Pikes Peak International Raceway

Pikes Peak International Raceway

Location16650 Midway Ranch Road, Fountain, Colorado, 80817
Time zoneUTC-07:00 (UTC-06:00 DST)
Coordinates38°35′29.85″N 104°40′34.39″W / 38.5916250°N 104.6762194°W / 38.5916250; -104.6762194
Capacity10,000
40,000[1]
OwnerPikes Peak International Raceway, LLC (2008–present)
International Speedway Corporation (2005–2008)
Opened31 May 1997; 27 years ago (1997-05-31)
Re-opened: 2008
ClosedAugust 2005; 19 years ago (2005-08)
Construction cost$50 million
Major eventsFormer:
IndyCar Series
Honda Indy 225 (1997–2005)
NASCAR Busch Series
ITT Industries & Goulds Pumps Salute to the Troops 250 (1998–2005)
Infiniti Pro Series (2003–2005)
Star Mazda Championship (2005)
NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series (1998–2002)
Trans-Am Series (1997–1999)
SpeedVision World Challenge (1997–1999)
IMSA GT Championship (1997)
D-Shaped Oval (1997–present)
SurfaceAsphalt
Length1.000 miles (1.619 km)
Turns4
Banking10°
Race lap record0:27.7067 (Brazil Tony Kanaan, Dallara IR-03, 2003, IndyCar)
Road Course (1997–present)
SurfaceAsphalt
Length1.289 miles (2.074 km)
Turns9
Race lap record0:49.238 (Italy Andrea Montermini, Ferrari 333 SP, 1997, WSC)
Short Oval (1997–present)
SurfaceAsphalt
Length0.25 miles (0.40 km)
Turns4
Previous logo

Pikes Peak International Raceway (PPIR) is a racetrack in the Colorado Springs area within the city limits of Fountain, Colorado, that by October 12, 1997, was "the fastest 1-mile paved oval anywhere".[2] The speedway hosted races in several series including the Indy Racing League and two NASCAR series (Busch and Truck) until operations were suspended from August 2005. A wide variety of amateur racing groups use PPIR for racing and training as the circuit is now closed to sanctioned professional auto racing due to the purchase of the track by PPIR LLC from NASCAR/ISC in 2008 after the track was put up for sale in 2006. The sale included a clause that prohibited sanctioned professional auto racing, as well as the need for additional safety upgrades at a cost of $1 million+ for professional racing series that the new ownership had no interest in implementing with the clause in place.[3]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference Amenities was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Bergsten, Tim (October 12, 1997). "PPIR races through 1st year, tunes up for next". The Gazette. Myers, and Apollo Real Estate Advisory of New York, the track's co-owners, didn't borrow money to build PPIR. Neither has a loan to pay.
  3. ^ PAISLEY, JOE (21 August 2015). "Pikes Peak International Raceway may not host major races, but it sure isn't shut down". Colorado Springs Gazette. Retrieved 2021-08-28.