Kansas Speedway

LocationKansas City, Kansas, United States
Time zoneUTC−6 / UTC−5 (DST)
Coordinates39°6′56.84″N 94°49′51.82″W / 39.1157889°N 94.8310611°W / 39.1157889; -94.8310611
Capacity48,000[1]
OwnerNASCAR (2019–present)
International Speedway Corporation (2001–2019)
OperatorNASCAR (2001–present)
Broke groundMay 1999 (1999-05)
OpenedJune 2001 (2001-06)
ArchitectHNTB
Major eventsCurrent:
NASCAR Cup Series
Hollywood Casino 400 (2001–present)
AdventHealth 400 (2011–present)
NASCAR Xfinity Series
Kansas Lottery 300 (2001–present)
NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series
Heart of America 200 (2001–present)
Kansas Lottery 200 (2020, 2022–present)
ARCA Menards Series
Kansas Lottery 150 (2001–present)
Dutch Boy 150 (2020–present)
Former:
IMSA Sportscar Championship
Grand Prix of Kansas (2013–2014)
IndyCar Series
RoadRunner Turbo Indy 300 (2001–2010)
Indy Lights (2001–2004, 2008–2009)
Websitehttp://www.kansasspeedway.com
Tri-oval (2001–present)
SurfaceAsphalt
Length1.500 miles (2.414 km)
Turns4
BankingTurns: 17-20° (Progressive)
Tri-Oval: 9-11° (Progressive)
Backstretch:
Race lap record0:24.8742 (South Africa Tomas Scheckter, Dallara IR-00, 2002, IndyCar)
Road course (2012–present)
SurfaceAsphalt
Length2.370 miles (3.814 km)
Turns9
Race lap record1:09.745 (United States Scott Pruett, Riley Mk XXVI, 2013, Daytona Prototype)

Kansas Speedway is a 1.500 mi (2.414 km) tri-oval race track in the Village West area in Kansas City, Kansas. It was built in 2001 and it currently hosts two annual NASCAR race weekends. The IndyCar Series also held races at the venue until 2011. The speedway is owned and operated by NASCAR.

History

Kansas Speedway
The front stretch and infield of Kansas Speedway
Aerial view of Kansas Speedway and vicinity

International Speedway Corporation began exploring the idea of building a racing facility in the midwest in 1996. Attention was turned towards the Kansas City area in 1997. Officials considered both the Missouri and Kansas side of the city but eventually settled with the Kansas side because of better funding. Architecture firm HNTB, which also designed Chicagoland Speedway, provided civil engineering and site development, landscape design, and race track design. Design firm DLR Group provided architecture and engineering of all buildings on site, and grandstand design. Firm Turner Construction was selected to provide construction management.[2] The land to be acquired required eminent domain proceedings by county officials, but the Kansas Supreme Court approved the government's taking.[3] Construction began on the 1,200 acres (4.9 km2), 1.500 mi (2.414 km) speedway in May 1999, and in July, preferred tickets went on sale. The demand at the ticket sales prompted ISC officials to expand the planned 32 by an additional 36, expanding capacity from 75,000 to 82,000. Speedway officials were hopeful to have the track completed sometime in 2000, and possibly host a race, but construction was delayed by weather and further complicated by lawsuits from nearby land owners.[4] In May 2000, both IndyCar and NASCAR announced events to be held at the speedway for the 2001 season. Track paving began in September 2000, and construction of the speedway was completed in early 2001.[5]

The building of the speedway has had a significant impact on the nearby area, even before construction was finished. New commercial developments sprung up around the speedway, including a movie theater complex, an outdoor retail mall, and hotels.[6] A 2008 survey by The Washington Economics Group revealed that Kansas Speedway brings $243 million to the state of Kansas each year. It also provides over 5000 jobs, with 4000 jobs coming directly from track operations.[7] Additional seats have been added since initial construction. In 2003, 1,600 seats were added, and in 2005, 1,500 seats plus a 7,000 square feet (650 m2) concession and restroom building were added. Both expansions were headed by the track's original contractors, HNTB and Turner Construction.[2]

In 2011 Kansas Speedway and Richard Petty Driving Experience announced an exclusive agreement where visitors have the opportunity to experience the speedway from a unique point-of-view behind the wheel of a race car.[8]

The speedway constructed the $380-million Penn National Gaming Hollywood Hotel and Casino at the track. The hotel/casino overlooks turn two and opened to the public on February 12, 2012. The state-of-the-art casino features a 100,000 square feet (9,300 m2) gaming floor capacity for 2,300 slot machines, 61 table games and 25 poker tables. It also features 28,000 square feet (2,600 m2) of other amenities including restaurants, clubs and nightlife attractions. The addition of the casino is estimated to bring nearly 440,000 tourists per year and create over 1,000 full-time positions; elevating the state to a first-class, year-round tourist destination. On February 17, 2010, the president of Kansas Speedway announced that Penn National Gaming will sponsor the fall NASCAR Cup race for the next ten years in the Hollywood Casino 400.[9]

Lights were installed from mid-2010 to early 2011, this comes along with the addition of a second NASCAR weekend beginning with the 2011 season. All the NASCAR races at the track are scheduled to be run during the day, with the lights being available in case of a rain delay.[10] The first night race at the track was an ARCA race on October 7, 2011.[11] On October 11, 2013, it was announced that Darlington Speedway's lone NASCAR event and Kansas's spring race will swap dates for 2014, with Kansas becoming a night race. The fall race at the track will remain a day event.[12]

In July 2011, the speedway announced they would reconfigure the speedway following the 2012 STP 400. Some of the changes included adding a road course in the infield, repaving the oval, and adding variable banking.[13] On August 28–29 the track's reconfiguration of the oval took the checkered flag as the NASCAR Cup Series held a Goodyear Tire test for the upcoming October 21 Hollywood Casino 400. As a result of the project, the banking in the turns was increased from a uniform 15 degrees to a progressively 17–20 degrees, the grass on the inside of the backstretch was paved over for safety reasons, and due to the drought in Kansas, new grass on the front stretch was rolled using sod trucks. In 2013, the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series announced they would come to the track for the 2013 season.

On January 28, 2019, it was revealed on ISC's 2018 annual report that the speedway's track seating was reduced from 64,000 to 48,000.[1]

Track length of paved oval

The track length is disputed by the two major series that run at Kansas Speedway. The NASCAR timing and scoring use a length of 1.500 mi (2.414 km).[14] The IRL timing and scoring used a track length of 1.520 mi (2.446 km).[15]

Aerial image of Kansas Speedway

Lap records

As of October 2019, the fastest official race lap records at Kansas Speedway are listed as:

CategoryTimeDriverVehicleDate
Tri-Oval: 2.414 km (2001–present)[16]
IndyCar0:24.8742[17]Tomas ScheckterDallara IR-002002 Ameristar Casino Indy 200
NASCAR Cup0:28.857[18]Kyle LarsonChevrolet SS2015 SpongeBob SquarePants 400
Indy Lights0:29.1639[19]Al UnserDallara IPS2004 Aventis Racing for Kids 100
NASCAR Truck0:30.518[20]Stewart FriesenChevrolet Silverado2018 37 Kind Days 250
NASCAR Xfinity0:30.796[21]Tyler ReddickChevrolet Camaro ZL12019 Kansas Lottery 300
Road Course: 3.814 km (2012–present)[16]
DP1:09.745[22]Scott PruettRiley MkXXVI2013 SFP Grand Prix
LMPC1:11.360[23]Alex TaglianiOreca FLM092014 Grand Prix of Kansas
Grand-Am GT1:15.013[22]Jeff SegalFerrari 458 Italia Grand-Am2013 SFP Grand Prix
IMSA Prototype Challenge1:15.708[23]Misha GoikhbergÉlan DP022014 Grand Prix of Kansas
Grand-Am GX1:21.565[22]Tom LongMazda6 GX2013 SFP Grand Prix

Races

Current races

Former races

Track records

RecordDateDriverTimeSpeed/Avg. Speed
NASCAR Cup Series
QualifyingOctober 3, 2014Kevin Harvick27.304197.773 mph (318.285 km/h)
RaceApril 22, 2012Denny Hamlin2:54:02144.122 mph (231.942 km/h)
NASCAR Xfinity Series
QualifyingOctober 16, 2015Matt Kenseth29.204184.906 mph (297.577 km/h)
RaceSeptember 29, 2001Jeff Green2:19:24129.125 mph (207.807 km/h)
NASCAR Truck Series
QualifyingMay 8, 2015Erik Jones30.101179.396 mph (288.710 km/h)
RaceJuly 7, 2001Ricky Hendrick2:00:09125.094 mph (201.319 km/h)
IndyCar Series
QualifyingJuly 6, 2002Scott Dixon24.761218.085 mph (350.974 km/h)
RaceApril 29, 2007Dan Wheldon1:36:56188.169 mph (302.829 km/h)
Grand Am Rolex Sports Car Series (road course)
QualifyingAugust 16, 2013Scott Pruett1:09.883122.089 mph (196.483 km/h)
RaceAugust 17, 2013Scott Pruett1:09.745122.331 mph (196.873 km/h)
Source:[24]

NASCAR Cup Series winners

Year Date No. Driver Team Manufacturer Race Distance Race Time Average Speed
(mph)
Report
Laps Miles (km)
2001 September 30 24 Jeff Gordon Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 267 400.5 (644.542) 3:37:19 110.576 Report
2002 September 29 24 Jeff Gordon Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 267 400.5 (644.542) 3:21:16 119.394 Report
2003 October 5 12 Ryan Newman Penske Racing Dodge 267 400.5 (644.542) 3:17:34 121.63 Report
2004 October 10 01 Joe Nemechek MB2 Motorsports Chevrolet 267 400.5 (644.542) 3:07:39 128.58 Report
2005 October 9 6 Mark Martin Roush Fenway Racing Ford 267 400.5 (644.542) 2:54:25 137.774 Report
2006 October 1 20 Tony Stewart Joe Gibbs Racing Chevrolet 267 400.5 (644.542) 3:17:22 121.753 Report
2007 September 30 16 Greg Biffle Roush Fenway Racing Ford 210* 315 (506.943) 3:00:02 104.981 Report
2008 September 28 48 Jimmie Johnson Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 267 400.5 (644.542) 2:59:56 133.549 Report
2009 October 4 14 Tony Stewart Stewart Haas Racing Chevrolet 267 400.5 (644.542) 2:55:13 137.144 Report
2010 October 3 16 Greg Biffle Roush Fenway Racing Ford 267 400.5 (644.542) 2:54:02 138.077 Report
2011 June 5 2 Brad Keselowski Penske Racing Dodge 267 400.5 (644.542) 2:55:10 137.184 Report
October 9 48 Jimmie Johnson Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 272* 408 (656.612) 2:58:27 137.181 Report
2012 April 22 11 Denny Hamlin Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 267 400.5 (644.542) 2:46:44 144.122 Report
October 21 17 Matt Kenseth Roush Fenway Racing Ford 267 400.5 (644.542) 3:28:48 115.086 Report
2013 April 21 20 Matt Kenseth Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 267 400.5 (644.542) 2:59:51 133.611 Report
October 6 29 Kevin Harvick Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 267 400.5 (644.542) 3:29:10 114.884 Report
2014 May 10 24 Jeff Gordon Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 267 400.5 (644.542) 3:07:31 128.149 Report
October 5 22 Joey Logano Team Penske Ford 267 400.5 (644.542) 2:49:17 141.951 Report
2015 May 9 48 Jimmie Johnson Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 267 400.5 (644.542) 3:11:50 125.265 Report
October 18 22 Joey Logano Team Penske Ford 269* 403.5 (649.370) 2:58:22 135.732 Report
2016 May 7 18 Kyle Busch Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 267 400.5 (644.542) 2:49:20 141.909 Report
October 16 4 Kevin Harvick Stewart Haas Racing Chevrolet 267 400.5 (644.542) 3:00:28 133.155 Report
2017 May 13 78 Martin Truex Jr. Furniture Row Racing Toyota 267 400.5 (644.542) 3:24:16 117.64 Report
October 22 78 Martin Truex Jr. Furniture Row Racing Toyota 267 400.5 (644.542) 3:11:57 125.189 Report
2018 May 12 4 Kevin Harvick Stewart Haas Racing Ford 267 400.5 (644.542) 2:53:38 128.395 Report
October 21 9 Chase Elliott Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 267 400.5 (644.542) 2:38:02 152.057 Report
2019 May 11 2 Brad Keselowski Team Penske Ford 271* 406.5 (654.198) 3:06:09 131.023 Report
October 20 11 Denny Hamlin Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 277* 415.5 (668.682) 3:02:39 136.491 Report
2020 July 23* 11 Denny Hamlin Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 267 400.5 (644.542) 3:17:14 121.835 Report
October 18 22 Joey Logano Team Penske Ford 267 400.5 (644.542) 2:53:43 138.329 Report
2021 May 2 18 Kyle Busch Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 267 400.5 (644.542) 3:05:21 129.647 Report
October 24 5 Kyle Larson Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 267 400.5 (644.542) 3:03:49 130.728 Report
2022 May 15 45 Kurt Busch 23XI Racing Toyota 267 400.5 (644.542) 3:13:03 124.476 Report
September 11 45 Bubba Wallace 23XI Racing Toyota 267 400.5 (644.542) 3:10:03 126.44 Report
2023 May 7 11 Denny Hamlin Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 267 400.5 (644.542) 3:24:24 117.564 Report
September 10 45 Tyler Reddick 23XI Racing Toyota Report

Notes

  • Denny Hamlin is the winningest driver at the track with four wins.
  • 2007 : Race shortened due to rain.
  • 2011 (fall), 2015 (fall), 2019 (both): Race extended due to a NASCAR Overtime finish. 2019 (fall) took two attempts.
  • 2020 (spring): Race postponed from May 31 to July 23 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Non-racing events

Since 2016, the speedway has hosted the American Royal BBQ competition.[25]

See also

Located about 1 mile west of the speedway:

References

  1. 1 2 Page, Scott (January 27, 2019). "International Speedway Corporation continues to reduce tack seating". Jayski's Silly Season Site. ESPN. Retrieved January 29, 2019.
  2. 1 2 "Kansas City Projects". Turner Construction. Archived from the original on March 21, 2006. Retrieved November 29, 2010.
  3. State ex rel. Tomasic v. Unified Gov't of Wyandotte Cty./Kansas City, Kan., 265 Kan. 779, 962 P.2d 543 (1998)
  4. "Kansas track facing construction delays". CNN/SI. July 3, 1999. Retrieved November 29, 2010.
  5. "Track History". Kansas Speedway. Archived from the original on May 13, 2011. Retrieved November 29, 2010.
  6. "Speedway seen as powerful economic engine for KCK". cjonline.com. September 3, 2000. Retrieved November 29, 2010.
  7. "Kansas Speedway Provides $243 Million Economic Impact to State of Kansas Annually". Paddock Talk. August 8, 2008. Archived from the original on July 19, 2011. Retrieved November 29, 2010.
  8. "NASCAR Racing Experience- NASCAR Driving Experience". drivepetty.com. Retrieved April 5, 2018.
  9. "Hollywood Casino Gets Green Light". April 30, 2010. Retrieved November 29, 2010.
  10. "Second Sprint Cup race at Kansas Speedway is official". The Wichita Eagle. August 11, 2010. Archived from the original on March 19, 2012. Retrieved November 29, 2010.
  11. "ARCA to christen Kansas Speedway lights". Kansas City Star. November 24, 2010. Retrieved November 29, 2010.
  12. "Kansas Speedway lands NASCAR Sprint Cup night race". 11 October 2013. Kansas City Star. Retrieved October 11, 2013.
  13. "Kansas set to undergo renovation project in 2012". 7 July 2011. NASCAR. Retrieved July 8, 2011.
  14. "Buy Tickets - Official Site Of NASCAR". nascar.com. Retrieved April 5, 2018.
  15. "2010 Road Runner Turbo Indy 300". www.champcarstats.com. Retrieved April 5, 2018.
  16. 1 2 "Kansas Speedway - Racing Circuits". Retrieved February 12, 2023.
  17. "2002 Kansas Indycars". Retrieved November 5, 2022.
  18. "2015 NASCAR Cup Series SpongeBob SquarePants 400". Retrieved November 5, 2022.
  19. "2004 Kansas Indy Lights". Retrieved November 5, 2022.
  20. "NASCAR Truck 2018 Kansas". Retrieved November 5, 2022.
  21. "NASCAR XFINITY 2019 Kansas". Retrieved November 5, 2022.
  22. 1 2 3 "Grand-Am Kansas 2013". Retrieved November 5, 2022.
  23. 1 2 "Kansas [PC] 2014". Retrieved November 5, 2022.
  24. "Race Results at Kansas Speedway". racing-reference.info. Retrieved November 29, 2010.
  25. ""BBQ"".
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