Memphis International Raceway facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Memphis International Raceway

"Where the Racing Rocks"
Location	5500 Victory Lane, Millington, Tennessee, 38053
Time zone	GMT-6
Coordinates	35°16′58″N 89°56′51″W / 35.28278°N 89.94750°W / 35.28278; -89.94750
Capacity	35,000 (Oval) - 25,000 (Drag Strip)
Owner	IRG Sports & Entertainment
Opened	1987
Closed	2022
Major events	IHRA Nitro Jam Summit Racing Equipment World Finals
D-oval
Surface	Asphalt
Length	.75 mi (1.2 km)
Banking	Turns - 11° Straights - 4° front, 3° back
Drag Strip
Surface	Asphalt
Length	.8326 mi (1.34 km)
Road Course
Surface	Asphalt
Length	1.8 mi (2.9 km)
Race lap record	1:05.692 ( Pete Halsmer, Merkur XR4Ti, 1987, Trans-Am)

Memphis International Raceway was a special park for auto racing. It was once known as Memphis Motorsports Park. This raceway was located near the Loosahatchie River in Shelby County, Tennessee, United States. It was about ten miles south of Millington and a few miles north of Memphis.

History of the Raceway

The Memphis International Raceway, often called MIR, started in 1986. A person named Ed Gatlin and some friends bought a large piece of land. It was about 400 acres. They built a drag strip and a road course there. They also added a dirt track and a go-kart track.

The raceway first opened in 1987. It had a drag strip and a 1.8-mile (2.9 km) road course. Later, in 1998, a 3/4-mile tri-oval short track was built. This oval track used to host big NASCAR races. These included the Xfinity Series and Camping World Truck Series. It also hosted races like the ASA Late Model Series.

The drag strip is 4,400 feet (1,341 meters) long. It hosted many events. These included the International Hot Rod Association (IHRA) World Finals and Nitro Jam. Other events were the Professional Drag Racers Association (PDRA) and HOT ROD Power Tour.

In 1996, the Grand Prix Association of Long Beach bought the whole raceway. In 1997, they added the 3/4-mile paved tri-oval. This was built where the old dirt track used to be. A new dirt track was made where the go-kart track was. The raceway's name was changed to Memphis Motorsports Park. The new tri-oval opened on June 5, 1998.

The next month, Dover Motorsports, Inc. bought Memphis Motorsports Park. This happened when they bought the Grand Prix Association of Long Beach. Memphis Motorsports Park closed on October 30, 2009. It closed because it did not have enough money. Dover Motorsports, Inc. said they would stop all operations there. They would not hold any events in Memphis in 2010.

The track's NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race moved to Nashville Superspeedway. Its Nationwide Series race moved to Gateway International Raceway. On December 14, 2010, Dover Motorsports, Inc. sold the raceway. Palm Beach International Raceway bought it for $1.9 million.

On January 31, 2011, the sale was made final. The track reopened in April 2011. It was renamed Memphis International Raceway. A new logo was made to show this change. The track became linked with IHRA. IHRA has held its Nitro Jam finale at Memphis since 2011.

Events in 2013

Picture of a NASA Autocross in November 2012 at Memphis International Raceway.

In 2013, MIR added more events. These included the second annual Ford Fun Weekend at Memphis. The Mega Mopar Action Series also came to the track. This was the first year that the three main car makers, Chevy, Ford, and Dodge, held events at Memphis in the same year.

The track also became popular with the Mid South Region of NASA. NASA used the road course for track events. These included High Performance Driving Events (HPDEs) and Time Trials. They also had Wheel to Wheel Racing and NASA-X autocross events.

Retired NASCAR driver Rusty Wallace opened his driving experience and go-kart place in May 2013. This was on the NASCAR Oval. MIR also hosted the Xtreme Xperience Supercar event. This allowed people to drive cars like Ferraris and Lamborghinis on the track for a fee.

The ARCA series also returned to the oval. This was the first racing event on the oval since the new owners took over in 2011. The Memphis 250 race was held on October 26. Brian Campbell won that race.

Closing in 2022

The track was sold again around March 2022. It held its very last event on June 17, 2022.

Types of Tracks

Memphis International Raceway had different types of tracks for racing.

Drag Strip

The drag strip quickly caught the eye of the NHRA. In 1988, it became a host for the Mid-South Nationals. The NHRA has many tracks, but Memphis was one of only 23 to host a national event. This part of the raceway was also used for other events. These included Mid-South SCCA events and the Super Chevy Show.

The last NHRA race at Memphis was the O’Reilly NHRA Mid-South Nationals. It was supposed to be on October 4, 2009. But rain caused it to be moved to October 5, 2009. The winners that day were Jeff Arend (Funny Car), Morgan Lucas (Top Fuel), Jason Line (Pro Stock), and Michael Phillips (Pro Stock Motorcycle).

The drag strip continued to host IHRA events with its new owner. This included a Nitro Jam event. The American Drag Racing League also held an event there on May 20, 2011. The IHRA Nitro Jam series kept racing at Memphis. They even planned another finale event for 2014.

Paved Oval

The start-finish line of the NASCAR oval.

On September 13, 1998, the raceway hosted its first NASCAR event. It was the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Memphis 200. The crowd was huge, and it was shown on national TV. NASCAR came back every year after that with two events. There was a Truck Series race in the summer. A Nationwide Series race was held in the fall.

Ron Hornaday won his second Elvis trophy in the last MemphisTravel.com 200 Camping World Truck Series race. A late caution flag led to a green-white-checkered finish. This gave Hornaday the chance to win over Brian Scott.

On October 24, 2009, Brad Keselowski won the race at the oval. He beat Kyle Busch at the finish line. This was the 11th and final annual racing event for both the Nationwide Series and the oval. The track did not hold any racing events in 2010. This was because Dover Motorsports, Inc. announced the closure of Memphis Motorsports Park.

Track Records

This table shows some of the fastest times and speeds recorded at the Memphis International Raceway.

Past Events Held Here

• ARCA Menards Series (2017–2020)
• ASA Late Model Series (until 2009)
• AMA Dragbike (until 2009)
• NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, MemphisTravel.com 200 (1998–2009)
• IHRA (2011–2022)
• NASCAR Nationwide Series, Kroger On Track for the Cure 250 (1999–2009)
• NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series (1988–2009)
• NASA (2011–2022)

See also

In Spanish: Memphis International Raceway para niños

• List of NASCAR race tracks