Bonneville Speedway

Bonneville Salt Flats Race Track
Phoenix diesel truck running at Bonneville, August 2003
Bonneville Speedway is located in Utah
Bonneville Speedway
Bonneville Speedway is located in the United States
Bonneville Speedway
Nearest cityWendover, Utah
Coordinates40°45′45″N 113°53′44″W / 40.76250°N 113.89556°W / 40.76250; -113.89556
Area36,650 acres (14,830 ha)
Built1911
NRHP reference No.75001826[1]
Added to NRHPMarch 16, 1984

Bonneville Speedway (also known as the Bonneville Salt Flats Race Track) is an area of the Bonneville Salt Flats northeast of Wendover, Utah, that is marked out for motor sports. It is particularly noted as the venue for numerous land speed records. The Bonneville Salt Flats Race Track is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.[1]

The salt flats were first used for motor sports in 1912, but did not become truly popular until the 1930s when Ab Jenkins and Sir Malcolm Campbell competed to set land speed records.

A reduction of available racing surface and salt thickness has led to the cancellation of events at Bonneville, such as Speed Week in 2014 and 2015.[2] Available racing surface is much reduced with just 2.5 miles (4.0 km) available[2] instead of the 9-mile (14 km) courses traditionally used for Speed Week.[3]

  1. ^ a b "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  2. ^ a b Traugott, Jay (22 Jul 2015). "They Just Cancelled Speed Week At Bonneville For The Second Year In A Row". carbuzz.com. Retrieved 6 Dec 2018.
  3. ^ Penrod, Emma (12 Jul 2015). "Utah's Famous Bonneville Salt Flats are Disappearing". The Salt Lake Tribune. Huntsman Family Investments, LLC. Archived from the original on 14 July 2015.