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Grandstands in 1990s.

Overpass in the 1990s.

Michigan International Speedway is a two-mile (3.22-km) moderate-banked D-shaped superspeedway located off U.S. Highway 12 on more than 1,400 acres (5.7 km²) ^[1] near Brooklyn, in the scenic Irish Hills area of southeastern Michigan. The track is used primarily for NASCAR events. It is sometimes known as a "sister track" to Texas World Speedway, and was used as the basis of Auto Club Speedway. The track is currently owned by International Speedway Corporation (ISC). Michigan International Speedway is recognized as one of motorsports' premier facilities because of its wide racing surface and high banking (by open-wheel standards; the 18-degree banking is modest by stock car standards).

Michigan is now one of the fastest tracks in NASCAR due to its wide, sweeping corners and long straightaways; typical qualifying speeds are in excess of 190 mph (310 km/h) and corner entry speeds are anywhere from 205-215 mph (320 km/h).

[edit] History

Groundbreaking took place on September 28, 1967. Over 2.5 million yards (1,900,000 m³) of dirt were moved to form the D-shaped oval. The track opened in 1968 with a total capacity of 25,000 seats. The track was originally built and owned by Lawrence H. LoPatin, a Detroit-area land developer who built the speedway at an estimated cost of $4–6 million. ^[2]

In 1972, Roger Penske purchased the speedway for an estimated $2 million. During Penske's ownership the track was upgraded several times from the original capacity to 125,000 seating capacity. From 1996 to 2000, the track was referred to as Michigan Speedway. This was to keep consistency with other tracks owned by Roger Penske's Motorsports International before its merger with ISC. ^[3]

In 1999, the speedway was purchased by International Speedway Corporation (ISC) and in 2000 the track was renamed to its original name of Michigan International Speedway. In 2000 10,800 seats were added via a turn three grandstand bringing the speedway to its current capacity. In 2004-2005 the largest renovation project in the history of the facility was ready for race fans when it opened its doors for the race weekend. The AAA Motorsports Fan Plaza—a reconfiguration of over 26 acres (110,000 m²) behind the main grandstand—provided race fans a new an improved area to relax enjoy sponsor displays, merchandise, and concessions during breaks of on-track activity. A new, three-story viewing tower housing the Champions Club presented by AAA and 16 new corporate suites also awaited VIP Guests, while a state-of-the-art press box and an expansive race operations facility high above the 2-mile (3.2 km) oval welcomed the media and race officials.^[4]

[edit] Notable accidents

• 1984: Al Unser Jr. and Chip Ganassi crashed into the inside retaining wall on the backstretch. The crash effectively ended Ganassi's driving career.^{[citation needed]}

• August 1985: During practice for the Michigan 500, polesitter Bobby Rahal crashes hard into the wall, an accident blamed on the newly introduced Goodyear radial tires. Competitors refuse to race the following day, and the race was postponed. The following weekend, the race was held without major incident, utilizing the old bias ply tires.

• August 1992: Clifford Allison, son of retired NASCAR driver Bobby Allison, was killed during a practice-run crash

• August 1994: Ernie Irvan crashed in an early morning practice session. According to drivers on the track, a right front tire deflated, sending Irvan's car into the Turn Two wall at over 170 miles per hour (270 km/h).Emergency workers at the track extricated him from the car, and he was immediately airlifted to Saint Joseph's Hospital in Ann Arbor, Michigan. He was diagnosed with critical brain and lung injuries and given only a 10% chance of surviving the night. After making a full recovery, Irvan returned to Nascar in 1995. In 1997 Irvan won his final race at the June race at Michigan. Exactly 5 years after his near fatal accident there, Irvan crashed at Michigan while driving his own #84 Irvan-Simo Federated Auto Parts Pontiac in a practice session for the Busch Series race. Ernie was again airlifted from the track and was diagnosed with a mild head injury and a bruised lung as a result of the accident. Less than two weeks later, on September 3, 1999, surrounded by his wife and two children, Irvan announced his retirement from driving at a tearful press conference in Darlington, SC.

• July 26, 1998: Three spectators were killed^[5] and six injured from flying debris during a CART race crash. Those killed were Kenneth Dale Fox, 38, of Lansing, Michigan; and Sheryl Ann Laster, 40, and Michael Terry Tautkus, 49, both of Milan, Michigan.

• 2000: Elliott Sadler goes on a wild ride when he flips twelve times in a practice accident after cutting a tire in turn 1.

• 2009: Chad McCumbee rolled six times over and over after contract with a few cars in an ARCA race.

[edit] Other events

In addition to motor racing, the venue hosts the Michigan High School Athletic Association cross country finals for the Lower Peninsula. ^[6]

The track also hosts concerts in conjunction with its race weekends. A concert will be held on Saturday, June 14, and Saturday, Aug. 16.

Driving schools are held throughout the year.

The Formula SAE competition is now held at MIS.

[edit] Current schedule

• ARCA RE/MAX Series - Racing for Wild Life 200, June 12, 2009
• NASCAR Camping World Truck Series - Cool City Customs 200, June 13, 2009
• NASCAR Sprint Cup Series - LifeLock 400, June 14, 2009
• NASCAR Nationwide Series - Carfax 250, Aug. 15, 2009
• NASCAR Sprint Cup Series - CARFAX 400, Aug. 16, 2009

[edit] Records

• CART Practice (one lap): Andre Ribeiro, 30.201 s (238.403 mph), 1996 - all-time fastest lap
• CART Qualifying (one lap): Paul Tracy, 30.645 s (234.949 mph), 2000 - official track record
• CART Race (500 miles): Al Unser, Jr., 2 h 38 min 7.316 s (189.727 mph), 1990
• IRL Qualifying (one lap): Tomas Scheckter, 32.365 s (222.458 mph), 2003
• IRL Race (400 miles): Helio Castroneves 2 h 3 min 43.7441 s (193.972 mph), 2006
• NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Qualifying: Ryan Newman, 37.069 s (194.232 mph), 2005
• NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Race: Dale Jarrett, 2 h 17 min 56 s (173.997 mph), 1999
• NASCAR Nationwide Series Qualifying: Kasey Kahne, 38.608 s (186.490 mph), 2003
• NASCAR Nationwide Series Race: Mark Martin, 1 h 10 min 46 s (169.571 mph), 1995
• NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Qualifying: Kyle Busch, 39.645 s (181.612 mph), 2005
• NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Race: Brendan Gaughan, 1 h 17 min 54 s (154.044 mph), 2003

[edit] Notes

[edit] External links

• Michigan International Speedway Official Site
• Michigan International Speedway Page on NASCAR.com
• fansite for the track's infield camping
• 2008 Michigan International Speedway Schedule

Coordinates: 42°03′58.68″N 84°14′29.18″W / 42.0663°N 84.2414389°W / 42.0663; -84.2414389