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Lowe's Motor Speedway
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Dale Earnhardt, Sr. Jeff Gordon History of NASCAR
Lowe's Motor Speedway (formerly Charlotte Motor Speedway) is a
superspeedway in Concord, North Carolina, a few miles north of Charlotte. It
features a 1.5 mile long quad-oval track that seats 167,000 people, with room
for 50,000 more spectators in the infield. Constructed in 1959, it was the first
speedway to host nighttime racing (in 1992) and to offer year-round residences
(in 1984) with 52 condominiums now available over turn one. It is presently
owned by, and is the main facility of, Speedway Motorsports. The speedway is
considered the center of NASCAR, with 90% of NASCAR teams being based within 50
miles.
Along with the main oval, the speedway also has a 2.25 mile road course in the
infield, an 0.6 mile kart course in the infield, a quarter-mile oval using part
of the front stretch and pit road, and an 0.2 mile oval outside turn three.
Also, across U.S. Highway 29 from the speedway is The Dirt Track @ Lowe's Motor
Speedway (home of the $50,000-to-win Colossal 100 for Dirt Late Models), opened
in May 2000.
The track was repaved in the 2005 and caused major Tire problems during a NASCAR
Nextel Cup Series Race Event there. Speed increases were also a result of the
repaving. After the problem with the tires, speedway officials promptly
announced that they plan to repave again with variable banking.
The facility is considered one of the busiest sports venues in the country, with
typically over 380 events a year. Along with many races, the speedway also hosts
the Food Lion Auto Fair twice a year, one the nation's largest car shows. Movies
and commercials are filmed there, like Days of Thunder, and it is a popular
tourist stop and testing grounds.
In February 1999, Lowe's bought the naming rights to the speedway, making it the
first race track in the country with a corporate sponsor.
The Indy Racing League (IRL) tried open-wheel racing a few times at Lowe's, but
this ended after an accident during the VisionAire 500 on May 1, 1999 that
killed three spectators and injured eight others. A car hit the wall, losing a
tire, which was then propelled into the stands by another car. Following the
accident, a short series of bombings took place in Lowe's home improvement
stores in North Carolina, injuring three, and prompting some to think there may
be a link with a relative of one of the victims. When George Rocha was arrested
for the bombings, he claimed that he was angry about the crash at the speedway,
but he later confessed that it was retribution for being caught shoplifting and
an attempt at extortion.
During a "Race Week", Concord can balloon by over 200,000 people, temporarily
making it the third largest city in North Carolina.
The ARCA RE/MAX Series races here, and for several years, an ARCA racer died in
either a race or practice. The last person to die at Lowe's Motor Speedway was
Eric Martin from Hixson, Tennessee, on October 9, 2002. Martin lost control of
the car and Deborah Renshaw plowed into Martin's car at 160 MPH killing him
instantly. As a result of this, spotters must be spotting in all practice
sessions.
Current Races
NASCAR Nextel Cup - Nextel All-Star Challenge
NASCAR Nextel Cup - Coca Cola 600
NASCAR Nextel Cup - UAW-GM Quality 500
NASCAR Busch Series - CARQUEST Auto Parts 300
NASCAR Busch Series - Dollar General 300
NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series - Charlotte Tailgate 200
ARCA RE/MAX Series - Quaker Steak and Lube 100
American Speed Association Series - Charlotte ASA Inaugural
Records
NASCAR Nextel Cup Race 600 Mile: Bobby Labonte, 151.952, May 29, 1995
NASCAR Nextel Cup Race 500 Mile:
Jeff Gordon, 160.306 mph, October 10, 1999
NASCAR Nextel Cup Qualifying: Elliott Sadler, 193.216 mph, October 13, 2005
NASCAR Busch Series Race: Mark Martin, 155.996 mph, May 25, 1996
NASCAR Busch Series Qualifying: Kevin Harvick, 184.445 mph, 2003
NASCAR Craftsman Truck Race: Ted Musgrave 114.768 mph May 16, 2003
NASCAR Craftsman Truck Qualifying: Mike Skinner 183.051 mph 2005
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