Michigan International Speedway: History

Michigan International Speedway:

History

·         Michigan International Speedway sits on more than 1,400 acres in the "Irish Hills" of Southeastern Michigan. Ground-breaking took place on Sept. 28, 1967.

·         The first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Michigan was held June 15, 1969 – won by Cale Yarborough at a speed of 139.254 mph.

·         The track was known as Michigan Speedway during the time Roger Penske was the primary owner (1996-99).

·         The 2-mile speedway underwent a repave in 2012.

Notebook

·         There have been 91 NASCAR Sprint Cup races at Michigan International Speedway since the first race there in 1969. Other than 1973, which had just one race, there have been two races each season since 1969.

·         The first race was 500 miles in length; the second was scheduled for 600. The track was re-measured to 2.04 miles for the last race in 1970 and both races in 1971 – with the race distance being 402 miles. All other races have been scheduled for 400 miles.

·         373 drivers have competed in at least one NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Michigan International Speedway; 274 in more than one.

·         Bill Elliott leads the series in starts at Michigan with 61. Jeff Gordon leads all active drivers with 44 starts.

·         Donnie Allison won the inaugural Coors Light pole at Michigan in 1969 with a speed of 160.135 mph.  

·         46 drivers have Coors Light poles at Michigan, led by David Pearson with 10. Jeff Gordon leads all active drivers with six.

·         Six drivers have won consecutive Coors Light poles at Michigan. David Pearson holds the record for most consecutive poles at Michigan with five; fall 1976 through 1978.

·         Youngest Michigan pole winner: Joey Logano (08/16/2013 – 23 years, 2 months, 23 days).

·         Oldest Michigan pole winner: Mark Martin (08/19/2012 – 53 years, 7 months, 10 days).

·         36 different NSCS drivers have won at Michigan International Speedway, led by David Pearson with nine wins; Greg Biffle leads all active drivers with four.  

·         Eight drivers have posted consecutive wins at Michigan International Speedway, including four consecutive by Bill Elliott (1985 sweep and 1986 sweep).

·         Youngest Michigan winner: Joey Logano (08/18/2013 – 23 years, 2 months, 25 days).

·         Oldest Michigan winner: Harry Gant (08/16/1992 – 52 years, 7 months, 6 days).

·         Roush Fenway Racing has the most wins at Michigan in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series with 13: Mark Martin (four), Greg Biffle (four), Carl Edwards (two), Matt Kenseth (two) and Kurt Busch (one).

·         Eight different manufacturers have won in the NSCS at Michigan; led by Ford with 34 victories; followed by Chevrolet with 22. Toyota has four wins at Michigan.

·         18 of the 91 (19.7%) NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races at Michigan have been won from the Coors Light pole; the most recent was Jeff Gordon last season.

·         The Coors Light pole position is the most proficient starting position in the field, producing more winners (18) than any other starting position at Michigan International Speedway.    

·         26 of the 91 (28.5%) NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races at Michigan have been won from the front row: 18 from the pole and eight from second-place.

·         69 of the 91 (75.8%) NASCAR Sprint Cup races at Michigan have been won from a top-10 starting position.

·         Six of the 91 (6.5%) NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races at Michigan have been won from a starting position outside the top 20.

·         The deepest in the field that a race winner has started at Michigan is 32nd, by Mark Martin in the spring of 2009.

·         Jeff Gordon leads the series in runner-up finishes at Michigan with eight; followed by Darrell Waltrip with seven and Kevin Harvick with five.

·         NASCAR Hall of Famer Cale Yarborough leads the series in top-five finishes at Michigan with 21; Jeff Gordon leads all active drivers with 19.   

·         Mark Martin leads the series in top-10 finishes at Michigan with 31; followed by Bill Elliott with 29. Jeff Gordon leads all active drivers with 27.

·         Jimmie Johnson leads all active drivers in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in average starting position at Michigan with a 9.615.

·         Carl Edwards leads all active drivers in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in average finishing position at Michigan with a 9.714.

·         All active NASCAR Sprint Cup Series winners at Michigan International Speedway participated in at least one or more races before visiting Victory Lane. Tony Stewart won at Michigan in his third appearance, the fewest previous starts among the active NSCS winners.      

·         Kevin Harvick competed at Michigan International Speedway 19 times before winning in the fall of 2010; the longest span of any the active NASCAR Sprint Cup Series winners.

·         Among the active NSCS Michigan winners Kevin Harvick (19), Dale Earnhardt Jr. (17) Kyle Busch (13), Jeff Gordon (11) and Joey Logano (10) all made 10 or more attempts before their first win.

·         Jamie McMurray leads the series among active drivers with the most NASCAR Sprint Cup Series starts at Michigan without visiting Victory Lane at 24; followed by Casey Mears at 23.  

·         Since the advent of electronic scoring the closest margin of victory (MOV) in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series at Michigan International Speedway was the June 10, 2001 race won by Jeff Gordon over Ricky Rudd with a MOV of 0.085 second.

·         There have been two NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races resulting with a green-white-checkered finish at Michigan International Speedway (Scheduled No. of Laps/Actual No. of Laps): fall of 2011 (200/203); and fall of 2012 (200/201).

·         Four of the 91 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races at Michigan International Speedway have been shortened due to weather conditions; the most recent was the event on 6/18/2006.    

·         Qualifying has been cancelled due to weather conditions in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series at Michigan International Speedway four times; most recently the spring of 2008 race.   

·         One active driver has posted his first career NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Coors Light pole at Michigan International Speedway: J.J. Yeley (6/17/2007).      

·         Two active NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver have posted their first career start at Michigan International Speedway: Carl Edwards (8/22/2004) and Landon Cassill (6/13/2010).

·         Jeff Gordon leads all active drivers in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in laps led at Michigan with 1,058 laps led in 44 starts.

·         Four female drivers have competed at Michigan International Speedway in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series: Janet Guthrie, Robin McCall, Shawna Robinson and Danica Patrick. Of the four female drivers to compete at Michigan, Guthrie has the best finish (10th). 

NA Rising June Project Update: Daytona

NA Rising June Project Update: Daytona International Speedway Gears Up For Coke Zero 400 Powered By Coca-Cola

6/5/2015

 

After several busy months of construction related to its $400 million DAYTONA Rising project, Daytona International Speedway (DIS) is now shifting gears to prepare for the upcoming Coke Zero 400 Powered By Coca-Cola. Fans attending the event will have an opportunity to preview some of the new amenities being created by historic renovation project. 
Approximately 40,000 new seats will be available near the west end of the Speedway along with 10,000 seats near the east end. Fans can also access new concessions and restrooms, escalators and vertical transportation options and several new “neighborhood” areas. 
Construction will accelerate again following the Coke Zero 400 Powered By Coca-Cola. 
Below is a list of key upcoming race-ready activities:

• Final installation of elevators and escalators
• Completion of east end seating areas
• Installation of temporary infrastructure

About DAYTONA Rising
DAYTONA Rising is a $400 million reimagining of an American icon – Daytona International Speedway. Five expanded and redesigned entrances, or “injectors,” will lead fans to a series of escalators and elevators, transporting them to three different concourse levels. Each level features spacious social areas, or “neighborhoods,” along the nearly mile-long frontstretch. At the conclusion of the redevelopment, Daytona International Speedway will have approximately 101,000 permanent, wider and more comfortable seats, twice as many restrooms and three times as many concession stands. In addition, the Speedway will feature over 60 luxury suites with track side views and a completely revamped hospitality experience for corporate guests. DAYTONA Rising: Reimagining an American Icon, expected to create 6,300 jobs, $300 million in labor income and over $80 million in tax revenue, will be completed in time for the 2016 Rolex 24 At Daytona and DAYTONA 500. Construction of DAYTONA Rising was recently cited as a primary source of expected growth in the Deltona, Fla., MSA as part of ManpowerGroup’s Employment Outlook Survey. 
Toyota and Florida Hospital are Founding Partners of DAYTONA Rising, joining the Speedway to help provide the very best experience for fans through more than 40,000 total square feet of engagement areas, branding rights for two of the injectors/entrances and two of the new neighborhoods.
Barton Malow is serving as the design-builder for the project. In addition to DAYTONA Rising, Barton Malow has renovated the University of Michigan “Big House” and the Rose Bowl. 
ROSSETTI, an award-winning architectural design and planning firm for the past 40 years, which headed the design for Ford Field NFL Stadium, University of Notre Dame Compton Family Ice Arena and five Major League Soccer Stadiums, is leading the master planning of the DAYTONA Rising site. 
Race fans can follow the progress of the DAYTONA Rising project by visiting www.DAYTONARising.com and connecting with Daytona International Speedway on Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest. Also, fans can see the construction project up close by taking one of the daily tours available at the Speedway on non-event days throughout the year. Visit www.daytonainternationalspeedway.com/tours or the Speedway Ticket and Tours Building for more information. For tickets and more information on Daytona International Speedway events, visit www.daytonainternationalspeedway.com or call 1-800-PITSHOP.  
About Daytona International Speedway
Daytona International Speedway is the home of "The Great American Race" - the DAYTONA 500. Though the season-opening NASCAR Sprint Cup event garners most of the attention - as well as the largest audience in motorsports - the approximately 500-acre motorsports complex boasts the most diverse schedule of racing on the globe, thus earning it the title of "World Center of Racing." In addition to eight major weekends of racing activity, rarely a week goes by that the Speedway grounds are not used for events that include civic and social gatherings, car shows, photo shoots, production vehicle testing and police motorcycle training.

World’s First Modern Motorsports Stadium – Daytona International Speedway

Lesa France Kennedy Highlights DAYTONA Rising at 24 Hours of Le Mans

Details Debut of

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – June 11, 2015 – Earlier today in Le Mans, home of the prestigious 24 Hours of Le Mans sports car race set for Saturday, Lesa France Kennedy shared the vision behind International Speedway Corporation’s (ISC’s) largest development project to date – DAYTONA Rising, the $400 million reimagination of Daytona International Speedway.

Speaking to an audience of more than 200 international media, Kennedy, ISC CEO and Vice Chairperson of NASCAR, provided an update on DAYTONA Rising during a press conference organized by Automobile Club de l’Ouest (ACO). She discussed the history of international motorsports and sports car racing at the “World Center of Racing,” and why ISC is in the midst of this massive redevelopment at the Speedway.

DAYTONA Rising is transforming Daytona International Speedway into the world’s first modern motorsports stadium that will debut in January 2016 hosting its first event, the Rolex 24 At Daytona – North America’s most prestigious sports car event and the kick-off to the 2016 TUDOR United SportsCar Championship season governed by IMSA (International Motor Sports Association).

“We realize the fan experience has evolved,” said Kennedy, who also serves on the IMSA Board. “So we’re stepping up our focus on the socializing of events, new technologies, and the creation of unique experiences.”

From the moment a guest arrives, they will be transported into the facility via one of five “injectors” or entrances featuring new vertical transportation – 40 escalators and 17 elevators, making race day more accessible. Three different concourse levels will feature spacious “neighborhoods” or social areas designed with the fan in mind – Wi-Fi accessibility, lounge space, additional food and beverage and merchandise locations and twice as many restrooms. Incredible sightlines can be experienced from the new fourth level allowing for views of the entire 2.5-mile oval and road course. But, perhaps the most exciting convenience will be the 101,500 brand new wider and more comfortable seats featuring arm rests and cup holders.

“DAYTONA Rising will fundamentally change how our guests experience our races,” Kennedy told the gathering. “And it will transform the quality of entertainment at our flagship racing facility.”

About DAYTONA Rising

DAYTONA Rising is a $400 million reimagining of an American icon – Daytona International Speedway. Five expanded and redesigned entrances, or “injectors,” will lead fans to a series of escalators and elevators, transporting them to three different concourse levels. Each level features spacious social areas, or “neighborhoods,” along the nearly mile-long frontstretch. At the conclusion of the redevelopment, Daytona International Speedway will have approximately 101,500 permanent, wider and more comfortable seats, twice as many restrooms and three times as many concession stands. In addition, the Speedway will feature over 60 luxury suites with track side views and a completely revamped hospitality experience for corporate guests. Toyota and Florida Hospital are Founding Partners of DAYTONA Rising, joining the Speedway to help provide the very best experience for fans through more than 40,000 total square feet of engagement areas, branding rights for two of the injectors/entrances and two of the new neighborhoods. To follow the progress of DAYTONA Rising, visit www.DAYTONARising.com and connect with Daytona International Speedway on Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest.