment for the show. In 2010, Gossage directed the "No Limits" campaign, which was self-described as a "hot cars and hot chicks" that intended to target a younger and edgy audience. By mid-2016, numerous complaints against the track's surface taking too long to dry were made. By November, during a rain delay at the 2016 AAA Texas 500 which took seven hours to restart, complaints rose again. Despite this, Gossage stated that he had no plans to repave

4205-490: A single cam-in-block . But even without the cammer, the Ford FE 427 won in 1965. In 1966 Chrysler sold enough of the 426 Hemis to make it available again, and they put it in their new Dodge Charger which had a low-drag rear window that was radically sloped. It was called a "fast-back", and because of this David Pearson was the series champion that year with Richard Petty dominating 1967, winning 27 of 48 races (including 10 in

4350-524: A span of 91 races. Sadler had been announced on March 3 as the third driver of the Michael Waltrip Racing 's No. 55 Toyota, but Childress wanted Sadler to focus on the Nationwide championship, so the deal was nixed. On March 17, Sadler won at Bristol, making it the first year since the mid-1990s that the first four NNS races have been won by non-Sprint Cup drivers. It also had Sadler winning two of

4495-453: A speed record for stock cars in a 2007-season Dodge Charger built to NASCAR specifications by achieving a maximum speed of 244.9 mph (394.1 km/h) at Bonneville Speedway . For the 2015 NASCAR Cup Series , power output of the competing cars ranged from 750 to 800 hp (560 to 600 kW). In the 1920s, moonshine runners during the Prohibition era would often have to outrun

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4640-631: A temporary wall, instead deciding to paint a line where the change in banking was. On August 3, the track officially opened to the public for the first time, holding a charity "open-house" event. Eventual NASCAR races were announced in July 1996, and IndyCar races were announced the next month on August 7, with the IndyCar race to be run at night; an IndyCar first. In August 1996, a quarter-mile dirt track based in Alvin, Texas , sued Smith's speedway over naming rights for

4785-570: A way that they hoped would make the cars safer and more equal, so the race series would be more a test of the drivers, rather than a test of car technology. In addition, R.J. Reynolds (the tobacco conglomerate) took over as the major sponsor of NASCAR racing (changing the name to the "Winston Cup") and they made a significantly larger financial contribution than previous sponsors. Richard Petty's personal sponsorship with STP also set new, higher standards for financial rewards to driving teams. The sudden infusion of noticeably larger amounts of money changed

4930-563: A win that season, and finished 6th in the standings. On October 2, 2015, Dale Earnhardt Jr. announced that Sadler would drive for JR Motorsports in the Xfinity Series in 2016. This marked the fifth team Sadler has joined since the 2011 season when he competed for Kevin Harvick Inc. His journey has taken him from KHI to Richard Childress Racing (2012), Joe Gibbs Racing (2013–2014), Roush Fenway and now JRM. On January 6, 2016, Sadler's car number

5075-711: Is made out of black gumbo soil , and held its first races in March 2000. The first track to hold major series such as NASCAR and United States Auto Club (USAC)-sanctioned races in the state of Texas was the Texas International Speedway (later named Texas World Speedway), which opened in 1969, holding its first NASCAR race in December. The track was built like the Michigan International Speedway , but with higher banking for faster speeds. However, in

5220-429: Is owned by the city of Fort Worth's sports authority and is leased out by Speedway Motorsports, LLC (SMI) for racing, with Mark Faber currently serving as the track's general manager. As of 2021, the track has a capacity of 75,000. Alongside the main track, Texas Motor Speedway features an infield road course with four layouts alongside two adjacent tracks, including a 0.200 mi (0.322 km) paved short track and

5365-478: Is referred to as " homologation ", which other racing series has since adapted for their own rulesets. In NASCAR's early years, the cars were so "stock" that it was commonplace for the drivers to drive themselves to the competitions in the car that they were going to run in the race. While automobile engine technology had remained fairly stagnant in World War II, advanced aircraft piston engine development had provided

5510-597: Is the second tier series in the United States. It serves as the primary feeder series to the Cup Series, similar to Formula Two for Formula One , and Indy Lights for Indy Car . Races are commonly held as a support race to Cup Series events. Many current Cup Series drivers formerly competed in the Series before moving on to competing full-time in the Cup Series. The Xfinity series typically features multiple Cup Series competitors competing alongside full time Xfinity drivers. There

5655-497: Is the team racing format. Typically teams racing consists of two teams of four cars each that work together to win the race. Teams normally protect their "runners" while attempting to eliminate the opposing team, the races can be decided by a points format or first across the finish line. The class most resembling the North American form of stock car racing are known as Saloon cars. Super Saloons are similar to dirt late models with

5800-489: Is widely recognized as the first postwar modern overhead valve (OHV) engine to become available to the public. The Oldsmobile was an immediate success in 1949 and 1950, and all the automobile manufacturers could not help noticing the higher sales of the Oldsmobile 88 to the buying public. The motto of the day became "win on Sunday, sell on Monday." However, in spite of the fact that several competing engines were more advanced,

5945-432: The 2007 Daytona 500 , Sadler's team was among many others who faced disciplinary action for rule-infractions. Despite being docked 25 points, he still went on to score a season best sixth-place finish. Sadler had many ups and downs throughout the season. In 2007, Sadler led 62 laps, posted two Top 10 finishes and finished 25th in points. Sadler had the longest streak without a DNF than any other driver before failing to finish

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6090-545: The American Le Mans Series expanded their schedule to include TMS to run the Grand Prix of Texas , deciding to run a "roval" version of the track that utilized parts of the newly-constructed infield road course and the oval. The series ran the event again in 2001. In 2015, TMS held the seventh round of the 2015 Red Bull Air Race World Championship through the weekend of September 26–27. The track once again hosted

6235-503: The BriSCA Formula 1 Stock Cars , the smaller BriSCA Formula 2 Stock Cars , previously known as "The Juniors" or "Junior Stock Cars", are also very popular. these cars are powered by the 2 litre Ford 'Pinto' engine. There are also many other formulas running on the oval tracks throughout a season that starts around March/Easter and continues to October/November. In the 2008 World Final, held at Ipswich, Andy Smith raced to victory becoming

6380-428: The Charlotte Motor Speedway . Under Gossage's tenure, TMS sparked numerous campaigns to promote the track, including training monkeys to sell souvenir programs , starting a victory lane tradition of each victor firing blank six-shooters in post-race celebrations, hiring an all-female pit crew to service a car, and allowing British motoring television show Top Gear and one of its hosts, Richard Hammond , to film

6525-557: The NASCAR Late Model Sportsman Series , originated from local late model races in the east coast of the U.S. This division was later called the "Busch Series", the "Nationwide Series", and currently the "Xfinity Series" as its title sponsor changed. Late model racing has a very big following throughout the country. Many of the biggest late model races have very large purses, some equivalent to some NASCAR Truck and Xfinity Series races, that attract drivers from all over

6670-651: The Surfers Paradise Street Circuit (where the cars ran as a support category to the Gold Coast IndyCar Grand Prix ), Oran Park in Sydney , and the famous Mount Panorama Circuit . The term 'stock cars' in the UK refers to a specialized form of racing that bears little resemblance to any road car. Stock car racing was brought to Britain in 1954. Taking place on existing greyhound or speedway tracks,

6815-557: The U.S. Cellular 250 at Iowa en route to his fourth win of the year. Heading into Phoenix, Sadler was once again caught up in a late crash, which ended his championship hopes. He would finish second in points again to Stenhouse. He would later announce his move to Joe Gibbs Racing for 2013, taking OneMain Financial with him. In addition to running the full Nationwide Series schedule for Joe Gibbs Racing, Sadler announced in March that he would be competing in three Sprint Cup Series events for

6960-592: The "top 3" series. In addition to the top three series, NASCAR also sanctions many regional and local series. NASCAR also sanctions three international series that race in Canada , Mexico , and Europe . The most prominent championship in stock car racing is the NASCAR Cup Series . It is the most popular racing series in the United States, drawing over 6 million spectators in 1997, an average live audience of over 190,000 people for each race. The most famous event in

7105-510: The 1980s, although this was due to, according to track president R. C. Connole, USAC splitting with Championship Auto Racing Teams in 1979, leading to major turmoil within USAC. Although the track was swapped around numerous owners, the track never held a major series again, leaving Texas without a track that held a major series for over a decade. With the rising success of Speedway Motorsports , owned by businessman Bruton Smith , intended to build

7250-409: The 2008 BriSCA F1 Stock Car World Champion for the second time in his career, taking the crown from brother Stuart Smith Jnr. 2009 also saw Andy Smith win again this time at Kings Lynns Norfolk Arena. 2010 saw Andy Smith win for a 3rd consecutive time at Coventry, the same venue as his 1st win in 2006. The 2011 World Championship took place at Northampton on September 10 with 2 Paul Harrison the winner of

7395-577: The 2011 season. He ended up finishing second in points with 24 Top 10 finishes in 34 events. At the end of the 2011 season, KHI's Nationwide Series operations were absorbed by Richard Childress Racing and Sadler moved to RCR for 2012, remaining in the No. 2. In addition, Sadler ran in the 2012 Daytona 500 for RCR in the No. 33 Chevrolet,. On March 3, 2012, Sadler won the Nationwide Series Bashas' Supermarkets 200 at Phoenix, his first win since October 31, 1998 at North Carolina Motor Speedway,

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7540-464: The Busch Series, driving the No. 90 Taurus, and had three Top 5 finishes. In 2006, Sadler won the pole at Talladega and finished 22nd in points. He made seven starts in the Busch Series and his best finish was second at Richmond. After a lack of results, he left RYR midway through 2006 for Gillett Evernham Motorsports . Sadler, was also the cover driver for EA Sports ’ NASCAR 07 . Before the start of

7685-535: The Busch Series. Sadler moved up to the Cup Series full-time in 1999, driving the No. 21 Ford Taurus for Wood Brothers Racing . His best finish that year was 10th at Texas Motor Speedway , and he finished 24th in points, runner-up to Tony Stewart for Rookie of the Year honors. He also returned to the Busch Series on a part-time basis, filling in for the injured Andy Santerre for Innovative Motorsports , his best finish being fifth at California Speedway . He also drove

7830-597: The Cup Series to try to make a living in the lower-divisions. On November 5, 2010. Sadler announced a two-year deal to drive the No. 2 OneMain Financial -sponsored Chevrolet for Kevin Harvick Inc. in the Nationwide Series and also will drive a selected number of races in the Camping World Truck Series . Sadler took the championship points lead in the Nationwide Series after the eleventh race in

7975-467: The Ford Talladega, Mercury Spoiler II, Charger 500, Dodge Daytona and Plymouth Superbird to a maximum engine displacement of 305 cu in (5.0 L) for 1971. Almost all teams switched to non-aero bodystyles. NASCAR eventually adopted a restrictor plate to limit top speeds for the 7.0L engine as teams switched to small-block 358 cu in (5.9 L) engines. NASCAR edited the rules in

8120-635: The Gold Roof. The 2012 World Championship held at Skegness was won by 217 Lee Fairhurst. The 2013 World Championship will be held at King's Lynn on Saturday 21 September. Texas Motor Speedway Texas Motor Speedway (formerly known as Texas International Raceway from September to December 1996) is a 1.500 mi (2.414 km) quad-oval intermediate speedway in Fort Worth, Texas . It has hosted various major races since its inaugural season of racing in 1997, including NASCAR and IndyCar races. The track

8265-482: The IndyCar Series did not return to TMS due to an NBC conflict with the 2024 Summer Olympics . In 2000, a CART race was planned for 2001 but was canceled after it was found that drivers could suffer extreme vertical g-loads that could have led to death. The speedway later sued CART for breach of contract and settled for approximately $ 5–7 million, and races scheduled for 2002 and 2003 were canceled. In 2000,

8410-458: The Lone Star Tower overlooks the second turn and is used for condominiums and office space. The Lone Star Tower broke ground in 1996 and completed in early 1998, with the building costing Texas Motor Speedway around $ 25 million in taxes. The first four floors are dedicated for office space, with the rest of the floors being dedicated for condos. Initially, 58 condos were planned to be sold;

8555-485: The No. 1 for 2015,. During the O'Reilly Auto Parts Challenge , Sadler became ill and exited the car during the first caution. He was relieved by Clint Bowyer . On October 30, 2014, Roush Fenway Racing announced that Sadler would drive the No. 1 car in the Xfinity Series in 2015. This marked Sadler's reunion with former owner and engine builder Doug Yates , and his fourth stint with manufacturer Ford . In that season, he got 4 top 5s and 17 top 10s, although he did not get

8700-514: The UK and New Zealand there is a racing formula called stock cars, but the cars are markedly different from any road car. In Australia there was a formula that was quite similar to NASCAR called AUSCAR . The Racecar-Euro Series began in 2009 and was sanctioned by NASCAR as a touring series in 2012, currently operating as the NASCAR Whelen Euro Series . "True" stock car racing, which consists of only street vehicles that can be bought by

8845-538: The United States after World War II, this type of racing was early-on characterized by its participants' modification of passenger cars in pursuit of higher speeds, hence the name. In many regions, particularly on the east coast, modified racing is considered the highest class of stock cars in local racing. NASCAR officially sanctions the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour which is the oldest racing series sanctioned by NASCAR. The SMART Modified Tour , at one point

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8990-475: The VFW Sport Clips Help A Hero 200, beating out Denny Hamlin. The two wins would automatically lock Sadler in the inaugural Xfinity Chase. Sadler was one of three drivers starting the chase with wins. In round one, Sadler won the race at Kentucky. Sadler, with a few more top tens, moved on to the championship four at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Sadler went on to score a runner-up finish in the championship for

9135-418: The aerodynamic and low-slung Hudson Hornet managed to win in 1951, 1952, and 1953 with a 308 cu in (5.0 L) inline six-cylinder that used an old-style flathead engine , proving there was more to winning than just a more powerful engine. At the time, it typically took three years for a new design of car body or engine to end up in production and be available for NASCAR racing. Most cars sold to

9280-658: The age of seven, and moved up to the Late Model stock car division at the local race track. His accomplishments include over 200 total wins, the 1983–84 Virginia State Karting Championship, and the North Carolina Gold Cup in 1991–92. When he turned 18, he moved to the Winston Racing Series and ran full-time beginning in 1993. That same year, he achieved his first victory. In 1995, he was crowned track champion at South Boston Speedway , winning 13 races including

9425-469: The authorities. To do so, they had to upgrade their vehicles—while leaving them looking ordinary, so as not to attract attention. Eventually, runners started getting together with fellow runners and making runs together. They would challenge one another and eventually progressed to organized events in the early 1930s. The main problem racing faced was the lack of a unified set of rules among the different tracks. When Bill France Sr. saw this problem, he set up

9570-403: The breath knocked out of him and had taken "the hardest hit of his career" at Pocono . He was proud of his team back home that had built a safe car and of the pit crew and of all of the hard work they had put into the race thus far. On August 3, Sadler announced on NASCAR Now that NASCAR told him it was the hardest head-on crash ever recorded in NASCAR history. On November 5, 2010, Sadler won

9715-499: The capacity quickly grew in the initial planning stages; when Bruton requested that 5,000 seats be added, Gossage obliged. According to Gossage, "the next day he’d put in a change order for 5,000 more seats. And then a few days or a week later, he’d say, ‘Do you think you could sell 80 (thousand)?’ I’d say, ‘Oh, piece of cake.' And then one day I looked and we were at 155,000 seats and I told Bruton we’ve got to stop doing this." Groundbreaking on TMS took place on April 11, 1995. Gossage

9860-526: The cars conform to standard model specs has changed over the years and varies from country to country. Today most American stock cars may superficially resemble standard American family sedans but are in fact silhouette cars: purpose-built racing machines built to a strict set of regulations governing the car design ensuring that the chassis , suspension , engine, etc. are architecturally identical to those in stock production vehicles. For example, NASCAR Cup Series race vehicles now require fuel injection . In

10005-475: The cars were mostly 'stock' cars from the 1930s with locked rear axle differentials and added armour. After the first couple of years 'specials' began to appear eventually making the 'stock' car name something of a misnomer. Since the early days of stock car racing in Britain the sport has developed into many different classes, from the destructive 'Banger' categories to the very sophisticated National Hot Rods. However,

10150-580: The championship despite going winless. On February 17, 2018, he finished second to Tyler Reddick at Daytona International Speedway for the PowerShares QQQ 300 with a margin of 0.0004 seconds. Sadler won the 2018 NASCAR Xfinity Series Most Popular Driver, making him the driver to win the most Most Popular Driver awards in Xfinity Series history, with four Most Popular Driver wins, winning it in 2011, 2016, 2017, and 2018. On August 15, 2018, Sadler announced that he would retire from full-time competition at

10295-411: The coming years, the track faced a slew of issues; the 1973 oil crisis halted any major racing for nearly three years. Although NASCAR eventually returned in 1979, heading into the 1980s, the track faced a lack of stable and modern infrastructure along with attendance issues. NASCAR left in 1981, with its president Bill France Jr. citing a poor track surface and amenities. USAC also left the track in

10440-531: The competitors, sponsorship dollars on offer as well as major television time, the Australian Superspeedway series shut down after 2001. The majority of the NASCAR and AUSCAR racing in Australia took place at the 1.801 km (1.119 mi), high-banked (24°) Calder Park Thunderdome in Melbourne . The Thunderdome, which was opened in 1987 and was built by multi-millionaire tyre retailer Bob Jane at

10585-409: The construction of Big Hoss TV , which when constructed, was set to become the biggest HD screen in the world. As a result of its construction, backstretch grandstands that numbered to around 10,000 seats were demolished. The video screen was completed in March 2014 and was officially certified by Guinness World Records as the largest HD television LED screen in the world. In 2023, TMS announced that

10730-687: The country including Cup, Xfinity, and Truck drivers. Despite NASCAR officially sanctioning the NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series as a national championship, series such as the CARS Tour , ASA , UARA, and the ACT draw the biggest attention and sanction most of the biggest races in the country. NASCAR is currently the largest stock car racing governing body in the world. While NASCAR sanctions multiple series, it has three national championship touring series that are commonly referred to as

10875-517: The duo met businessman Ross Perot Jr. and flew in Perot's helicopter to scout a piece of land that was owned by Perot. The land impressed the duo, and by November 30, the Star-Telegram reported that the two were planning to build a 150,000-capacity speedway at a cost of around $ 75,000,000 (adjusted for inflation, $ 154,176,022). Originally, the speedway was set to have a capacity of 70,000 seats. However,

11020-402: The early stages of the race. The next day, Sadler was involved in a wreck where he hit the inside fence (a blind spot on the track, not well-recorded by video cameras) after being hit from behind by A. J. Allmendinger . Kurt Busch was hit from behind by Jimmie Johnson causing him to spin into Clint Bowyer who received little damage but still finished 12th. The wreck was so horrific it threw

11165-531: The end of the 1969 season Ford would make it seven in a row. Richard Petty was tired of winning races but losing the championship, so after a private viewing of Ford's new Talladega and Boss 429 engine, he signed a lucrative deal with Ford. Prior to its first race at the Daytona 500, David Pearson's 427 powered Ford Torino Cobra set a new NASCAR record by being the first to exceed 190 mph (310 km/h) when he qualified at 190.029 mph (305.822 km/h). When

11310-540: The end of the 2018 Xfinity Series season. He transitioned to a part-time schedule in NASCAR in 2019, joining Kaulig Racing for a two-race Xfinity slate in 2019 at Richmond and Las Vegas. The 2019 Rhino Pro Truck Outfitters 300 at Las Vegas was his final start in the NASCAR national series. Driving a No. 10 designed after his 1993 late model, Sadler finished tenth. Sadler was a six-sport athlete in high school at Brunswick Academy, participating in football , basketball , baseball , cross country , soccer , and golf . He

11455-420: The engine away from the car and caused the race to be red-flagged for 25 minutes to clean up the wreck. There were several reports by fans that his car flew through the air. With a grimace on his face, he climbed out of the car and laid down on the track. He was taken to the medical facility where he later emerged and gave an interview to on hand media personnel. He said he was fine & was a little sore, but had

11600-511: The engine. Power output is usually in the range of 500–550 horsepower (373–410 kilowatts ). Tire width is usually limited to 8 in (200 mm). Some entry level classes are called "street stock", and are similar to what is often called " banger racing " in England. Modified stock cars resemble a hybrid of open wheel cars and stock cars. The rear wheels are covered by fenders but the front wheels and engine are left exposed. First popular in

11745-471: The entire nature of the sport. The 1973 oil crisis meant that large displacement special edition homologation cars of all makes were suddenly sitting unsold. Through the balance of the 1970s until 1991, the factory stock sheetmetal over a racing frame meant the cars looked very much like their street version counterparts. Then in 1992, with a highly modified body, and more aerodynamics, stock cars were quickly allowed to differ greatly from anything available to

11890-435: The final lap after he spun out and blew over onto his roof and landed on all 4 wheels and crossed the finish line in 22nd just in front of his brother, Hermie. Sadler also was uninjured in that crash, and he was even able to drive his car back to the garage. Sadler failed to win a race again in the 2005 season; however, he did clinch four poles and finished 13th in the points standings. He also made 16 starts for Robert Yates in

12035-465: The first four races of the season. On July 22, Sadler held off hard charging Ricky Stenhouse Jr. at Chicagoland Speedway to collect his third win of the season, and held on to his point lead over Stenhouse and Austin Dillon . Sadler got black flagged after supposedly jumping the restart at the inaugural Indiana 250 . Elliott's point lead vanished nearly after the black flag. The week after he dominated

12180-411: The general public, is sometimes now called "street stock", "pure stock", "hobby stock", "showroom stock", or "U-car" racing. In 1972, SCCA started its first showroom stock racing series, with a price ceiling on the cars of $ 3,000. Some modern showroom stock racing allows safety modifications done on showroom stock cars. Super stock classes are similar to street stock, but allow for more modifications to

12325-504: The grasses. After the race ended, Sadler and Smith argued on pit road with Sadler vowing to Smith that "you will not win this championship mark my words.". Although Smith apologized, their rivalry was renewed during the inaugural race at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course a few weeks later, when Smith passed Sadler for a spot through contact. When Sadler was running behind Smith a few laps later, Sadler retaliated, sending Smith into

12470-515: The lead for the final stages in the race. On the last green flag lap Sadler got passed by Matt Kenseth and seconds later the caution came out. Kenseth wound up finishing first while Sadler came up in fifth. He ended the year 26th in points. In 2010, Sadler returned to RPM to drive the No. 19 Ford with sponsorship from Stanley, Best Buy , and the United States Air Force . During the year, however, Sadler announced that he would be leaving

12615-513: The lead just as a caution came out. After a 5-minute delay, with both drivers, Poole and Sadler, waiting on the front-stretch for NASCAR's word, NASCAR ultimately determined that Sadler had been ahead at the moment of caution, dropping Poole to third, and elevating Sadler to first place. The finish was a 1–2 finish for JR Motorsports with Sadler winning and teammate Justin Allgaier finishing second. Sadler would return to Victory lane at Darlington in

12760-502: The leadership of Faber, Faber promised for better relations with the city of Fort Worth, with Faber claiming that a "pain point" was Gossage putting "No Limits, Texas" on the outside wall instead of the actual city's name. Faber also announced the creation of the "No Limits Next" project, aimed at renovating the track and expanding Big Hoss TV. The speedway also ended the tradition of victors firing six-shooters in victory lane under Faber's leadership. By July 2023, Faber also confirmed that

12905-465: The main differences being the bodies closer resemble production cars, use iron engines up to 7.1 litres (434 cu in) with no rear offset and run much larger sprint car tyres on the rear. Stock car racing in the NASCAR mould (AUSCAR) had a following in Australia during the mid-late 1980s and through the 1990s, but with the advent of the Supercars Championship , which took up the bulk of

13050-529: The majority of the races, Dodge was forced to develop a better car of their own. Using the Charger 500 as a basis, they added a pointed nose. This nose was almost a carbon copy of the nose on the 1962 Ford Mustang I prototype. This radical body shape required a wing to remain stable at speeds over 180 mph (290 km/h). They named it the Dodge Daytona after the race they hoped to win. Even though it never won

13195-437: The name "Texas Motor Speedway". Gossage and Bruton countersued on September 9, claiming that majority owner Jack Holland was trying to "squeeze and extort money" from them. As a result, the speedway changed its name to "Texas International Raceway" on September 11. Although litigation was expected to take years, on December 2, the dispute was settled out of court. With the settlement, the dirt track agreed to change its name, with

13340-428: The name 'stock car' is usually reserved for that racing class which traces its roots back to these early days in the 1950s, BriSCA F1 Stock Cars , which were previously known as "The Seniors" or "Senior Stock Cars". Despite the physical demands of this full-contact sport, many competitors have been racing for 20 and even 30 years. For the first 10 years of the sport, stock cars were either adapted from road cars, or bore

13485-431: The nature of the incident. In 2001, Sadler won his first Cup race at Bristol, making this the first win for Wood Brothers in eight years. He had another Top 10 run knon entry into turn 1, nts. After seven Top 10s and a fall to 23rding tire points in 2002, Sadler left for Robert Yates Racing to drive the No. 38 M&M's Ford, replacing Ricky Rudd . In 2003, his first season of competition with Robert Yates, Sadler won

13630-467: The number later increased to 76. By the next year, the speedway made efforts to fill up the tower's office space of a combined 100,000 square feet. TMS also announced in 1997 that they were building a members-only Speedway Club overlooking the first turn that was inspired by the club at the Charlotte Motor Speedway . The nine-story club was completed in March 1999 at a cost of $ 35 million, featuring 26,000 square feet of space. In 2013, Gossage announced

13775-454: The other manufacturers had openly circumvented the ban. In 1963 GM gave in and openly abandoned compliance, and Chevrolet was allowed to produce the ZO6 427, but it did not immediately enjoy success. Then, in 1964 the new Chrysler 426 Hemi engine so dominated the series in a Plymouth Belvedere "Sport Fury" , the homologation rules were changed so that 1,000 of any engine and car had to be sold to

13920-459: The oval and the infield road course. The infield road course was completed in August 2000, and has four variations that are mainly used for sports car racing . TMS is served by numerous major roads. It is located at the intersection of Interstate 35W and Texas State Highway 114 to the track's southeast, and Farm to Market Road 156 to the track's west. The intersection has seen criticism since

14065-406: The pole at both Darlington Raceway and Talladega Superspeedway and finished 22nd in points. That fall, he had a vicious crash at Talladega after near-contact with Dale Earnhardt Jr. and touched the right-front fender of Kurt Busch . His car flew into the air, flipped twice, landed on his roof, spun towards the banking, and flipped six times. Sadler emerged uninjured (although he was airlifted to

14210-486: The pole for the AAA Texas 500 at Texas Motor Speedway qualifying at 195.397, the fastest qualifying speed since 1999. In late-2010, Sadler was at a crossroads in his career. He admitted in an interview that he wasn't enjoying the sport any longer. He had gone winless for 6 seasons, and was making no progress in his efforts to winning a championship. By the persuasion of former teammate Dale Jarrett , Sadler stepped down from

14355-778: The public did not have a wide variety of engine choices, and the majority of the buying public at the time was not interested in the large displacement special edition engine options that would soon become popular. However, the end of the Korean War in 1953 started an economic boom, and then car buyers immediately began demanding more powerful engines. Also in 1953, NASCAR recommended that the drivers add roll bars, but did not require them. In 1957, several notable events happened. The Automobile Manufacturers Association banned manufacturers from using race wins in their advertising and giving direct support to race teams. The desire from fans and manufacturers alike for higher performance cars within

14500-417: The public for homologation purposes, the race car rules were further modified, primarily in the interest of safety. This is because race drivers and their cars during this era were subjected to forces unheard of in street use, and require a far higher level of protection than is normally afforded by truly "stock" automobile bodies. In 1963 Ford sold enough of their aerodynamic "sport-roof" edition Galaxies to

14645-468: The public so it would qualify as stock, and with the heavy-duty FE block bored and stroked to the new limit of 427, the top five finishers were all Fords. Chrysler had bored their 413 to create the "Max Wedge" 426, but it still could not compete with the Fords. General Motors' headquarters had genuinely tried to adhere to the 1957 ban, but their Chevrolet division had also constantly tried to work around it, because

14790-482: The public to qualify as a stock part, instead of just 500. This made the 426 Hemi unavailable for the 1965 season. In 1965 Ford adapted two single-overhead-cams to their FE 427 V8 to allow it to run at a higher RPM (called the Ford 427 Cammer ). Ford started to sell "cammers" to the public to homologate it (mostly to dealer-sponsored privateer drag racers), but NASCAR changed the rules to specify that all NASCAR engines must use

14935-442: The public to qualify, hoping to delay the use of aero-bodies until tires could improve. For the 1970 season Dodge raced the 1969 model Daytona, but Plymouth managed to build over 1,920 Plymouth Superbirds , which were similarly equipped to the Daytona. Petty came back to Plymouth in the plus 200 mph (320 km/h) Superbird, and Bobby Isaac won the season championship in a Daytona. NASCAR restricted all "aero-cars" including

15080-554: The public. It also marks the beginning of the Generation 4 car . Modern racing "stock" cars are stock in name only, using a body template that is vaguely modeled after currently available automobiles. The chassis, running gear, and other equipment have almost nothing to do with anything in ordinary automobiles. NASCAR and the auto manufacturers have become aware of this, and for 2013 each brand ( Chevrolet , Dodge , Ford , and Toyota ) have redesigned their racing sheetmetal to more resemble

15225-507: The race started Donnie Allison's Torino lead the majority of the race (84 laps). Towards the end of the race the Torino of LeeRoy Yarbrough chased down the Dodge of Charlie Glotzbach , who had an 11-second lead. It was the first Daytona 500 won on a last lap pass. Things got worse for Dodge when NASCAR, a few months later, finally allowed Ford to run its hemi-headed Boss 429 engine. With Ford winning

15370-549: The recognizable bodywork of road cars. By the 1970s, chassis and bodywork had evolved into very specialized forms. In 2001 the ASCAR Racing Series was formed and ran until 2008, the series was a "NASCAR" style racing series that was predominantly run at Rockingham Motor Speedway as well as briefly on the continent. The first season was won by John Mickel . Other notable champions were Nicolas Minassian and Ben Collins who also played as The Stig on Top Gear . The field

15515-575: The regular stock car racing scene because of their all-star grids. Cars are built to an extremely rigid design and feature strong steel guards around almost the entire car. "Stockcars" are divided into three classes: Superstocks, Stock cars, Ministocks (Ministocks predominantly being a non-contact youth class). Superstocks are the top class and are typically powered by V8 engines up to 4.1 litres (248 cu in) which can produce over 370 kilowatts (500 hp). The majority of races are of an individual nature however, unique to New Zealand stock car racing

15660-471: The repave was viewed neutrally by IndyCar drivers, and NASCAR drivers were recorded to be more optimistic about the repave. Throughout the late 2010s, TMS oversaw continuous decline. In November 2019, Gossage made calls to "modernize" the speedway, including decreasing capacity from 135,000 to a range from 80,000 to 90,000, along with better internet services, a wider concession variety, and more suites. In 2020, as an attempt by Marcus to increase attendance at

15805-519: The restrictions of homologation meant that carmakers began producing limited production "special edition" cars based on high production base models. It also became apparent that manufacturers were willing to produce increasingly larger engines to remain competitive (Ford had developed a 483 they hoped to race). For the 1963 season NASCAR engines were restricted to using a maximum displacement of 7.0 liters (427 cu.in.) and using only two valves per cylinder. Also, even with heavy duty special editions sold to

15950-466: The screen was to be expanded by 10%. TMS' complex has two adjacent tracks. In May 1998, the speedway opened Lil' Texas Motor Speedway, a 1 ⁄ 5 mile (0.32 km) paved short track that hosts various divisions of local short track racing, primarily legends cars and bandoleros . In August 1999, Gossage announced plans of a new 2 ⁄ 5 mile (0.64 km) dirt track to the main track's east that could seat 13,007. The $ 8 million track

16095-497: The series in 2018, this time as the season finale of that year. In 2017, TMS hosted a Stadium Super Trucks event as a support event for the June weekend's NASCAR Camping World Truck Series and IndyCar Series doubleheader. The series raced at the speedway annually until 2019. The speedway has held numerous festivals throughout its history, with some festivals having a recorded attendance of 250,000 people or more. In 1997, days after

16240-601: The series is the Daytona 500 , an annual 500-mile (800 km) race at the Daytona International Speedway . The series' second-biggest event is arguably The Brickyard 400 , an annual 400-mile (640 km) race held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway , the legendary home of the Indianapolis 500 , an open-wheeled race. However, the event was excluded from the 2021 schedule in favor of a race on

16385-489: The speedway able to retain the "Texas Motor Speedway" name. TMS oversaw a turbulent period in its early years; particularly 1997, the track's first year of racing. In its first major race, the 1997 Interstate Batteries 500 , heavy rain plagued the race's weekend, causing qualifying to be cancelled and the grass parking lots of the speedway to be heavily soaked. While the parking issue was resolved by using busses, further issues were raised when drivers started to complain about

16530-475: The speedway and Marcus Smith were looking at repaving the track by using iRacing simulations. As of 2024, TMS holds one annual NASCAR Cup Series event: the Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 400 . From 2005 to 2022, TMS held two Cup Series races: one in the fall and one in the spring. Until 2023, the spring race had run annually in at least some form; in 2021, its points race was transferred to

16675-485: The speedway would place a bigger emphasis on technology, including releasing NFTs and experimenting with augmented reality . He also expressed a desire to increase fan diversity, specifically with Hispanics. In September, NASCAR announced that the NASCAR All-Star Race was set to return to the speedway in 2022. In 2022, the track oversaw controversies in both of its NASCAR races along with general criticism for

16820-537: The speedway, he moved the NASCAR All-Star Race from its traditional home at the Charlotte Motor Speedway to Texas, a move that saw criticism in the coming years. By 2020, Gossage was in talks with Marcus on retiring from his position, stating that he had grown upset at the IndyCar racing product on the newly-reconfigured track and consequences from the COVID-19 pandemic. By December, he confirmed his decision to retire to Marcus, officially announcing his retirement in

16965-406: The story on The Dale Jr. Download in 2024, stating that the car flipped so high that it exceeded the height of the catchfence, which he attributed to a flare in the quarter panel created by the exploded tire that created lift as the car spun. He elaborated that the footage of the crash has only been seen sparingly since then because NASCAR has redacted the external camera video as to not fully reveal

17110-408: The street models of their cars. A stock car, in the original sense of the term, is an automobile that has not been modified from its original factory configuration. Later the term stock car came to mean any production-based automobile used in racing. This term is used to differentiate such a car from a " race car ", a special, custom-built car designed only for racing purposes. The degree to which

17255-422: The surface of the race track, leading to a major first lap pileup. Two months later, the speedway held its first IndyCar Series race; a scoring dispute between Billy Boat and Arie Luyendyk occurred when Luyendyk disputed the victory that was initially given to Boat. As Boat and his team owner, A. J. Foyt were celebrating, Luyendyk went to victory lane to dispute the victory, demanding officials explain why he

17400-654: The team after the 2010 season. He ran a part-time schedule in the Camping World Truck Series in the No. 2 Hunt Brothers Pizza -sponsored Chevrolet Silverado for Kevin Harvick Incorporated . In this ride, Sadler won his first NASCAR race in six years at Pocono in the Pocono Mountains 125 in July. Sadler also made a one-off start for JR Motorsports in the No. 88 Chevrolet at the Dover 200 Nationwide Series event, finishing 31st after being involved in an accident during

17545-456: The team, driving the No. 81 Toyota. Sadler ran one race with Alert Energy before it and other Caffeine gums were pulled from the market. He attempted Talladega with Doublemint but failed to qualify due to rain and not entered in fall race with no reasons. At Loudon in 2013, Sadler was running in the top ten with 10 laps left in the race. With 6 laps to go, Sadler pulled a block on Regan Smith. The two drivers got contact that sent Sadler around into

17690-629: The third time in his career. In 2017, Sadler returned to the Cup Series part-time with Tommy Baldwin Racing , driving the No. 7 in the Daytona 500 . His last start in the Cup series was late in 2013 . As one of the two fastest non-chartered cars in qualifying, he was able to lock himself into the race before the Can-Am Duels . He ended up qualifying for the next 2 plate races at Talladega in May and then Daytona in July and

17835-464: The track featured a capacity of 155,061 with a frontstretch grandstand capacity of 120,000, an infield capacity of 53,000, the world record for the amount of toilets at a facility with 2,450 toilets, 67,000 parking spaces for cars and RVs, 194 suites, and a 23-acre lake, with the entire complex of approximately 1,000 acres itself having more than 60 buildings. Numerous buildings on the site's property serve for business purposes. A 10-story building named

17980-522: The track hosted FortyFest , a Christian rock music festival. In 2023, the track hosted a second location of the HWY30 Music Fest , a country music festival that originated from Filer, Idaho . The track is scheduled to host the event again in 2024. Since 1998, TMS has held the Solar Car Challenge , a solar-powered car race for high school students. In odd-numbered years, the track is used as

18125-428: The track in the short-term, sharing the opinions of drivers Jimmie Johnson and Carl Edwards . However, under the direction of SMI CEO Marcus Smith , the track announced the commencement of a repave in response to the drying issues. With the repave, the banking in the first two turns were decreased from 24 to 20 degrees, and the racing surface was expanded from 60 to 80 feet. In a 2017 Dallas Morning News article,

18270-422: The track sought to hold its first CART race; however, after a culmination of events that occurred over the course of several months, the race was cancelled after it was found that drivers could suffer extreme vertical g -loads in the track's turns that could have led to death. The track was later repaved that same year to remove any bumps from the racing surface, with Gossage stating in an interview that to maintain

18415-433: The track's IRL race, the speedway held a two-day country music festival titled Country Fest , attracting 260,000 people. A week later, the speedway held RockFest '97, a rock music festival that attracted around 400,000 people. The latter was described by then-general manager Eddie Gossage as "the worst day of my life", who stated that the festival was extremely chaotic. After 1997, TMS has held fewer festivals. In 2010,

18560-442: The track's christening, TMS became one of the biggest sports facilities in the United States. In recent years, TMS has come under criticism for a poor racing product, particularly for its NASCAR races. Texas Motor Speedway (TMS) in its current form is measured at 1.500 mi (2.414 km), with 20 degrees of banking in the speedway's first two turns, 24 degrees of banking in the speedway's last two turns, five degrees of banking on

18705-467: The track's construction; in 2010, Denton County officials announced the widening of Highway 114 in response to traffic within the area. As of 2021, TMS has a reported capacity of 75,000 according to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram . TMS' track complex covers 1,500 acres according to the Star-Telegram . At the time of TMS' opening, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported in March 1997 that

18850-783: The track's frontstretch and backstretch, and a racing surface width of 80 feet. From 1998 to 2017, the turns were all banked at 24 degrees and the racing surface width was 58 feet. When the track was initially constructed, it had a dual-banking system, with a high bank of 24 degrees and a low bank of eight degrees in the turns. Disputes over the track's length exist; the IndyCar Series have at times utilized two lengths: one at 1.455 mi (2.342 km) and one at 1.44 mi (2.32 km). However, these measurements have been disputed as an "error" by former longtime track general manager Eddie Gossage . In 1999, track developers announced plans to build an infield road course that would utilize both

18995-454: The track's road course. Together the Cup Series and Xfinity Series drew 8 million spectators in 1997, compared to 4 million for both American open-wheel series ( CART and IRL ), which merged in 2008 under the IRL banner. In 2002, 17 of the 20 US top sporting events in terms of attendance were stock car races. Only football drew more television viewers that year. The NASCAR Xfinity Series

19140-647: The track, they needed to repave it every couple of years. By the early 2000s, problems with the track declined. TMS oversaw some of the biggest attended NASCAR races in history; races in 1999 and 2000 saw major success, with attendances of 221,861 and 223,000 people, respectively. In 2002, Francis Ferko, a minority shareholder in SMI, filed a lawsuit against NASCAR and the International Speedway Corporation for violating antitrust laws, feeling as if SMI did not do enough to protect his investment. A settlement

19285-754: Was also on the special edition NASCAR 09 . Sadler is married to Amanda and they have two children. ( key ) ( Bold  – Pole position awarded by qualifying time. Italics  – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led. ) Season still in progress. Ineligible for series championship points. Stock car racing Top-level stock cars exceed 200 mph (322 km/h) at speedway tracks and on superspeedway tracks such as Daytona International Speedway and Talladega Superspeedway . Contemporary NASCAR-spec top-level cars produce maximum power outputs of 860–900 hp from their naturally aspirated V8 engines. In October 2007 American race car driver Russ Wicks set

19430-453: Was eventually reached in 2004, which guaranteed a second NASCAR race weekend for Texas at the cost of one of Rockingham Speedway 's weekends. The settlement was enforced in 2005. TMS became known for its promotions and stunts directed by Gossage. Gossage, who self-remarked himself as the last "old-school" promoters, conducted numerous promotions that were inspired by promoters such as Humpy Wheeler , who Gossage had formerly worked under at

19575-469: Was going to drive in the Coca-Cola 600, but gave the ride to J. J. Yeley for an unknown reason. In his 800th NASCAR start at Iowa's American Ethanol E15 250 , Sadler came back from the rear of the field and ended up having a great night, but was still unable to get his first win of the season. He had a great shot to win Daytona but could not, instead pushing teammate William Byron past the overtime line as

19720-454: Was inspired by off-road truck racing. Unlike the other two national touring NASCAR series, the Truck Series race pickup truck styled bodies, though it is still considered a stock car series because of its similarity. Much like the Xfinity Series, the Truck Series often features Cup Series drivers competing for parts of the season. The Automobile Racing Club of America was founded in 1953 as

19865-434: Was later asked to run the facility in late May, which he accepted. According to the duo, the track was inspired by previous tracks Smith owned, with Smith wanting to incorporate the best ideas from those tracks and combine them into the construction of TMS. The speedway initially implemented a dual-banked surface to accompany both NASCAR and open-wheel racing ; a higher bank of 24 degrees meant to accommodate stock cars, and

20010-540: Was officially awarded the championship trophy and the 15 bonus points towards the NASCAR playoffs the following weekend at Chicagoland Speedway ; the final race of the regular season. Despite not winning a single regular-season race, Sadler led the series with 11 top fives, an average finish of 9.5, and spent all but two weeks on top of the points standings. Sadler entered the playoffs as the third seed behind William Byron and Justin Allgaier and scored his 4th runner-up finish in

20155-489: Was officially revealed as No. 1. Sadler started out his season with a few top tens. Sadler ultimately broke through at the Sparks Energy 300 at Talladega. On the final lap, it looked like Sadler was set to being the runner-up. Sadler battled Joey Logano on the final lap. When Logano blocked, he spun out from contact from Elliott. Elliott dipped below the yellow line to avoid a spinning Joey. Brennan Poole passed Sadler for

20300-535: Was recruited by over 20 universities to play college basketball , and ended up accepting a basketball scholarship from James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Virginia . However, he injured his knee before his freshman season and needed two surgeries, eventually quitting college to focus on racing. Sadler is heavily involved in the Autism Speaks charity. He was the cover athlete on EA Sports NASCAR 07 and

20445-436: Was scored as one lap short and demanding that he be given the victory. Foyt proceeded to slap Luyendyk on the back of the head and pushed him to the ground before being separated by security. Luyendyk was given the victory the next day after a scoring recheck. After both races in 1997, Gossage announced that the speedway would reprofile the fourth turn. Complaints about the turn lasted into 1998, with drivers complaining about

20590-525: Was scouting the same land as the duo; under the orders of Smith, the two stopped scouting Las Vegas to let Engelstad scout the land that later became the Las Vegas Motor Speedway . By November 18, 1994, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported that Smith and Gossage had made their final choices in either of the two remaining places. In St. Louis, the duo saw numerous pieces of land that were flooded, and scratched off St. Louis. In Dallas–Fort Worth,

20735-555: Was some controversy as Cup Series drivers tended to be more successful than full-time Xfinity drivers. Cup drivers are not eligible to score points in the Xfinity series, and are limited to the number of races they are allowed to race in the Series. Starting in 1995, the NASCAR Truck Series is the third highest ranking stock car series in the United States. The series was the brainchild of then-NASCAR West Coast executive Ken Clapp, who

20880-560: Was the NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour , is another prominent modified tour. In many areas of the country late models are usually the highest class of stock cars in local racing. Rules for construction of a late model car vary from region to region and even race track to race track. The most common variations (on paved tracks) include super late models (SLMs), pro Late models (PLMs), late model stock cars (LMSCs), and limited late models (LLMs). A late model may be

21025-469: Was usually populated by professional or semi-professional stock car drivers, however notable drivers who were famous from other areas of motorsport either took part in single races or for one complete season, they included Colin McRae , Jason Plato , Matt Neal , Darren Manning , Max Papis , John Cleland and former NASCAR drivers Brandon Whitt and Randy Tolsma . The modern BriSCA Formula 1 Stock Cars are

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