 | |
 Tri-oval | |
| Location | 1 Speedway Drive, Sparta, Kentucky, 41086 |
|---|---|
| Time zone | UTC−5 (UTC−4 DST) |
| Coordinates | 38°42′35″N 84°54′58″W / 38.70964°N 84.91624°W |
| Capacity | 66,000 |
| Owner | Speedway Motorsports (2009–present) Jerry Carroll (1998–2008) |
| Broke ground | 18 July 1998 |
| Opened | 16 June 2000 |
| Construction cost | US$153 million |
| Major events | Former:
|
| Website | kentuckyspeedway Archived September 28, 2020, at the Wayback Machine |
| Tri-oval (2000–present) | |
| Surface | Asphalt |
| Length | 1.5 miles (2.4 km) |
| Turns | 4 |
| Banking | Turns 1 and 2: 17° Turns 3 and 4: 14° Frontstretch: 10° Backstretch: 4° |
| Race lap record | 0:24.0967 ( Tomas Scheckter, Dallara IR-00, 2002, IndyCar) |
Kentucky Speedway is an inactive 1.5 miles (2.4 km) tri-oval intermediate speedway in Sparta, Kentucky. It has hosted various major races throughout its existence, including NASCAR and IndyCar races. The track is owned by Speedway Motorsports, LLC (SMI) and is currently used as a storage and parking lot for various companies. The speedway has a grandstand capacity of 66,000 as of 2020.
In the 1990s, then-Turfway Park owner Jerry Carroll sought to seek new profitable ventures after Turfway Park's decline, deciding to build a modern auto racing facility. Construction started in July 1998 and opened nearly two years later, with an ultimate goal of securing a NASCAR Cup Series race weekend in the near future. However, under Carroll's tenure, a Cup Series date was not given. After a change in ownership to Bruton Smith in 2008, the track gained a Cup Series date in 2011. However, after a inaugural Cup Series weekend plagued by traffic issues and lackluster revenue throughout the following decade, the facility was dropped from the NASCAR schedule starting in 2021, and has since been turned into a multi-use rental complex.