Michigan International Speedway

From Encyclopedia Jr, free information reference for Kids

Michigan International Speedway
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Facility statistics
Location	12626 U.S. 12 Brooklyn, Michigan, 49230
Broke ground	September 28, 1967
Opened	October 13, 1968
Owner	International Speedway Corporation
Operator	International Speedway Corporation
Construction cost	$4-6 million
Architect	Charles Moneypenny
Former names
Michigan Speedway (1996-2000)
Major events
NASCAR Nextel Cup 3M Performance 400 GFS Marketplace 400 NASCAR Busch Series Carfax 250 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Con-way Freight 200 Indy Racing League Firestone Indy 400 ARCA Remax Series Hantz Group 200 (June) Hantz Group 200 (August)
Seating capacity
137,243
Current dimensions
Track shape	Tri-oval
Track length	2.0 miles
Track banking	Turns - 18°

Michigan International Speedway is a two-mile (3.22 km), moderate-banked, tri-oval superspeedway located off U.S. Highway 12 on more than 1,200 acres (5 km²) near Brooklyn, in the scenic Irish Hills area of southeastern Michigan. It is used for NASCAR and high-level open wheel motor racing events. It is sometimes known as a "sister track" to California Speedway.

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 and corner entry speeds easily exceed 200.

The track opened in 1968 and is 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 (to open-wheel standards; the 18-degree banking is modest to stock car standards).

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.

In addition to motor racing, the venue hosts the Michigan High School Athletic Association cross country finals for the Lower Peninsula.[1][2]

[edit] Current Races

• Nextel Cup - 3M Performance 400
• Nextel Cup - GFS Marketplace 400
• Busch Series - Carfax 250
• Indy Racing League - Michigan Indy 400
• ARCA - Hantz Group 200

[edit] Records

• NASCAR Nextel Cup Qualifying: Ryan Newman, 37.069 sec. (194.232 mph), 2005
• NASCAR Nextel Cup Race: Dale Jarrett, 2 hrs. 17 min. 56 sec. (173.997 mph), 1999
• NASCAR Busch Series Qualifying: Kasey Kahne, 38.608 sec. (186.490 mph), 2003
• NASCAR Busch Series Race: Mark Martin, 1 hr. 10 min. 46 sec. (169.571 mph), 1995
• NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Qualifying: Kyle Busch, 39.645 sec. (181.612 mph), 2005
• NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Race: Brendan Gaughan, 1 hr. 17 min. 54 sec. (154.044 mph), 2003

[edit] External links

• Michigan International Speedway Official Site
• Michigan International Speedway Page on NASCAR.com
• Maps and aerial photos Coordinates: 42.06630° -84.24144°
  • 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