![]() ![]() ![]() In 2018, the road course was modified to suit NASCAR racing, adding a backstretch chicane. By August 1974, the track was reconfigured to become 2.25 miles (3.62 km). The road course held its first races on as part of the 1971 World 600 race weekend. The original road course's length has varied in reports the track has been reported to be as short as 1.75 miles (2.82 km) according to the Salisbury Post, and as long 1.9 miles (3.1 km) long according to The Charlotte Observer. According to then-general manager Richard Howard, original plans for the speedway included a road course, but was cut due to budget issues. In 1970, the track announced plans for an infield road course that was connected to the speedway's backstretch. Numerous tracks exist in the track's infield. Within the main track's frontstretch, there is a 1⁄ 4 mile (0.40 km) oval that was built in 1991 that is primarily used for legends car racing. The speedway in its current form is measured at 1.5 miles (2.4 km), with 24 degrees of banking in the turns and five degrees of banking on the track's frontstretch and backstretch. Since Wheeler's departure in 2008, the track has conducted less promotions but has also made numerous developments, including renovations to its infield road course to host NASCAR races.ĭescription Configurations The track was the subject of numerous innovations and ideas under the guise of longtime track general manager and promoter Humpy Wheeler, including the creation of the NASCAR All-Star Race and the implementation of lights, the first intermediate or larger oval track to do so. The track has gained publicity and praise within the motorsports landscape for its facilities, amenities, and annual events that have become staples on the NASCAR schedule. Construction started in 1959, and after a tumultuous and chaotic construction process, the track was barely completed before the start of the track's first major race weekend, the 1960 World 600. The two eventually partnered to build the Charlotte Motor Speedway after Smith agreed to sell shares needed for the track's construction. Turner refused, leading Smith to announce plans for a track that rivaled Turner's, knowing that Turner did not have enough funds to build a track. After Propst backed out with Smith due to health reasons, Smith sought to partner with Turner. At the same time, driver and businessman Curtis Turner sought to do the same. ![]() With the rise of popularity in stock car racing in the American Southeast that began in the late 1940s and stretched into the 1950s, racing promoter Bruton Smith sought to build a state-of-the-art facility with Charlotte businessman John William Propst Jr. The main track also features an infield road course that is used with the oval to make a " roval". ![]() In addition, the Charlotte Motor Speedway complex features numerous adjacent tracks, including a 1⁄ 5 mile (0.32 km) clay short track, a 2⁄ 5 mile (0.64 km) dirt track, and a 1⁄ 4 mile (0.40 km) long drag strip. The track features numerous amenities, including a Speedway Club, condos, and a seven-story tower located on the complex for office space and souvenirs. The speedway has a capacity of 95,000 as of 2021, down from its peak of over 170,000 in the 1990s and 2000s. The track is currently owned by Speedway Motorsports, LLC (SMI), with Greg Walter currently serving as the track's general manager. The track has hosted various racing series since its inaugural season of racing in 1960, including NASCAR, Ind圜ar, and the IMSA SportsCar Championship. NASCAR Road Course "Roval" (2019–present) ġ:18.188 ( Paul Menard, Chevrolet Camaro Trans-Am, 2022, Trans-Am)ġ:18.078 ( Kyle Larson, Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, 2018, NASCAR Cup)ġ:05.524 ( Jan Magnussen, Panoz LMP-1 Roadster-S, 2000, LMP900)Ĭharlotte Motor Speedway (formerly known as Lowe's Motor Speedway from 1999 to 2009 due to sponsorship reasons) is a 1.5 miles (2.4 km) quad-oval intermediate speedway in Concord, North Carolina. ![]()
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