Phoenix International Raceway.
This Nascar Track is actually located in Avondale, AZ a nearby neighbor of Phoenix.
Here's some history from the NASCAR website-
"In 1964, when Phoenix International Raceway was carved out of the foothills of the Estrella Mountains, it was intended to be a new jewel in the crown of American open-wheel racing.
Drivers like Mario Andretti, A.J. Foyt, Parnelli Jones and the Unsers soon came to love the 1-mile paved oval with the unique bend in the backstretch. And they really loved coming to Phoenix, where the tourism industry was just starting to grow and its Western style hospitality was second to none."
"But it wasn't until 1988, when NASCAR's Cup Series racing came to PIR, that auto racing in Phoenix really became a major sporting attraction for the Valley of the Sun. New racing legends and legends-in-the-making like Davey Allison, Richard Petty, Dale Earnhardt, Rusty Wallace and the rest of the Cup stars found out firsthand what their Champ Car brethren had known for years: Phoenix International Raceway is truly a great place to race, both for the drivers and especially the fans."
"Today, Phoenix International Raceway has a tradition that is unmatched in the world of racing. The IndyCars have made 58 visits to PIR, and the annual fall NASCAR weekend, including Cup, Busch, Craftsman Trucks and Featherlite Southwest Series races, is one of the biggest events in the entire state."
Drivers like Mario Andretti, A.J. Foyt, Parnelli Jones and the Unsers soon came to love the 1-mile paved oval with the unique bend in the backstretch. And they really loved coming to Phoenix, where the tourism industry was just starting to grow and its Western style hospitality was second to none."
"But it wasn't until 1988, when NASCAR's Cup Series racing came to PIR, that auto racing in Phoenix really became a major sporting attraction for the Valley of the Sun. New racing legends and legends-in-the-making like Davey Allison, Richard Petty, Dale Earnhardt, Rusty Wallace and the rest of the Cup stars found out firsthand what their Champ Car brethren had known for years: Phoenix International Raceway is truly a great place to race, both for the drivers and especially the fans."
"Today, Phoenix International Raceway has a tradition that is unmatched in the world of racing. The IndyCars have made 58 visits to PIR, and the annual fall NASCAR weekend, including Cup, Busch, Craftsman Trucks and Featherlite Southwest Series races, is one of the biggest events in the entire state."
Here's a link to the site, which has more details about the track including a nice map. http://www.nascar.com/races/tracks/pir/
I do know that when they have their races, Avondale becomes the biggest city in the state, thanks to all of the race fans that spend millions of dollars in Avondale & surrounding cities.
The next major event is coming up soon- April 16-18, 2009.
Once again you made your FIL's day!!
ReplyDeleteHe does love the race tracks.
Well, I guess that will be our excuse to go out to Firebird someday.
ReplyDelete