Memphis International Raceway facts for kids
| "Where the Racing Rocks" | |
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D-oval (1998–2022)
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| Location | 5500 Victory Lane, Millington, Tennessee, 38053 |
| Time zone | UTC−6 (UTC−5 DST) |
| Coordinates | 35°16′58″N 89°56′51″W / 35.28278°N 89.94750°W |
| Capacity | 35,000 (Oval) - 25,000 (Drag Strip) |
| Owner | IRG Sports & Entertainment Palm Beach International Raceway (2011–2022) Dover Motorsports (July 1998–December 2010) Grand Prix Association of Long Beach (1996–1998) Ed Gatlin (1986–1995) |
| Opened | 1986 |
| Closed | 17 June 2022 |
| Former names | Memphis Motorsports Park (June 1998–March 2011) Memphis International Raceway (1986–May 1998) |
| Major events | IHRA (2011–2022) ARCA Menards Series Sioux Chief PowerPEX 200 (1998, 2001, 2017–2020) NASCAR Nationwide Series Kroger On Track for the Cure 250 (1999–2009) NASCAR Camping World Truck Series MemphisTravel.com 200 (1998–2009) NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series (1988–2009) AMA Superbike Championship (1987) Trans-Am (1987) |
| D-oval (1998–2022) | |
| Surface | Asphalt |
| Length | 0.750 mi (1.207 km) |
| Banking | Turns - 11° Straights - 4° front, 3° back |
| Drag Strip | |
| Surface | Asphalt |
| Length | 0.8326 mi (1.340 km) |
| Road Course (1987–1998) | |
| Surface | Asphalt |
| Length | 1.770 mi (2.848 km) |
| Race lap record | 1:05.692 ( Pete Halsmer, Merkur XR4Ti, 1987, Trans-Am) |
Memphis International Raceway was a famous place for auto racing in Shelby County, Tennessee, USA. It was also known as Memphis Motorsports Park for a time. The track was located near the Loosahatchie River, close to Millington, Tennessee and Memphis, Tennessee. It was a popular spot for many exciting races.
Contents
History of the Raceway
Memphis International Raceway, often called MIR, started in 1986. A person named Ed Gatlin and some friends bought a large piece of land. They built a special track for drag racing and another for road course races. There was also a dirt track and a go-kart track for smaller races.
The raceway officially opened in 1987. It had a drag strip and a road course that was about 1.77 miles (2.85 km) long. Later, in 1998, a 0.75-mile (1.21 km) oval track was added. This oval track hosted big races like the NASCAR Xfinity Series and NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series.
The drag strip was very long, about 4,400 feet (1,341 meters). It hosted major events like the International Hot Rod Association (IHRA) World Finals. Other popular events, such as the HOT ROD Power Tour, also took place there.
In 1996, a company called the Grand Prix Association of Long Beach bought the entire raceway. They made some changes, including adding the new oval track in 1997. The name of the place was changed to Memphis Motorsports Park. The new oval track opened for races on June 5, 1998.
Just a month later, another company, Dover Motorsports, bought Memphis Motorsports Park. The track closed on October 30, 2009, because of money problems. Dover Motorsports announced that no races would happen there in 2010. The track was then sold at an auction in December 2010 to Palm Beach International Raceway.
On January 31, 2011, the sale was completed, and the track reopened in April 2011. It was renamed Memphis International Raceway again. A new logo was created to show this change. The track then became part of the IHRA racing series.
Exciting Events in 2013
In 2013, MIR hosted even more exciting events. These included the Ford Fun Weekend and the Mega Mopar Action Series. This was special because it was the first time that major car brands like Chevy, Ford, and Dodge all had events at the track in the same year under the new owners.
The track also became a place for the Mid South Region of NASA. They used the road course for high-performance driving events and racing. A famous NASCAR driver, Rusty Wallace, even opened his own driving experience and go-kart track there in May 2013.
Another cool event was the Xtreme Xperience Supercar venue. This allowed people to drive supercars like Ferraris and Lamborghinis on the track. The ARCA series also returned to the oval track in 2013. This was the first oval race since the new owners took over. Brian Campbell won the Memphis 250 race on October 26.
Closure of the Track in 2022
The track was sold again around March 2022. It held its very last event on June 17, 2022. As of August 2025, the entire track, including the drag strip and oval, is no longer used.
Types of Tracks at MIR
Memphis International Raceway had different types of tracks for various kinds of racing.
The Drag Strip
The drag strip at MIR quickly became famous. In 1988, it was chosen to host the Mid-South Nationals by the NHRA (National Hot Rod Association). Out of 140 NHRA tracks, Memphis was one of only 23 to host such a big national event.
The drag strip was also used for other events, like the Mid-South SCCA races. The last NHRA race at Memphis was in October 2009. After the track reopened in 2011, it started hosting IHRA events, including the Nitro Jam.
The Paved Oval Track
On September 13, 1998, the oval track hosted its first NASCAR event. It was the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Memphis 200. NASCAR continued to hold two events there each year: a Truck Series race in the summer and a Nationwide Series race in the fall.
Ron Hornaday won the last MemphisTravel.com 200 Truck Series race. On October 24, 2009, Brad Keselowski won the final Nationwide Series race at the oval. This was the last major race held at the track before it closed down in 2009.
Track Records
Here are some of the fastest records set at Memphis International Raceway:
| Series | Driver | Car | Date | Speed | Time | Layout |
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| ARCA CRA Super Series | Derek Griffith | Chevrolet SS | October 26, 2013 | 124.804 miles per hour (200.85 km/h) | 21.634 | NASCAR Oval |
| NASCAR Busch Qualifying | Jeff Green | Chevrolet Monte Carlo | October 28, 2000 | 120.267 miles per hour (193.55 km/h) | 22.450 | NASCAR Oval |
| NASCAR Busch Race | Kevin Harvick | Chevrolet Monte Carlo | October 28, 2000 | 92.352 miles per hour (148.63 km/h) | 2:01:49 | NASCAR Oval |
| NASCAR Camping World Qualifying | Greg Biffle | Ford F-150 | June 24, 1999 | 120.139 miles per hour (193.34 km/h) | NASCAR Oval | |
| NASCAR Camping World Race | Travis Kvapil | Ford F-150 | June 30, 2007 | 91.806 miles per hour (147.75 km/h) | 1:38:02 | NASCAR Oval |
| NHRA Top Fuel ET* | Brandon Bernstein | Hemi Powered Top Fuel | September 2008 | 3.825 | Drag Strip | |
| NHRA Top Fuel MPH* | Brandon Bernstein | Hemi Powered Top Fuel | September 2008 | 313.88 miles per hour (505.14 km/h) | Drag Strip | |
| NHRA Funny Car ET* | Tim Wilkerson | Ford Mustang | August 2016 | 4.050 | Drag Strip | |
| NHRA Funny Car MPH* | Del Worsham | Toyota Camry | August 2016 | 316.81 miles per hour (509.86 km/h) | Drag Strip | |
| NHRA Pro Stock ET | Allen Johnson | Dodge Stratus R/T | September 2008 | 6.591 | Drag Strip | |
| NHRA Pro Stock MPH | Greg Anderson | Pontiac GXP | September 2007 | 209.17 miles per hour (336.63 km/h) | Drag Strip | |
| NHRA Pro Stock Bike ET | Chip Ellis | Suzuki Pro Stock Bike | September 2007 | 6.892 | Drag Strip | |
| NHRA Pro Stock Bike MPH | Chip Ellis | Suzuki Pro Stock Bike | September 2007 | 193.21 miles per hour (310.94 km/h) | Drag Strip |
Past Racing Series Hosted
Many different racing series have held events at Memphis International Raceway over the years.
Former Series
- AMA Superbike Championship (1987)
- ARCA Menards Series
- Sioux Chief PowerPEX 200 (1998, 2001, 2017–2020)
- ASA National Tour (1999–2002)
- Global Rallycross (2017)
- International Hot Rod Association (2011–2022)
- NASCAR Camping World Truck Series
- MemphisTravel.com 200 (1998–2009)
- NASCAR K&N Pro Series East (2017–2019)
- NASCAR Nationwide Series
- Kroger On Track for the Cure 250 (1999–2009)
- NASCAR Southeast Series (1998–2002)
- NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series (1988–2009)
- National Auto Sport Association (2011–2021)
- Trans-Am Series (1987)
- X-1R Pro Cup Series (2014)
See also
In Spanish: Memphis International Raceway para niños
- List of NASCAR race tracks
