| Phoenix Raceway | |
| Location: | 7602 Jimmie Johnson Drive Avondale, Arizona 85323 United States |
| Events: | Current: NASCAR Cup Series NASCAR Cup Series Championship Race (2020–present) United Rentals Work United 500 (2005–present) NASCAR Xfinity Series NASCAR Xfinity Series Championship Race (2020–present) United Rentals 200 (2005–present) NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Craftsman 150 (1995–present) ARCA Menards Series General Tire 150 (2020–present) Former: IndyCar Series Desert Diamond West Valley Phoenix Grand Prix (1964–2005, 2016–2018) NASCAR Mexico Series Toyota 120 (2013–2015) CART Circle K/Fiesta Bowl 200 (1964–1986) |
| Capacity: | 42,000 |
| Owner: | NASCAR (2019–present) International Speedway Corporation (1997–2019) |
| Operator: | NASCAR (1997–present) |
| Opened: | 1964 |
| Former Names: | Phoenix International Raceway (1964–1973, 1976–2017) FasTrack International Speedway (January 1973–August 1976) Jeff Gordon Raceway (November 15, 2015) ISM Raceway (2018–January 2020) |
| Miles First: | True |
| Layout1: | Dogleg Oval (1964–present) |
| Surface: | Asphalt |
| Length Mi: | 1.000[1] |
| Length Km: | 1.609 |
| Turns: | 4 |
| Banking: | Start / Finish Straightaway: 3° Dogleg: 10–11° Straightaway from Dogleg to Turn 1: 10° Turn 1: 8° Turn 2: 8–9° (Progressive) Backstretch: 3° Turns 3 & 4: 10–11° (Progressive) |
| Record Time: | 0:19.7379 [{{convert|182.392|mph|kph|abbr=on}}
| Record_driver = {{flagicon|BRA}} [[Tony Kanaan]]| Record_car = Dallara DW12| Record_year = 2016| Record_class = IndyCar Series| Layout2 = Road Course (1991–2011)| Surface2 = Asphalt| Length_mi2 = 1.510| Length_km2 = 2.430| Turns2 = 12| Record_time2 = 0:50.695| Record_driver2 =  Juan Manuel Fangio II| Record_car2 = Eagle MkIII| Record_year2 = 1992| Record_class2 = IMSA GTP| layout3 = Exterior Road course (1964–1990)| surface3 = Asphalt| length3_km = 3.219| length3_mi = 2.000| turns3 = 7| record_time3 = | record_driver3 =| record_car3 = | record_year3 = | record_class3 = | layout4 = Long Road course (1964–1990)| surface4 = Asphalt| length4_km = 4.345| length4_mi = 2.700| turns4 = 14| banking4 = | record_time4 = 1:44.400| record_driver4 =  Dave MacDonald| record_car4 = Cooper Monaco King Cobra| record_year4 = 1964| record_class4 = Group 4| layout5 = Short Road course (1964–1990)| surface5 = Asphalt| length5_km = 2.253| length5_mi = 1.400| turns5 = 7| banking5 = | record_time5 = | record_driver5 = | record_car5 = | record_year5 = | record_class5 = |website=https://www.phoenixraceway.com/|Address=7602 Jimmie Johnson Drive, Avondale, Arizona 85323 |
Phoenix Raceway is a 1-mile, low-banked tri-oval race track located in Avondale, Arizona, near Phoenix. The motorsport track opened in 1964 and currently hosts two NASCAR race weekends annually including the final championship race since 2020. Phoenix Raceway has also hosted the CART, IndyCar Series, USAC and the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. The raceway is currently owned and operated by NASCAR.
Phoenix Raceway is home to two annual NASCAR race weekends, one of 13 facilities on the NASCAR schedule to host more than one race weekend a year. It first joined the NASCAR Cup Series schedule in 1988 as a late season event and was given a spring date in 2005. The track has hosted races for the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series since its inaugural 1995 season and the NASCAR Xfinity Series since 1999.[2]
NASCAR Championship Weekend for the top three series has been held at Phoenix since 2020, the first year since NASCAR inaugurated the weekend that Homestead-Miami Speedway did not host. The track will hold the championship races through at least the 2025 season.[3]
Phoenix International Raceway was built in 1964 around the Estrella Mountains on the outskirts of Avondale. Because of the terrain and the incorporation of a road course and drag strip, designers had to build a "dogleg" into the backstretch. The original road course was in length and ran both inside and outside of the main oval track.[4] The hillsides adjacent to the track also offer a unique vantage point to watch races from. "Monument Hill", located alongside turns 3 and 4 (now turns 1 and 2 due to the track's 2018 reconfiguration), is a favorite among race fans because of the unique view and lower ticket prices. At the top of this hill lies a USGS bench marker known as Gila and Salt River Meridian, now listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Long before Phoenix Raceway existed, this spot was the original land survey point for all of what later became the state of Arizona.[5]
Phoenix International Raceway was built with the goal of being the western home of open wheel racing. Sports cars and USAC began racing at the track in 1964, and the track quickly became a favorite of drivers and soon replaced the old track at the Arizona State Fairgrounds.
In 1973, the track was purchased by FasTrack International, Inc. and renamed FasTrack International Speedway.[6] The name was reverted to Phoenix International Raceway in August 1976 when USAC team owner Bob Fletcher bought the speedway.[7]
In 1977, the first Copper World Classic was held, a marque event for USAC midget and Silver Crown cars.[8]
NASCAR began racing at Phoenix International Raceway in 1978.
Then 1979 saw the inaugural CART race, the Arizona 150, which was won by Gordon Johncock driving a Penske PC6/78.
However, it was not until 1988 when NASCAR's premier series, now the NASCAR Cup Series, began racing at the track. Following the announcement of NASCAR being added to the track schedule, Phoenix International Raceway built a 3-story suite building outside of turn 1 and increased grandstand capacity to 30,000. A year prior, the track's main grandstand was struck by lightning and burned to the ground, reconstruction was finished in time for the first NASCAR cup race. That first race was won by Alan Kulwicki where in his celebration he performed the first "Polish Victory Lap".
In 1991, the old road course was removed and replaced by a infield road course. In 1996 the grandstand capacity was increased to 65,000. International Speedway Corporation (ISC) officially took ownership of Phoenix Raceway from Emmett "Buddy" Jobe in April 1997. Racing at Phoenix International Raceway began to dramatically change in 2003. Turn 2 was reconstructed by pushing back the outside wall to make racing safer. The wall originally came to an end where the old road course crossed the oval track. At the same time, an access tunnel was built under turn 4. Previously, vehicles had to use crossover gates and pedestrians used a crossover bridge. In 2004, NASCAR announced it would give a second annual race weekend to Phoenix International Raceway starting with the 2005 season. Following the announcement, the track installed lights to allow the newly scheduled NASCAR race to be run in the evening. The addition of a second NASCAR racing weekend had dramatic effects on the economy of the state of Arizona. A study at Arizona State University estimated that Phoenix International Raceway brings in nearly $473 million annually to the state. 2005 would also become the last year that a major open-wheel racing series would race at PIR, until it was recently announced that the track will return to the schedule for the 2016 IndyCar season. Despite the 2006 departure from the schedule, the track was still used by IndyCar for testing purposes.
In 2006, the Allison Grandstand was expanded from turn 1 to turn 2, increasing the reserved seating to 76,800. Included with the expansion is "Octane", an exclusive lounge on top of the grandstands overlooking turn 1. In 2008 Phoenix International Raceway added the SPEED Cantina, a one-of-a-kind at-track sports bar and grill, outside turn 2. In early 2010, some of the grandstands along the backstretch were removed to allow additional room for recreational vehicles, thus the seating capacity dropped to around 67,000.
On June 11, 2015, Phoenix International Raceway announced the track would be renamed to Jeff Gordon Raceway for the Quicken Loans Race for Heroes 500 in tribute to Gordon, who was contesting his last NASCAR season as a full-time driver in 2015.[9]
On January 30, 2017, Phoenix International Raceway and ISC announced a $178 million renovation called the Phoenix Raceway Project Powered by DC Solar. The project was completed in October 2018, just in time for their November race weekend.[10] It was also noted that the facility would be referred to as Phoenix Raceway moving forward, signaling the removal of International from the track's name.[11]
New amenities after it was completed:[12]
Additional changes to the track after the project was completed:
In September 2017, PIR formed a partnership with Ingenuity Sun Media (ISM Connect) to rename the track to ISM Raceway starting in 2018.[13] On June 22, 2018 IndyCar announced it will not return to ISM in 2019 due to mediocre races and poor attendance.[14]
On January 28, 2019, it was revealed on ISC's 2018 annual report that the raceway's track seating was reduced from 51,000 to 42,000.[15]
On March 26, 2019, it was announced that starting in 2020, the track will become the host of the NASCAR Championship Weekend.[16]
On January 3, 2020, the track mutually agreed to terminate the naming rights agreement with ISM Connect and its name reverted to Phoenix Raceway.[17]
Phoenix was only mentioned in the episode Drive, Lady, Drive on the TV show CHiPs even though they used Riverside International Raceway as the stand in and racing footage from Ontario, Daytona and Atlanta were used. Phoenix was also in the movie Days of Thunder starring Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman.
The raceway was originally constructed with a road course that ran on both the inside and the outside of the main tri-oval. In 1991 the track was reconfigured with the interior layout. Phoenix Raceway currently has an estimated grandstand seating capacity of around 51,000. Lights were installed around the track in 2004 following the addition of a second annual NASCAR race weekend.
In November 2010, ISC and the Avondale City Council announced plans for a $100 million long-term development for Phoenix International Raceway. $15 million would go towards repaving the track for the first time since 1990 and building a new media center. The plans also include a reconfiguration of the track. The front stretch was widened from, the pit stalls were changed from asphalt to concrete, the dogleg (between Turn 2 and Turn 3) was moved outward by, tightening the turn radius of the dogleg from . Along with the other changes, progressive banking was added to the turns: Turns 1 and 2, which had 11 degrees of banking, changed to 10 degrees on the bottom and 11 degrees on the top. Turns 3 and 4, which had 9 degrees of banking, changed to 8 degrees on the bottom and 9 on the top. Project leader Bill Braniff, Senior Director of Construction for North American Testing Corporation (NATC), a subsidiary of Phoenix International Raceway's parent company International Speedway Corporation, said "All of the changes – including the adjustment of the dog-leg – will be put in place in order to present additional opportunities for drivers to race side-by-side. We’re very confident that we’ll have multi-groove racing at Phoenix from Day 1 because of the variable banking that will be implemented.”[18] [19] The infield road course was also sealed off and removed from use, making Phoenix International Raceway an oval-only facility.[18] The reconfiguration project was completed by mid-August 2011, and on August 29–30, five drivers tested the new track, describing the new dogleg and backstretch as a "rollercoaster" as now when they enter it dips, then rises on exit and dips down going into turn 3, due to the elevation changes. On October 4–5, several NASCAR Cup Series teams tested the oval which was open to the public. Over $7 million went towards connecting the track property to the Avondale water and sewer systems. Work began following the 2011 Subway Fresh Fit 500.[20] The reconfiguration in 2011 increased the banking slightly, removed the road course entirely and removed the grass and curbing inside of the dogleg, giving sanctioning bodies the option of whether or not to allow drivers to shortcut the dogleg and run on the now-paved apron that replaced the grass.
Renovations in 2018 reconfigured the pit road and infield areas, and moved the start/finish line to just coming out of what was turn 2 (now turn 4), before the dogleg.
The owner of the track and NASCAR specified the oval length as exactly one mile. However, after a 2016 INDYCAR Test in the West, INDYCAR measured the track as .[21] That was the first IndyCar race after the renovation in 2011, in which the dogleg was extended outwards. In 2019 the oval track was rebuilt again and the start / finish line was relocated. The length of the oval was not changed. Before the renovation in 2011, the racetrack was also accepted by USAC, CART and IndyCar with a length of exactly one mile.
As of November 2020, the fastest official race lap records at Phoenix Raceway are listed as:
| Category | Time | Driver | Vehicle | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dogleg Oval: 1.645 km (2011–present)[22] | ||||
| 0:19.7379[23] | 2016 Desert Diamond West Valley Phoenix Grand Prix | |||
| 0:22.5541[24] | ||||
| 0:26.450[25] | 2019 Bluegreen Vacations 500 | |||
| 0:26.774[26] | ||||
| 0:27.234[27] | 2018 DC Solar 200 | |||
| Dogleg Oval: 1.609 km (1964–2010) | ||||
| 0:20.791[28] | 1996 Dura Lube 200 | |||
| 0:21.240[29] | 1995 Slick 50 200 | |||
| 0:23.227[30] | 1995 Phoenix Indy Lights round | |||
| 0:26.274[31] | ||||
| Road Course: 2.430 km (1991–2011) | ||||
| 0:50.695[32] | 1992 Checker Grand Prix | |||
| 0:54.795[33] | 2002 United Auto 200 | |||
| 0:56.262 | 1992 Checker Grand Prix | |||
| 0:56.675[34] | ||||
| 0:57.159 | 2004 Phoenix 250 | |||
| 0:57.418 | 2002 United Auto 200 | |||
| 0:58.473[35] | 1993 Checker Grand Prix | |||
| 1:00.011[36] | Tommy Riggins | 2003 AJ's Fine Foods 250 | ||
| 1:00.376 | Charles Morgan | 1995 Exxon World Sports Car Championships | ||
| 1:00.434 | 2002 United Auto 200 | |||
| 1:00.435 | Doug Goad | 2002 United Auto 200 | ||
| 1:01.122[37] | 2000 Phoenix Sun Automotive 200 | |||
| 1:01.338[38] | 2004 Phoenix 250 | |||
| 1:01.818 | Joe Pezza | |||
| 1:01.900 | 2000 Phoenix Sun Automotive 200 | |||
| 1:03.904 | David Murry | 2004 Phoenix 250 | ||
| 1:08.921[39] | Shawn Hendricks | 1993 Checker Grand Prix | ||
| Long Road Course: 4.345 km (1964–1990) | ||||
| 1:44.400[40] | 1964 Phoenix National Open | |||
| 1:53.000[41] | Ernie Kesling | 1965 Phoenix National Races | ||
(As of 11/6/22)
| Most Wins | 9 | Kevin Harvick | |
| Most Top 5s | 19 | Kevin Harvick | |
| Most Top 10s | 29 | Kevin Harvick | |
| Starts | 40 | Kevin Harvick | |
| Poles | 4 | Ryan Newman | |
| Most Laps Completed | 9530 | Mark Martin | |
| Most Laps Led | 1596 | Kevin Harvick | |
| Avg. Start* | 8.1 | Rusty Wallace | |
| Avg. Finish* | 5.2 | Alan Kulwicki | |
| Closest Finish | 0.01 | Kevin Harvick |
| Season | Date | Winning Driver | Make | Distance | Avg Speed | Margin of Victory | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | November 6 | Alan Kulwicki | Ford Thunderbird | 312 mi | 90.4573NaN3 | 18.500 sec | |
| 1989 | November 5 | Bill Elliott | Ford Thunderbird | 312 mi | 105.6833NaN3 | 0.470 sec | |
| 1990 | November 4 | Dale Earnhardt | Chevrolet Lumina | 312 mi | 96.7863NaN3 | 0.670 sec | |
| 1991 | November 3 | Davey Allison | Ford Thunderbird | 312 mi | 95.7463NaN3 | 11.440 sec | |
| 1992 | November 1 | Davey Allison | Ford Thunderbird | 312 mi | 103.8853NaN3 | 3.220 sec | |
| 1993 | October 31 | Mark Martin | Ford Thunderbird | 312 mi | 100.3753NaN3 | 0.170 sec | |
| 1994 | October 30 | Terry Labonte | Chevrolet Lumina | 312 mi | 107.4633NaN3 | 3.090 sec | |
| 1995 | October 29 | Ricky Rudd | Ford Thunderbird | 312 mi | 102.1283NaN3 | 0.530 sec | |
| 1996 | October 27 | Bobby Hamilton | Pontiac Grand Prix | 312 mi | 109.7093NaN3 | 1.230 sec | |
| 1997 | November 2 | Dale Jarrett | Ford Thunderbird | 312 mi | 110.8243NaN3 | 2.105 sec | |
| 1998 | October 25 | Rusty Wallace | Ford Taurus | 257 mi* | 100.3753NaN3 | 0.170 sec | |
| 1999 | November 7 | Tony Stewart | Pontiac Grand Prix | 312 mi | 118.1323NaN3 | 2.081 sec | |
| 2000 | November 5 | Jeff Burton | Ford Taurus | 312 mi | 105.0413NaN3 | 0.854 sec | |
| 2001 | October 28 | Jeff Burton | Ford Taurus | 312 mi | 102.6133NaN3 | 2.645 sec | |
| 2002 | November 10 | Matt Kenseth | Ford Taurus | 312 mi | 113.8573NaN3 | 1.344 sec | |
| 2003 | November 2 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS | 312 mi | 93.9843NaN3 | 0.735 sec | |
| 2004 | November 7 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS | 315 mi** | 94.8483NaN3 | 1.431 sec | |
| 2005 | April 23 | Kurt Busch | Ford Taurus | 312 mi | 102.7073NaN3 | 2.315 sec | |
| November 13 | Kyle Busch | Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS | 312 mi | 102.6413NaN3 | 0.609 sec | ||
| 2006 | April 22 | Kevin Harvick | Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS | 312 mi | 107.0633NaN3 | 2.774 sec | |
| November 13 | 96.1313NaN3 | 0.250 sec | |||||
| 2007 | April 21 | Jeff Gordon | Chevrolet Impala SS | 312 mi | 107.713NaN3 | 0.697 sec | |
| November 11 | Jimmie Johnson | Chevrolet Impala SS | 312 mi | 102.9893NaN3 | 0.870 sec | ||
| 2008 | April 12 | Jimmie Johnson | Chevrolet Impala SS | 312 mi | 103.2923NaN3 | 7.002 sec | |
| November 9 | 313 mi** | 104.7253NaN3 | 0.295 sec | ||||
| 2009 | April 18 | Mark Martin | Chevrolet Impala SS | 312 mi | 108.0423NaN3 | 0.734 sec | |
| November 15 | Jimmie Johnson | Chevrolet Impala SS | 312 mi | 110.4863NaN3 | 1.033 sec | ||
| 2010 | April 10 | Ryan Newman | Chevrolet Impala SS | 378 mi**a | 99.7323NaN3 | 0.130 sec | |
| November 14 | Carl Edwards | Ford Fusion | 312 mi | 110.7583NaN3 | 4.770 sec | ||
| 2011 | February 27 | Jeff Gordon | Chevrolet Impala SS | 312 mi | 102.9613NaN3 | 1.137 sec | |
| November 13 | Kasey Kahne | Toyota Camry | 318.844 mi | 112.9093NaN3 | 0.802 sec | ||
| 2012 | March 4 | Denny Hamlin | Toyota Camry | 318.844 mi | 110.0853NaN3 | 7.315 sec | |
| November 11 | Kevin Harvick | Chevrolet Impala SS | 326.018 mi** | 111.1823NaN3 | 0.580 sec | ||
| 2013 | March 3 | Carl Edwards | Ford Fusion | 322.952 mi** | 105.1873NaN3 | 1.024 sec | |
| November 10 | Kevin Harvick | Chevrolet SS | 318.844 mi | 105.7333NaN3 | 1.796 sec | ||
| 2014 | March 2 | Kevin Harvick | Chevrolet SS | 318.844 mi | 109.2293NaN3 | 0.489 sec | |
| November 9 | 318.844 mi | 99.9913NaN3 | 1.636 sec | ||||
| 2015 | March 15 | Kevin Harvick | Chevrolet SS | 318.844 mi | 105.7533NaN3 | 1.153 sec | |
| November 15 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | Chevrolet SS | 223.818 mi* | 106.5123NaN3 | Under caution | ||
| 2016 | March 13 | Kevin Harvick | Chevrolet SS | 313 mi** | 113.2123NaN3 | 0.010 sec | |
| November 13 | Joey Logano | Ford Fusion | 331.128 mi | 102.8663NaN3 | 0.802 sec | ||
| 2017 | March 19 | Ryan Newman | Chevrolet SS | 320.908** mi | 104.2713NaN3 | 0.312 sec | |
| November 12 | Matt Kenseth | Toyota Camry | 318.844 mi | 105.5343NaN3 | 1.207 sec | ||
| 2018 | March 11 | Kevin Harvick | Ford Fusion | 318.844 mi | 108.0733NaN3 | 0.774 sec | |
| November 11 | Kyle Busch | Toyota Camry | 318.844 mi | 98.3543NaN3 | 0.501 sec | ||
| 2019 | March 10 | Kyle Busch | Toyota Camry | 318.844 mi | 101.6933NaN3 | 1.259 sec | |
| November 10 | Denny Hamlin | Toyota Camry | 318.884 mi | 111.4293NaN3 | 0.377 sec | ||
| 2020 | March 8 | Joey Logano | Ford Mustang | 318.884 mi | 94.4073NaN3 | 0.276 sec | |
| November 8 | Chase Elliott | Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 | 318.884 mi | 112.0963NaN3 | 2.740 sec | ||
| 2021 | March 14 | Martin Truex Jr. | Toyota Camry | 318.884 mi | 103.8083NaN3 | 1.680 sec | |
| November 7 | Kyle Larson | Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 | 318.884 mi | 100.3483NaN3 | 0.472 sec | ||
| 2022 | March 13 | Chase Briscoe | Ford Mustang | 318.884 mi | 100.339 mph (161.479 km/h) | 0.771 sec |
| Record | Date | Driver | Time | Speed/Avg. Speed | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| IndyCar Series | ||||||
| Qualifying- 2 laps | April 28, 2017 | 37.7538 | 194.9053NaN3 | |||
| Race | March 19, 2005 | 1:30:24 | 137.7533NaN3 (before reconfiguration) | |||
| Indy Lights | ||||||
| Qualifying- 2 laps | April 1, 2016 | Kyle Kaiser | 43.8334 | 167.8723NaN3 | ||
| Race | April 2, 2016 | 36:57.9123 | 149.2973NaN3 | |||
| NASCAR Cup Series | ||||||
| Qualifying | November 13, 2015 | 25.147 | 146.3083NaN3 | |||
| Race | November 7, 1999 | 2:38:28 | 118.1323NaN3 (before reconfiguration) | |||
| NASCAR Xfinity Series | ||||||
| Qualifying | November 14, 2015 | 25.992 | 141.9333NaN3 | |||
| Race | November 4, 2000 | 1:44:13 | 115.1453NaN3 | |||
| NASCAR Truck Series | ||||||
| Qualifying | November 13, 2015 | 26.179 | 137.5153NaN3 | |||
| Race | November 7, 2002 | 1:24:26 | 108.1043NaN3 (before reconfiguration) | |||
| ARCA Menards Series West | ||||||
| Qualifying | November 12, 2011 | 26.894 | 136.8043NaN3[42] | |||
| Race | October 5, 2003 | Scott Lynch | 1:18:46 | 114.2623NaN3 (before reconfiguration) | ||
| CART | ||||||
| Qualifying | April 1, 1995 | 19.019 | 181.9523NaN3 (before reconfiguration) | |||
| Race | April 12, 1987 | 1:26:56 | 138.023NaN3 (before reconfiguration) | |||
| USAC | ||||||
| Qualifying | October 27, 1978 | 36.285 | 145.5133NaN3 | |||
| Race | November 4, 1972 | 1:27:32 | 127.6183NaN3 | |||
NOTE: Calculations based on the 1.022 mile standard established in 2016 by INDYCAR.
Phoenix Raceway hosts Arizona’s Goldeush, Decadence, and PHXLIGHTS festivals each year. In addition, the track hosts frequent headlining shows. Certain events have been held in the Raceway infield and pit lane; most are held in the area just behind the main grandstand, using the structure itself as a backdrop. American DJ Subtronics holds the record for the largest headlining EDM show at the venue (and in Arizona’s history), with an attendance figure of over 15,000 in April 2023.