Pikes Peak International Raceway facts for kids
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| Location | 16650 Midway Ranch Road, Fountain, Colorado, 80817 |
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| Coordinates | 38°35′29.85″N 104°40′34.39″W / 38.5916250°N 104.6762194°W |
| Capacity | 10,000 40,000 |
| Owner | Pikes Peak International Raceway, LLC |
| Opened | 1997 |
| Construction cost | $50 million |
| Major events | USAC Silver Crown Series |
| D-Shaped Oval | |
| Surface | Asphalt |
| Length | 1.00 mi (1.61 km) |
| Turns | 4 |
| Banking | 10° |
| Road Course | |
| Surface | Asphalt |
| Length | 1.30 mi (2.09 km) |
| Turns | 9 |
| Banking | varying |
| Short Oval | |
| Surface | Asphalt |
| Length | 0.25 mi (0.40 km) |
| Turns | 4 |
Pikes Peak International Raceway (PPIR) is a cool racetrack located near Colorado Springs, Colorado. It's in the city of Fountain, Colorado. When it opened in 1997, it was known as "the fastest 1-mile paved oval anywhere."
This speedway has hosted many exciting races. These included events from the Indy Racing League and two NASCAR series. Operations at PPIR were paused between 2005 and 2008. Today, many amateur racing groups use PPIR for training and racing. Also, lots of NASCAR teams come here to test their cars.
Contents
History of Racing in the Pikes Peak Area
Racing has a long history in the Pikes Peak Region. In the 1800s, there were horse tracks. For example, one was near the Palmer House in Colorado Springs by 1882. Another was the "Roswell Racing Park" by 1903.
Later, other types of racing venues appeared. A go-kart track on Platte Avenue closed around 1990. A greyhound track closed around 2005. It is now a place for off-track betting. The Olympic velodrome in Memorial Park is still used for racing today.
From Horse Track to Speedway
Before PPIR, there was a horse racing track called Pikes Peak Meadows. It opened in 1964. This dirt track was about 20 miles south of Colorado Springs. It had a big, blue grandstand. Horse racing stopped there in 1993.
Then, in May 1996, a builder named C. C. Myers announced big plans. He wanted to build a major car racing facility at the old Pikes Peak Meadows site.
Building the Speedway
In 1997, a group called Apollo Real Estate Advisors teamed up with Raceway Associates. This partnership, led by C.C. Myers, would own and run the huge 1,300-acre speedway complex.
The asphalt track was built 6 feet below the normal ground level. C.C. Myers hoped to host a big NASCAR race in 1998. The facility had an open house for the community on May 31, 1997. The first race on June 8 had 16,810 fans. The Richard Petty Driving Experience also used PPIR in July 1997. The first IRL Series race on June 28 was even shown on TV!
Changes in Ownership
In 1996, another company, Penske Motorsports, Inc., tried to build a competing track near Denver. Penske later merged with the International Speedway Corporation (ISC) in 1999.
In 2002, ISC gained the right to buy PPIR if the owners decided to sell. In October 2005, ISC bought PPIR for $11 million. After this, racing operations at PPIR were stopped. The scoreboard was even moved to another track! ISC then sold PPIR in November 2006. Luckily, racing started up again at PPIR in 2008.
Current Races and Events
Pikes Peak International Raceway is still a busy place! On December 6, 2012, the USAC announced that PPIR would host a race in 2013. This was for the USAC Silver Crown Series. PPIR also hosted the richest event in SRL Southwest Tour history in 2013.
Today, PPIR hosts many regional club road course races. Groups like the National Auto Sport Association (NASA) and SCCA race here. The track is also used for fun events. These include track days, drifting events, and car shows.
PPIR is home to the largest autocross racing series in the Rocky Mountain Region. It's called PPIR Time Attack. This series has 8-10 races each year. They use different courses on the track's infield. Races usually last from 40 seconds to just over a minute. Drivers get five chances to beat their best time. The series has different classes for cars. These are based on their weight, power, and drivetrain (like front-wheel drive or all-wheel drive).
Past Race Highlights
Over the years, Pikes Peak International Raceway has seen many famous drivers and exciting races. Here are just a few examples of winners from different racing series:
- In 1997, Tony Stewart won the Samsonite 200 in the Indy Racing League.
- Matt Kenseth won a NASCAR Busch Series race in 1998.
- Greg Biffle won NASCAR Truck Series races in 2000 and 2001.
- In 2005, Dan Wheldon won the Honda Indy 225 in the Indy Racing League.
- More recently, Bobby East won a USAC Silver Crown Series race in 2013.
- Derek Thorn won the SRL SPEARS Southwest Tour race in 2014.
Many other talented drivers have also won races at PPIR across various series. These include Busch, Truck, Indy Lights, and different USAC events.
See also
In Spanish: Pikes Peak International Raceway para niños
