Nazareth Speedway
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| Nazareth Speedway | |
| Facility statistics | |
|---|---|
| Location | Nazareth, Pennsyvlania |
| Broke ground | |
| Opened | 1910 |
| Owner | International Speedway Corporation |
| Operator | closed |
| Construction cost | |
| Architect | |
| Former names | |
| Pennsylvania International Raceway | |
| Major events | |
| Firestone Indy 225 (1987-2004) Goulds Pumps ITT Industries 200 (1988-2004) |
|
| Seating capacity | |
| Current dimensions | |
| Track shape | Tri-oval |
| Track length | 0.946 miles |
| Track banking | Turn 1 and Straightaways: 2.7 degrees Turns 2&3: 3 degrees Turns 4&5 4 degrees |
Nazareth Speedway (formerly Pennsylvania International Raceway) was a motor racing circuit in Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania which operated from the 1910s to 2004. The track is often associated with local drivers Mario and Michael Andretti. It was associated with Frankie Schneider in its earlier dirt track history.
Contents |
[edit] Track history
The site began hosting motor racing events in the 1910's.
[edit] Dirt track
The track was renovated, and re-opened in April 1966 as a five-turn 1.125 mile dirt track named Nazareth National Speedway. The track featured modified races. Frankie Schneider had a clean sweeps at the event - he had the fastest qualifying time, won his heat race, and won the feature event. That turned out to be the only event at the track in the season.
The track held nine events in 1967, which turned out to be the most the track hosted. Schneider won five of the events.
The track hosted five modified events in 1968, and Schneider won three of them. Al Tasnady started near last in the August 24, 1968 modified event, and won the race by lapping all drivers except Schneider. The USAC Dirt Champ cars raced at the track on July 13, 1968. The race was won by Al Unser, who beat local driver Mario Andretti.
Andretti won the USAC dirt champ car race in 1969, and Rags Carter won four consecutive races.
Nazareth National Speedway held 52 races on the mile and one eighth track between October 15, 1966 until it was closed on November 7, 1971. Frankie Schneider won eleven races, which was by far the most.
[edit] Paved track
The track was taken over by Lindy Vicari in 1982. Vicari knocked down eleven years of growth, and shortened the track to a one mile oval.
After closing in 1984, the track was purchased by Roger Penske in 1986. It was renovated and paved, and reopened as Pennsylvania International Raceway in 1987. It was the first racing oval to feature a warm-up lane to enter and exit the pits, designed in part by driver Rick Mears. In 1993, the track was renamed Nazareth Speedway. In 1997, the facility underwent improvements, including a new retaining wall, catch fence, and new grandstands.
When the track re-opened in 1987, it was a slightly reconfigured 1-mile oval (1.62 km). However, designers and participants were aware that it actually measured shorter than one mile. The banking varied between 2.7° and 6.0°. The back straight is 1200ft (400m) and the home straight is 800ft (260m). Indycar participants often took advantage of the inaccurate measurement for fuel strategy, knowing that they were running a shorter distance than advertised. In 1998, for fairness and accuracy, the track was remeasured by the CART sanctioning body, and was advertised as 0.946 miles (1.52 km) in length. The race, which had been 200 laps, was increased to 225 laps for time value purposes.
Although the Nazareth Speedway hosted a Busch Series and an Indy Racing League race in 2004, the facility was closed after the 2004 season, and the races were all moved up to Watkins Glen International, which has hosted an IRL race since 2005, plus a re-visiting by the Busch Series after a several year absence. The track is now up for sale, and may be resurrected if a strong buyer is found. Currently there is an offer to convert it into a multi-purpose indoor arena. Although the track closed in 2004, it is still featured in the EA Sports video game NASCAR 06: Total Team Control and NASCAR 07 which is based on the 2005 and 2006 NASCAR season respectively.
[edit] Race Winners
[edit] CART
| Season | Winning Driver | Chassis | Engine |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1987 | Michael Andretti | March | Cosworth |
| 1988 | Danny Sullivan | Penske | Chevrolet-Ilmor |
| 1989 | Emerson Fittipaldi | Penske | Chevrolet-Ilmor |
| 1990 | Emerson Fittipaldi | Penske | Chevrolet-Ilmor |
| 1991 | Arie Luyendyk | Lola | Chevrolet-Ilmor |
| 1992 | Bobby Rahal | Lola | Chevrolet-Ilmor |
| 1993 | Nigel Mansell | Lola | Ford-Cosworth |
| 1994 | Paul Tracy | Penske | Ilmor |
| 1995 | Emerson Fittipaldi | Penske | Mercedes-Benz-Ilmor |
| 1996 | Michael Andretti | Lola | Ford-Cosworth |
| 1997 | Paul Tracy | Penske | Mercedes-Benz-Ilmor |
| 1998 | Jimmy Vasser | Reynard | Honda |
| 1999 | Juan Pablo Montoya | Reynard | Honda |
| 2000 | Gil de Ferran | Reynard | Honda |
| 2001 | Scott Dixon | Reynard | Toyota |
[edit] Indy Racing League
| Season | Winning Driver | Chassis | Engine |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | Scott Sharp | Dallara | Chevrolet |
| 2003 | Helio Castroneves | Dallara | Toyota |
| 2004 | Dan Wheldon | Dallara | Honda |
[edit] Marlboro Challenge
| Season | Date | Winning Driver | Chassis | Engine |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | October 6 | Rick Mears | Penske | Chevrolet |
| 1992 | October 3 | Emerson Fittipaldi | Penske | Chevrolet |
[edit] NASCAR Busch Series
- 1988 - Rick Mast
- 1989 - Bobby Hillin Jr.
- 1990 - Jimmy Hensley
- 1991 - Chuck Bown
- 1992 - Todd Bodine
- 1993 - Robert Pressley
- 1994 - Ricky Craven
- 1995 - Tim Fedewa
- 1996 - Randy LaJoie
- 1997 - Elliot Sadler
- 1998 - Tim Fedewa
- 1999 - Matt Kenseth
- 2000 - Ron Hornaday
- 2001 - Greg Biffle
- 2002 - Jason Keller
- 2003 - Ron Hornaday
- 2004 - Martin Truex Jr.
[edit] NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series
- 1996 - Jack Sprague
- 1997 - Jack Sprague
- 1998 - Ron Hornaday
- 1999 - Greg Biffle
- 2000 - Dennis Setzer
- 2001 - Greg Biffle
[edit] Trivia
Mark Knopfler wrote a song about Nazareth Speedway, titled "Speedway At Nazareth". The song appears on Knopfler's second solo album, Sailing to Philadelphia.The track still apears on the NASCAR 07 , but as a secret track.
[edit] External links/References
- Nazareth Speedway Official Site ← Dead Link
- Nazareth Speedway Page on NASCAR.com
- Dirt track history
- Maps and aerial photos
- WikiSatellite view at WikiMapia
- Street map from MapQuest or Google Local
- Topographic map from TopoZone
- Aerial image or topographic map from TerraServer-USA
- Satellite image from Google Maps or Microsoft Virtual Earth
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