Tucson Raceway Park

Motorsport venue
Name = Tucson Raceway Park


Location = Tucson, Arizona
Opened = 1968
Owner = Dan & Joyce Ruth
Operator = Ruth Family
Events = NASCAR Whelen All-American Series
NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series (1995-97)
Layout1 = Oval
Length_km = 0.6
Length_mi = 0.375
Banking = ?

Tucson Raceway Park is a 3/8-mile paved oval racetrack located off Interstate 10 just south of Tucson, Arizona. It is one of only three paved ovals in the state of Arizona (the others are Phoenix International Raceway and Havasu 95 Speedway).

History

The track was built in 1968, originally as a clay oval. [http://www.pimacountyattractions.com/press.html]

In 1982, International Speedway Corporation bought the facility and paved the racing surface in 1993.

In 2002, ISC sold the track to then-general manager David Derry [http://www.azstarnet.com/sn/printDS/130720] and it was sold again in 2005 to its current owners, Dan and Joyce Ruth.

Racing at TRP

TRP currently hosts races in the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series as well as Legends, Bandoleros, Late Models, Factory Stocks and Mini Stocks as well as other various forms of stock car racing.

Races are almost always held on Saturday night, with practice sessions held on Friday. Thanks to the warm climate in Tucson, the track is able to remain open from February to November, only closing on weekends when there is a Sprint Cup race at Phoenix.

Former events

In 1995, TRP hosted the second-ever NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race, the Racing Champions 200. This race returned in 1996 and 1997 as the NAPA 200.

TRP was also the home of the TV program "Winter Heat Series", which ran during NASCAR's offseason from 1994-95 to 1998-99. This program was the launching pad for the careers of drivers such as Greg Biffle, Kurt Busch, Matt Crafton and others.

External links

* [http://www.tucsonracewaypark.com/ Tucson Raceway Official Website]