Kentucky Speedway
Encyclopedia : K : KE : KEN : Kentucky Speedway
| Location | Sparta, Kentucky |
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| Track length | 1.5 miles (2.4 kilometres) |
| Track shape | Tri-Oval |
| Banking | Turns - 14° Tri-Oval - 8-10° Straight - 4° |
| Major events | NASCAR Busch Series, NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, Indy Racing League |
| Capacity | 66,000 (Stands) |
| Address | 5120 Sparta Pike, Sparta, KY 41086 |
| Owner | |
Kentucky Speedway is a 1.5 mile motor speedway located in north-central Kentucky, near the community of Sparta, Kentucky; approximately halfway between Louisville, Kentucky and Cincinnati, Ohio, and is additionally 70 miles from another fairly sizable market, Lexington, Kentucky. The track was designed to host a NASCAR Nextel Cup races and has hosted NASCAR Busch Series and Craftsman Truck series races, as well as IRL races. However, NASCAR officals have refused any discussion of a Nextel Cup race being moved there.
In July 2005, Kentucky Speedway filed a lawsuit against NASCAR and International Speedway Corporation, (ISC) claiming that they violated federal antitrust laws by not allowing tracks to bid for NASCAR races, be it they meet the necessary requirements. This lawsuit was filed a year after Francis Ferko, a Speedway Motorsports shareholder, successfully sued NASCAR and ISC, forcing NASCAR to eliminate the prestigious Southern 500 in Darlington, SC, in favour of a second race at Texas Motor Speedway, as demanded by the terms of the lawsuit. Track officials used the Ferko case as precedent for the lawsuit.
NASCAR asked that the suit be dismissed or moved to Florida, home of NASCAR headquarters, but instead the Federal Court decided the case should procede in Kentucky courts. Hearings on the issue are expected in 2006.
There has also been talk that Kentucky Speedway owners might purchase Pocono Raceway and move one of its Nextel Cup races to Kentucky. However, the Mattioli family, which owns Pocono Raceway, also own the South Boston Speedway, and manage the Music City Motorplex, has so far shown no interest in selling that superspeedway.
It is coincidental that both of Kentucky's major 300-mile races (NBS, IRLICS) are sponsored by Meijer.
See also: List of NASCAR race tracks
Current Races
- NASCAR Busch Series - Meijer 300 presented by Oreo
- NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series - Built Ford Tough 225 presented by the Greater Cincinnati Ford Dealers
- Indy Racing League - Meijer Indy 300 presented by Coca-Cola and Secret
- ARCA RE/MAX Series - Harley-Davidson of Cincinnati 150
- ARCA RE/MAX Series - WLWT Channel 5-150
External links
| Busch Series |
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| Atlanta - Bristol - Brooklyn, Michigan - Charlotte - Darlington - Daytona - Dover - Fontana, California - Fort Worth - Indianapolis - Joliet, Illinois - Kansas City - Las Vegas - Loudon - Madison, Illinois - Martinsville - Memphis - Mexico City - Miami - Milwaukee - Nashville - Phoenix - Richmond - Sparta, Kentucky - Talladega - Watkins Glen |
| Craftsman Truck Series |
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| Atlanta - Bristol - Brooklyn, Michigan - Charlotte - Daytona - Dover - Fontana, California - Fort Worth - Indianapolis - Kansas City - Las Vegas - Loudon - Madison, Illinois - Mansfield - Martinsville - Memphis - Miami - Milwaukee - Nashville - Phoenix - Talladega - Sparta, Kentucky |
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