Texas Motor Speedway

Texas Motor Speedway, previously known as Texas International Raceway, is a 1.500-mile quad-oval speedway situated in Fort Worth, Texas. Since its debut in 1997, the track has been a regular host for NASCAR and IndyCar events. Owned by Fort Worth’s sports authority and leased by Speedway Motorsports, Inc. (SMI), the track is managed by Mark Faber. Accessible via Interstate 35W and Texas State Highway 114, the venue boasts a capacity of 112,662 as of 2013, down from its peak of over 200,000 in the early 2000s. Noteworthy features include the world’s largest HD video screen, nearly 200 suites, a Speedway Club, and a 10-story building housing offices and condominiums. Additionally, the complex includes two adjacent tracks: a 1⁄5 mile paved short track and a 2⁄5 mile dirt track.

HISTORY

Speedway Motorsports, led by Bruton Smith, aimed to construct a significant racetrack in the western United States due to the increasing popularity of stock car racing. Smith enlisted the expertise of Eddie Gossage, then Vice President of Public Relations at Charlotte Motor Speedway, to identify potential locations. Three primary markets were considered: Las Vegas, the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, and St. Louis. Legal troubles arose when a quarter-mile dirt track in Alvin, Texas, contested the naming rights for “Texas Motor Speedway” in August 1996. Gossage and Smith countered by accusing the majority owner of attempting to extract money from them, resulting in a name change to “Texas International Raceway” in September.

Concerns regarding the track’s surface drying time surfaced by mid-2016, culminating in significant delays during the 2016 AAA Texas 500. Despite resistance from some drivers, including Jimmie Johnson and Carl Edwards, to repave the track, Speedway Motorsports, Inc. (SMI) CEO Marcus Smith directed the commencement of a repaving project to address the drying issues. The repave included reducing the banking in the first two turns from 24 to 20 degrees and expanding the racing surface from 60 to 80 feet. The move garnered mixed reactions from IndyCar and NASCAR drivers, with some expressing optimism about the improvements.

TRACK CONFIGURATION

Texas Motor Speedway is currently configured as a 1.5-mile track with varying degrees of banking and a width of 80 feet on the racing surface. Initially, from 1998 to 2017, the track had uniform 24-degree banking in the turns and a narrower racing surface of 58 feet. Originally, it featured a dual-banking system with high banks of 24 degrees and low banks of eight degrees in the turns. The track’s length has been reported differently by various series, with the IndyCar Series citing lengths of 1.455 miles and 1.44 miles, although these figures have been disputed by former track general manager Eddie Gossage as errors. The Speedway is conveniently located at the junction of Interstate 35W and Texas State Highway 114 to the southeast, with Farm to Market Road 156 to the west.