| America's Home for Racing | |
|---|---|
 | |
 Quad Oval (1960–present) | |
 NASCAR Road Course "Roval" (2024) | |
| Location | 5555 Concord Parkway South, Concord, North Carolina, 28027 |
| Time zone | UTC−5 (UTC−4 DST) |
| Coordinates | 35°21′09″N 80°40′57″W / 35.35250°N 80.68250°W |
| Owner | Speedway Motorsports (1974, 1976–present) |
| Broke ground | July 28, 1959 |
| Opened | June 15, 1960 |
| Construction cost | US$2 million |
| Former names | Lowe's Motor Speedway (1999–2009) |
| Major events | Current:
Former:
|
| Website | charlottemotorspeedway |
| Quad Oval (1960–present) | |
| Surface | Asphalt |
| Length | 1.500 miles (2.414 km) |
| Turns | 4 |
| Banking | Turns: 24° Straights: 5° |
| Race lap record | 0:24.735 ( Kenny Bräck, Dallara IR-7, 1998, IndyCar) |
| NASCAR Road Course "Roval" (2024) | |
| Surface | Asphalt |
| Length | 2.320 miles (3.734 km) |
| Turns | 17 |
| Banking | Oval turns: 24° Oval straights: 5° |
| Race lap record | 1:24.163 ( Austin Dillon, Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, 2024, NASCAR Cup) |
| NASCAR Road Course "Roval" (2019–2023)[a] | |
| Surface | Asphalt |
| Length | 2.280 miles (3.669 km) |
| Turns | 17 |
| Banking | Oval turns: 24° Oval straights: 5° |
| Race lap record | 1:18.188 ( Paul Menard, Chevrolet Camaro Trans-Am, 2022, TA1) |
| NASCAR Road Course "Roval" (2018)[a] | |
| Surface | Asphalt |
| Length | 2.280 miles (3.669 km) |
| Turns | 17 |
| Banking | Oval turns: 24° Oval straights: 5° |
| Race lap record | 1:18.078 ( Kyle Larson, Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, 2018, NASCAR Cup) |
| Roval (1971–2014) | |
| Surface | Asphalt |
| Length | 3.621 miles (2.250 km) |
| Turns | 18 |
| Banking | Oval turns: 24° Oval straights: 5° |
| Race lap record | 1:05.524 ( Jan Magnussen, Panoz LMP-1 Roadster-S, 2000, LMP900) |
Charlotte Motor Speedway (known as Lowe's Motor Speedway from 1999 to 2009 due to sponsorship reasons) is a 1.500-mile (2.414 km) quad-oval intermediate speedway in Concord, North Carolina. It has hosted various major races since its inaugural season of racing in 1960, including NASCAR, IndyCar, and IMSA SportsCar Championship races. The facility is currently owned by Speedway Motorsports, LLC (SMI), with Greg Walter serving as its general manager. Charlotte Motor Speedway is served by U.S. Route 29.
The speedway has a capacity of 95,000 as of 2021. The track features numerous amenities, including a Speedway Club, condos, and a seven-story tower located on the complex for office space and souvenirs. In addition, the Charlotte Motor Speedway complex features numerous adjacent tracks, including a 1⁄5 mile (0.32 km) clay short track, a 2⁄5 mile (0.64 km) dirt track, and a 1⁄4 mile (0.40 km) long drag strip. The main track also features an infield road course that is used with the oval to make a "roval".
With the rise of popularity in stock car racing in the American Southeast that began in the late 1940s and stretched into the 1950s, racing promoter Bruton Smith sought to build a state-of-the-art facility. At the same time, driver and businessman Curtis Turner sought to do the same. After initially refusing, Turner eventually partnered with Smith after they agreed to sell shares needed for the track's construction. Charlotte Motor Speedway was constructed in less than 11 months. The facility immediately faced a litany of issues, particularly financial woes. Within the facility's first decade of existence, ownership changed hands numerous times, with Smith and Turner both leaving. After a period of stability under the ownership of Richard Howard from the mid-1960s to the mid-1970s, Smith and his new partner, racing promoter and eventual longtime track general manager Humpy Wheeler, completed a takeover of Charlotte Motor Speedway in 1976. Since then, the Smith family and their company, SMI, have directed the facility's expansion and growth into one of the largest sports facilities in the United States.
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