Kansas Speedway

Kansas Speedway is a 1.5 miles (2.4 km) tri-oval race track in Kansas City, Kansas. The speedway was built in 2001 and currently hosts two annual NASCAR race weekends. The IndyCar Series also raced at the speedway until 2011. The speedway is owned and operated by International Speedway Corporation.



History


International Speedway Corporation began exploring the idea of building a racing facility in the midwest in 1996. Attention was turned towards the Kansas City area in 1997. Officials considered both the Missouri and Kansas side of the city but eventually settled with the Kansas side because of better funding. Architecture firm HNTB, which also designed Chicagoland Speedway, was selected to design the facility, and firm Turner Construction was selected to provide construction management. Construction began on the 1,200 acres (490 ha), 1.5 miles (2.4 km) speedway in May 1999, and in July, preferred tickets went on sale. The demand at the ticket sales prompted ISC officials to expand the planned 32 by an additional 36, expanding capacity from 75,000 to 82,000. Speedway officials were hopeful to have the track completed sometime in 2000, and possibly host a race, but construction was delayed by weather and further complicated by lawsuits from nearby land owners. In May 2000, both IndyCar and NASCAR announced events to be held at the speedway for the 2001 season. Track paving began in September 2000, and construction of the speedway was completed in early 2001.
The building of the speedway has had a significant impact on the nearby area, even before construction was finished. New commercial developments sprung up around the speedway, including a movie theater complex, an outdoor retail mall, and hotels. A 2008 survey by The Washington Economics Group revealed that Kansas Speedway brings $243 million to the state of Kansas each year. It also provides over 5000 jobs, with 4000 jobs coming directly from track operations. Additional seats have been added since initial construction. In 2003, 1,600 seats were added, and in 2005, 1,500 seats plus a 7,000 square feet (650 m2) concession and restroom building were added. Both expansions were headed by the track's original contractors, HNTB and Tuner Construction.
In 2011 Kansas Speedway and Richard Petty Driving Experience announced an exclusive agreement where visitors have the opportunity to experience the speedway from a unique point-of-view behind the wheel of a race car.




Future

The speedway is currently constructing a $380 million Penn National Gaming Hollywood Hotel and Casino at the track. The hotel/casino will overlook turn two and is expected to open in the first half of 2012. The state-of-the-art casino will feature a 100,000 square feet (9,300 m2) gaming floor capacity for 2,300 slot machines, 61 table games and 25 poker tables. It will also feature 28,000 square feet (2,600 m2) of other amenities including restaurants, clubs and nightlife attractions. The addition of the casino is estimated to bring nearly 440,000 tourists per year and create over 1,000 full time positions; elevating the state to a first-class, year-round tourist destination. On February 17, The president of Kansas Speedway announced that Penn National Gaming will sponsor the fall Sprint Cup race for the next ten years in the Hollywood Casino 400. 
Lights were recently added to the speedway from mid 2010 to early 2011. This comes along with the addition of a second NASCAR weekend beginning with the 2011 season. All the NASCAR races at the track are scheduled to be run during the day, with the lights being available in case of a rain delay. The first night race at the track is scheduled to be an ARCA race on October 7, 2011. Speedway officials are also looking into repaving the track and adding an infield road course. If repaved, the track would likely upgrade to progressive banking.
In July 2011, the speedway announced that they will reconfigure the speedway following the 2012 STP 400. Some of the changes will be adding a road course in the infield, repaving the oval, and adding variable banking.




Races


Current races


NASCAR Sprint Cup Series:
Hollywood Casino 400, STP 400
NASCAR Nationwide Series – Kansas Lottery 300
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series – O'Reilly Auto Parts 250
ARCA – Kansas ARCA 150


Former races


IZOD IndyCar Series – RoadRunner Turbo Indy 300 (2001–2010)
Firestone Indy Lights Series – Kansas Lottery 100
NASCAR Winston West – Kansas 100 (2001–2002)
CART Dayton Indy Lights Series – Kansas 100 (2001)
USAC Silver Crown Series – KansasSpeedway.com 100


All about: International Speedway Corporation,   Lewis Hamilton,  Mark Webber,  Sebastian Vettel,   Dan Wheldon