South Sound Speedway is a 0.375miles oval race track with a Figure 8 course located near Grand Mound and Rochester, Washington.
The racetrack, originally called the Olympia-Tenino Speedway,[1] was constructed in 1971 by Dick and Wanda Boness.[2] [3] The track would later be owned by Jerry Cope, the uncle of Derrike Cope.[1] The racetrack was sanctioned for use as a NASCAR site from 1989 until 2002, when the partnership ended due to rising costs.[4] The track was purchased in 1995 by the Behn family, and an auto racing parts and tire store would be open on the site in 2002, with a repair shop eventually added.[2] [5]
The oval track is 0.375miles in length and the course is a Figure 8 configuartion.[2] [6]
The track is mentioned in a 2003 report to accommodate 4,000 people.[4] A wall on the front stretch of the track was raised by one foot before the 2007 season as a safety measure for spectators.[7]
South Sound Speedway hosts several racing divisions including late model, street stock, Legends, NW baby grand, NW Vintage Modified, and asphalt sprint cars. In the past it hosted the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West and currently hosts the Northwest Super Late Model Series once or twice a season.
A signature event at the track was the Miller 200, an annual late model super stock race held in the 1990s and 2000s.[8]
Notable drivers, such as Greg Biffle,[5] have raced at South Sound Speedway. Other drivers of note from the NASCAR K&N Pro Series are Rick Carelli, Ron Eaton,[9] Ron Hornaday Jr., Robert Sprague, Dirk Stephens, Angela Cope,[10] and Amber Cope.[11]