Charlotte Motor Speedway , formerly Lowe Motor Speedway , is a motorsports complex located in Concord, North Carolina 13 mi (21 km) from Charlotte. The complex has a 1.5m (2.4 km) quad-oval track that hosts the NASCAR races including the prestigious Coca-Cola 600 at Memorial Day weekend, the NASCAR All-Star Race and Bank of America 500. The toll road was built in 1959 by Bruton Smith and is considered a home track for NASCAR with many racing teams located in the Charlotte area. This track is owned and operated by Speedway Motorsports, Inc. (SMI) with Marcus G. Smith (Bruton Smith's son) as track president.
The 2,000 acre (810Ã, ha) complex also has a quarter mile (0.40 km) drag racing track, ZMAX Dragway. It is the only four-lane concrete drag line in the United States and hosts the NHRA show. Next to the drag strip is a state-of-the-art clay oval that hosts dirt rushes including World of Outlaws finals among other popular racing events.
Video Charlotte Motor Speedway
Histori
Charlotte Motor Speedway was designed and built by Bruton Smith and partner and driver Curtis Turner in 1959. The first NASCAR World 600 race was held at a speed of 1.5 m (2.4 km) on 19 June 1960. On December 8, 1961,. Judge J.B. Craven of the US District Court for Western North Carolina reorganized under Chapter 10 of the Bankruptcy Act; Judge Craven appointed Robert "Red" Robinson as a trustee until March 1962. At that time a major shareholder committee on the speedway was assembled, led by A.C. Goines and furniture store owner Richard Howard. Goines, Howard, and Robinson work to get loans and other money to keep pace running.
In April 1963, approximately $ 750,000 was paid to twenty secured creditors and the pathway emerged from bankruptcy; Judge Craven appointed Goines as speedway president and Howard as assistant general manager of the speedway, handling his day-to-day operations. In 1964 Howard became general manager of the track, and on June 1, 1967, the hopper's mortgage was fully paid; public burning mortgage was held at speedway two weeks later.
Smith departed from the speedway in 1962 to pursue other business interests, especially in banking and car dealership from his new home in Rockford, IL. He became quite successful and started buying stocks on the speedway. In 1974 Smith was more involved in the speedway, where Richard Howard in 1975 stated, "I have not run the speedway, it's run from Illinois." In 1975 Smith became the majority shareholder, regaining control of his day-to-day operations. Smith recruited H.A. "Humpy" Wheeler as general manager in October 1975, and on January 29, 1976, Richard Howard resigned as president and GM of the speedway.
Together with Smith and Wheeler began implementing plans for the increase and expansion of the speedway.
In subsequent years, new suites and luxury suites are added along with modern concessions and toilets to increase comfort for race fans. Smith Tower, a 135,000 square foot (12,500 m 2 ), a seven-story facility built and connected to the grandstands in 1988. The tower has a corporate officer, ticket office, gift shop, office rental and The Speedway Club ; and exclusive dining and entertainment facilities. Speedway became the first sports facility in America that offers year-round live accommodations when 40 condoms were built in turn 1 in 1984, twelve additional condo units were added in 1991.
In 1992, Smith and Wheeler directed the installation of a permanent lighting system worth $ 1.7 million, 1,200 around the track developed by Musco lighting. The line became the first modern superspeedway to host night racing, and was the highest speed that lit up until 1998 when the lights were installed about 2.5 miles (4.0 km) of Daytona International Speedway. In 1994, Smith and Wheeler added a new garage area for $ 1 million, 20,000 square feet (1,900 m 2 ) to the speedway entrance.
In 1995, 26-year-old Russell Phillips was killed in one of the most horrific accidents in the history of racing cars.
From 1997 to 1999, the track hosted the Indycar Series. On lap 61 of the 1999 race, the collision caused the car to lose the tire, which was then pushed into the stands by another car. Three spectators were killed and eight others injured in the incident. The race was canceled soon after, and the series has not been back to the track since. The incident, along with a similar incident in July 1998 in the Champ Car race at Michigan International Speedway, led to new regulations requiring the car to have tethers attached to the wheel hub to prevent the tire from colliding. Also after the accident, the fence arrest in Charlotte and other owned SMI tracks were raised from a height of 15 feet (4.6 m) by 3 feet (0.91 m) above the roof up to 21 feet (6.4 m) by 6 feet ( 1.8 m). ) Overhang to help prevent flakes entering the stands.
In February 1999, Lowe bought the naming rights for speedway, making it the country's first racing track with corporate sponsorship. Lowe chose not to renew his naming rights after the 2009 NASCAR season. The track returned to its original name, Charlotte Motor Speedway, in 2010.
In 2005, the surface of the track began in use since the last time in 1994. This resulted in track officials cutting-intan tracks, a process known as levigation, to smooth the impact that has developed. The soil surface caused considerable tire-wear problems in both NASCAR races that year. Both races saw a large number of accidents as a result of tire failures due to surface roughness. In 2006, the track was completely repeated.
President Track "Humpy" Wheeler retired after Coca-Cola 600 on May 25, 2008, and was replaced by Marcus Smith. At the end of 2008, the speedway reduced the capacity by 25,000 by reason of reduced ticket sales. At the same time, the front stretch chairs are upgraded from 18 inch (460 mm) folding seats to the 22 inches (560 mm) stadium style seats obtained from the recently demolished Charlotte Coliseum. On September 22, 2010, Speedway announced a partnership with Panasonic to install the world's largest high definition video board on the track. Video boards measuring approximately 200 feet (61 m) wide by 80 feet (24 m) high, containing over nine million LEDs and located between curves 2 and 3 along the backstretch track. It has since been exceeded its size by video boards at Texas Motor Speedway. This track destroys the Diamond Tower Terrace stands on the backstretch in 2014 to reduce the seating seating capacity to 89,000. Charlotte Motor Speedway reduced their seating capacity by 31% due to lack of attendance. The destruction of this presence is not only felt at Charlotte Motor Speedway, but all across NASCAR, causing Daytona International speedway to undergo renovations, as well as reducing seats.
Bridge collapse
On May 20, 2000, fans crossed the pedestrian bridge from the lane to the nearest parking lot after the all-star NASCAR race. The 80-foot section of the road falls onto the highway in Concord. In total, 107 fans were injured at Lowe Motor Speedway when the bridge fell 17 feet (5.2 m) to the ground. Nearly 50 lawsuits against the speedway resulted from the incident, with many being resolved out of court. Researchers say the bridge builder, Tindall Corp., uses improper additives to help the concrete filler at the center of the bridge heal faster. Additives contain calcium chloride, which damages the building's steel wires and causes collapse. This incident is considered one of the greatest disasters in NASCAR history.
Maps Charlotte Motor Speedway
Layout
Quad oval
The main oval quad is 1.5 miles (2.4 km) long with curves turning at 24 degrees and straighteways turning at 5 degrees. Currently the track hosts the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series All Star Race & amp; Coca Cola 600, Xfinity Series and World Truck Camping Series.
Short Oval
Between the front stretch is a 0.25 mile (0.40 km) flat oval designed after Bowman-Gray Stadium. The 1/4 Mile line currently hosts the NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour, the Summer Shootout Series and other events such as Legends Millon.
Just go
Contained in the main oval is 2.25 miles (3.62 km) of road and 0.6 mile (0.97 km) Kart course. The autumn race of NASCAR 2018 season will take place in the field, promoted as "Roval". The final version was announced on January 22nd, 2018. The new layout, which incorporates a 1.5-mile oval with racing road section, removes what's labeled Turn 8 on the original track map. The final version of this circuit will be 2.28 miles (3.67 km) over 17 rounds instead of 2.4 miles (3.9 km) over 18 rounds, reducing lap times and making the infield part less technical.
zMAX Dragway
Dragway zMAX is a four-lane state-of-the-art drag row, located at 125 acres (51Ã, ha) of the speedway property on US Highway 29 of the main superspeedway. Built in 2008 involving a total of 1,876 workers and a combined 636,000 working hours. With 300 workers on site every day working an average 11-hour shift, 13-month construction project turned into 6 months. At one point during construction, concerns by nearby residents caused the Concord city council to rezone landing on a drag strip under construction, preventing it from being built. Following Smith's decision to threaten to close Charlotte Motor Speedway and build a line elsewhere in Metrolina. When asked if he would go with the threat, Smith replied, "I am very serious". After a month of negotiations, the matter was resolved and, rather than a rapid roadblock, Smith announced improvements worth $ 200 million including road and road improvements, as well as noise attenuation for drag strips. The drag strip officially opened on August 20, 2008, and the public open house was held a few days later. The first NHRA event was held on 11-14 September 2008.
The dragway features the first of two four-lane drag strips in the United States. The starting line tower is 34,000 square feet (3,200 m 2 ) and includes 16 luxury suites, a race control area and a press box. Two grandstands, one on either side of the strip, can accommodate 30,000 spectators. Twenty four luxury suites with hospitality accommodation are situated above the main stands. Two tunnels run under the strip to increase fan mobility between the two tribunes.
The Dirt Track
The Dirt Track at Charlotte is a 1,300-foot (400 m) clay oval located on Highway 29 of the quad-oval track. The stadium-style facility, built in 2000, has nearly 14,000 seats and plays host to the most prestigious Dirt Late Models, Modifieds, Sprint Cars, Monster Trucks and World of Outlaws World Finals. In 2013, this track hosts Rallycross Round 8 Global.
Events
Races
- Energy Monster NASCAR Cup Series:
- Energy NASCAR All-Star Race Monsters
- Coca-Cola 600
- Bank of America 500
- NASCAR Xfinity Series:
- Alsco 300
- Drive for Cure 300
- NASCAR Camping World Truck Series:
- North Carolina Educational Lottery 200
- The ARCA Racing Series is presented by Menards
- General Tires 150
- NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series
- NHRA 4 Wide Citizens
- NHRA Carolina Nationals
- World of Outlaws
- K/NOS Circle Energy Drink Outlaw Showdown (Sprint Cars Craftsman)
- Bad Boy Off Road World Finals (Sprint Cars Craftsman, Craftsman Late Models, Super DIRTcar Series)
- INEX raceCeiver Legends Car Series/Bandoleros
- Bojangles Summer Shootout Series
- Winter Heat Series
- INEX Bandolero Nationals (2015, 2018)
Former race
- American LeMans Series (2000)
- American Flat strip
- Don Tilley Memorial Charlotte Half-Mile (2015-2017)
- ASA National Tour (2004)
- Champ Truck World Series (2015)
- Fastrak Racing Series (2006-2010)
- IMSA GT Championships (1971, 1974, 1982-1986)
- INEX raceCeiver Legends Car Series/Bandoleros
- Legends All Star (2010-2013, 2015)
- Legend Car Dirt Nationals (2001)
- IROC (1996-1997)
- NASCAR Series Dash Series Goody/IPOWER Dash (1975-1976, 1985-1988, 1997-2004)
- Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series (2005-2006)
- Energy Monster AMA Supercross (1996-1998)
- MXGP
- MXGP of Americas (2016)
- Terracross Mystic Lubricant Championship (2014)
- NASCAR C & amp; N Pro Series East (1987) - a combination race with the Xfinity Series NASCAR
- NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour
- Southern Slam 150 (2017)
- NASCAR Sportsman (1989-1995) Division
- NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour
- Southern Slam 150 (2010-2016, becoming a Whelen Modified Tour non-point event after the collapse of the Southern Modified Tour)
- National Dirt Racing Association
- End Model of Crate (2010-2013)
- Modz Series (2011)
- Pirelli World Challenge (2000, 2007)
- Red Bull Global Rallycross (2012-2014)
- SCCA Super Vee Formula (1974, 1978-1982)
- Offline Road Speed ​​Formula (2016)
- Super DIRTcar Series
- Eckerd 100 (2001-2005)
- TORC: Off Road Championship
- Showdown in Charlotte (2014, 2016)
- USAC
- AMSOIL National Sprint Car (2003-2005) - Dirt Track
- Honda National Midget Championship (1998) - Quarter Mile
- Verizon IndyCar Series
- VisionAire 500K (1997-1999)
- World of Outlaws Late Model Series
- WoO LM Showdown October
Other events
The facility is considered one of the busiest sports venues in the country, usually with over 380 events per year. Along with many races, the speedway also hosts the Charlotte Auto Fair twice a year, one of the country's largest auto shows. Movies and advertisements have been filmed on the speedway, especially the Days of Thunder , and it's a popular tourist stop and car test spot. The facility also hosts several year-round driving schools, such as the Richard Petty Driving Experience, where visitors have the opportunity to experience a brisk walk from a unique point of view behind the wheel of a race car.
The feature of the Food Fair Auto April 2005 at speedway is a popular sculpture exhibit, Jim Gary Twentieth Century Dinosaurs . These are animals of Garysauruses , all of the size, and are built from automobile parts. A special tent was housed in a crowded exhibition and Gary's immense sculpture, over forty feet long, was displayed at the entrance of the race arena during the entire fair. HA "Humpy" Wheeler and speedway subsequently sponsored funding for the sculpture exhibition that will be featured by Belk College of Business on the campus of the University of North Carolina at Charlotte where self-guided tour of the extended campus tour extended to the end of July.
In 2006 the speedway hosted the world premiere of the 2006 Pixar Cars film
American Idol season twelve auditions take place on the speedway from 2-3 October 2012.
Since 2013, hard rock concerts and the annual Carolina Rebellion heavy metal festival on the first weekend in May have been held at Rock City Campgrounds located on the speedway. Bands like Avenged Sevenfold, Kid Rock, Deftones, Disturbed, ZZ Top, Halestorm, Sevendust, Anthrax. Five Finger Death Punch, and All That Remains have played in Carolina Rebellion. The event was extended to a three-day format in 2016, with 80,000 attendees.
Proposed soccer stadium
During the mid-1980s, there were plans to build a football stadium on the front line of the tracks with the intention of luring either the NFL or USFL teams. The stadium will have 76,000 and has a temporary standoff in both endzones and a tribune seat behind a pitroad that can be lowered on hydraulic lifts for races and costs $ 12 million. There are two interested parties in bringing professional football franchises to Charlotte, businessmen, George Shinn and Smith. In 1984, Shinn was on his way to a USFL franchise for Charlotte that would play at the proposed stadium. In mid-March 1985, Bruton Smith announced that Charlotte Motor Speedway was on the market for the NFL team. After Smith demanded that the city of Charlotte pay for the project, the plan collapsed. Shinn finally landed in the NBA and Horn Hornets NFL came to town in the form of the Carolina Panthers but Panthers owner Jerry Richardson will build his own stadium in Charlotte.
Track records
NOTE: NHRA does not keep records for Top Fuel or Funny Car because the 1,000ft distance is used in both classes when the track is opened.
References
External links
- Official site
- Map and history of circuits in RacingCircuits.info
- The results of the Charlotte Motor Speedway race at Reference-Racing
- Charlotte Motor Speedway Page at NASCAR.com
- Jayski's Charlotte Motor Speedway PageÃ, - Latest and latest news Charlotte Motor Speedway Speedway
- Experience Riding Petty Richard at Charlotte Motor Speedway
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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