Columbus Motor Speedway

Last updated
Columbus Motor Speedway
Location1841 Williams Rd
Columbus, Ohio, 43207
Time zone UTC−5 / −4 (DST)
Coordinates 39°53'12.0"N 82°56'35.9"W
Capacity5000
OwnerNuckles family
OperatorNuckles family
Broke ground1945
Opened1946
Closed2016
Major events Whelen All-American Series
NASCAR K&N Pro Series East:
NAPA 150 (2011–2016)
ARCA Menards Series (1982, 1993)
Websitewww.columbusspeedway.com
Oval
SurfaceAsphalt
Length0.53 km (0.33 miles)
Turns2
BankingTurns:
Figure 8
SurfaceAsphalt
Turns2
BankingTurns:

The Columbus Motor Speedway (CMS) was a 1/3 mile asphalt oval and figure-eight racing track located south of Columbus, Ohio within the town limits of Obetz. [1]

Contents

History

In 1945, John Nuckles and Robert Roseberry purchased 50 acres (200,000 m2) of land for site of the future race track. The track opened in 1946 as a dirt track for motorcycles. In 1950 the track was given lighting and in 1957, the track was paved for the first time as car racing, specifically stock car racing, became more popular. Robert Roseberry sold his portion to John Nuckles after the paving was complete. The track was run by the Nuckles for many years, and was owned and operated by the Nuckles family. Among the drivers to make their names at the CMS are Neal Sceva, Dick Freeman, Benny Parsons, and Ralph O'Day. Among those killed at Columbus Motor speedway is Bessie E. Amos.

A portion of the track, viewed shortly after closing. Columbus Motor Speedway - Track View.jpg
A portion of the track, viewed shortly after closing.

The track was one of three tracks in Ohio to be granted a NASCAR sanctioning agreement. [1] It hosted Whelen All-American Series (formerly the Dodge Weekly Racing Series) races sanctioned by NASCAR. It also hosted many exhibition events, which are some of the most popular attractions, including trailer races, school bus figure-eight races, demolition derbies, "roll over" contests, monster truck stunt rallies, "powder-puff" races, and NASCAR "legends" races which feature famous Sprint Cup drivers. Due to the relatively high compensation required to secure Sprint Cup driver participation in the NASCAR "legends" races, said events were discontinued before the track was closed. In late 2016, the Nuckles Family decided to sell the track to Obetz. The Fortress Obetz now sits where the speedway was.

The speedway hosted a NASCAR K&N Pro Series East event (the NAPA 150) from 2011 through 2016. The winners of the races were notable NASCAR drivers, like Bubba Wallace, Cale Conley, Daniel Suárez, Sergio Peña, Rico Abreu and Justin Haley. Also at Columbus Motor Speedway, NASCAR Midwest Series ran a race in 2004 and was won by Justin Diercks.

ARCA Racing Series also ran two races at the track, one in 1982 and the other in 1993.

The track closed at the end of the 2016 season; the village of Obetz purchased the land from the Nuckles family in order to improve facilities for the Columbus Crew SC and a local rugby team. [2]

2009 platform collapse

The race track made national headlines on April 11, 2009, when the concrete platform that supported the announcer's box collapsed shortly after the gate opened. [1] One person was temporarily stuck in the rubble and six people suffered minor injuries at the season-opening event. [1] Local rescue workers were called to the scene and the events were canceled for the evening. After the incident, the platform was repaired and reinforced.

Sources

  1. 1 2 3 4 Gray, Kathy Lynn (April 11, 2009). "6 injured, 1 trapped in collapse at Columbus Motor Speedway". Columbus Dispatch. Archived from the original on January 19, 2013. Retrieved 2009-04-12.
  2. Billing, Greg (August 13, 2016). "Columbus Motor Speedway opens final season". Dayton Daily News. Retrieved October 15, 2020.

39°53′11.01″N82°56′35.28″W / 39.8863917°N 82.9431333°W / 39.8863917; -82.9431333

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United States Auto Club</span> Auto racing sanctioning body in the United States

The United States Auto Club (USAC) is one of the sanctioning bodies of auto racing in the United States. From 1956 to 1979, USAC sanctioned the United States National Championship, and from 1956 to 1997 the organization sanctioned the Indianapolis 500. Today, USAC serves as the sanctioning body for a number of racing series, including the Silver Crown Series, National Sprint Cars, National Midgets, Speed2 Midget Series, .25 Midget Series, Stadium Super Trucks, and Pirelli World Challenge. Seven-time USAC champion Levi Jones is USAC's Competition Director.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sprint car racing</span> Auto racing with small, open-wheel, high-power vehicles

Sprint cars are high-powered open-wheel race cars, designed primarily for the purpose of running on short oval or circular dirt or paved tracks. Sprint car racing is popular primarily in the United States and Canada, as well as in Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bristol Motor Speedway</span> Motorsport track in the United States

Bristol Motor Speedway, formerly known as Bristol International Raceway and Bristol Raceway, is a NASCAR short track located in Bristol, Tennessee. Constructed in 1960, it held its first NASCAR race on July 30, 1961. Bristol is among the most popular tracks on the NASCAR schedule because of its distinct features, which include extraordinarily steep banking, an all-concrete surface, two pit roads, different turn radii, and stadium-like seating. It has also been named one of the loudest NASCAR tracks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Speedway Motorsports</span> Motorsport venue owner and operator

Speedway Motorsports, LLC is an American company that owns and manages auto racing facilities that host races sanctioned by NASCAR, IndyCar Series, NHRA, World of Outlaws and other racing series. The company was founded by Bruton Smith and has its headquarters at Charlotte Motor Speedway, in Concord, North Carolina, just north of Charlotte. Speedway Motorsports owns nine racing facilities with a combined seating capacity of approximately 885,000. In addition to operating racetracks, Speedway Motorsports owns Performance Racing Network (PRN), U.S. Legend Cars International, and co-owns Motorsports Authentics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New Hampshire Motor Speedway</span> Motorsport track in Loudon, New Hampshire, United States

New Hampshire Motor Speedway is a 1.058 mi (1.703 km) oval speedway located in Loudon, New Hampshire, which has hosted NASCAR racing annually since 1990, as well as the longest-running motorcycle race in North America, the Loudon Classic. Nicknamed "The Magic Mile", the speedway is often converted into a 1.600 mi (2.575 km) road course, which includes much of the oval.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Justin Allgaier</span> American racing driver

Justin Myrl Allgaier is an American professional stock car racing driver. He competes full-time in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, driving the No. 7 Chevrolet Camaro for JR Motorsports.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eldora Speedway</span> Motorsport track in Ohio, United States

Eldora Speedway is a 0.5 mi (804.672 m) high-banked clay dirt oval. Located north of Rossburg, Ohio in the village of New Weston, Ohio, it features permanent and festival-style seating believed to be in the range of 30,000. The 22,000 permanent grandstand and VIP suite seats make it the largest sports stadium in the Dayton, Ohio-region according to the Dayton Business Journal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">American Speed Association</span> Motorsports organization of the United States

The American Speed Association (ASA) is a sanctioning body of motorsports in the United States formed in 1968. The Association was based in Pendleton, Indiana, and later in Daytona Beach, Florida. The ASA sanctioned asphalt and dirt tracks in their ASA Member Track program along with racing series in the United States and Canada.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mark Green (racing driver)</span> American stock car racing driver

Mark Green is an American professional stock car racing driver. He is the brother of drivers, Jeff Green and David Green.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway</span> Motorsport track in the United States

Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway is a motorsport racetrack located at the Nashville Fairgrounds near downtown Nashville, Tennessee. The track is the second-oldest continually operating track in the United States. The track held NASCAR Grand National/Winston Cup races from 1958 to 1984.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour</span> American auto racing series

The NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour (NWMT) is a modified stock car racing series owned and operated by NASCAR in the Modified Division. The Modified Division is NASCAR's oldest division, and is the only open-wheeled division that NASCAR sanctions. NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour events are mainly held in the northeastern United States, but the 2007 and 2008 tours expanded to the Midwest with the addition of a race in Mansfield, Ohio. The tour races primarily on short oval paved tracks, but the NWMT also has made appearances at larger ovals and road courses.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bryan Clauson</span> American racing driver

Bryan Timothy Clauson was an American professional auto racing driver, best known for his achievements in dirt track open-wheel racing, such as USAC Silver Crown, Midget and Sprint cars. Clauson was increasingly seen competing with the World of Outlaws (WoO) sprint cars in his last couple of years. Clauson also competed in the NASCAR Nationwide Series, Indy Lights, and IndyCar Series and was a development driver for Chip Ganassi Racing.

Sandusky Speedway is a half-mile automobile race track located south of the city of Sandusky in Perkins Township, Erie County, Ohio, United States. The track features low banking in the turns and long straightaways. It has a layout similar to Martinsville Speedway.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Indianapolis Motor Speedway race results</span>

Race results from the automobile and motorcycle races contested at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana. Races have been held on seven different track configurations:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Macon Speedway</span>

Macon Speedway, located in Macon, Illinois is one of Illinois's premier dirt ovals. It is also one of the longest continuously-operating racetracks in the state.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rockford Speedway</span> Racetrack

Rockford Speedway is a 1/4 mile short track high banked asphalt oval located in Loves Park, Illinois on Illinois Route 173. Rockford Speedway, Chicagoland Speedway, and World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway are the only racetracks running under NASCAR sanctions in Illinois.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2010 NASCAR Nationwide Series</span> 29th season of second-tier NASCAR Nationwide Series

The 2010 NASCAR Nationwide Series was the 29th season of the NASCAR Nationwide Series, the second-tier professional stock car racing series sanctioned by NASCAR in the United States. Beginning at Daytona International Speedway, the season included thirty-five races, which ended with the Ford 300 at Homestead Miami Speedway. Brad Keselowski clinched the drivers' championship during the O'Reilly Auto Parts Challenge at Texas Motor Speedway, two races before the season finale at Homestead, while Joe Gibbs won the owners' championship. Toyota won the manufacturers' championship with 240 points.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2016 NASCAR Xfinity Series</span> 35th season of second-tier NASCAR Xfinity Series

The 2016 NASCAR Xfinity Series was the 35th season of the NASCAR Xfinity Series, the second-tier professional stock car racing series sanctioned by NASCAR in the United States. The season started at Daytona International Speedway on February 20 and ended at Homestead-Miami Speedway on November 19. Daniel Suárez of Joe Gibbs Racing won the championship, becoming the first non-American to win a title in NASCAR's top 3 divisions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hagerstown Speedway</span> Auto-racing track in Maryland, US

Hagerstown Speedway is a 0.5-mile-long (0.80 km) red clay oval auto-racing track, 6 miles (9.7 km) west of Hagerstown, Maryland, situated on US Route 40. It hosts weekly local racing of Late Model Sportsman, Pure Stock, and Hobby Stock divisions, and throughout the season hosts regional and national touring series such as the Lucas Oil Late Model Series, International Motor Contest Association, and FASTRAK. Along with the car-racing schedule during the year, Monster Jam has used the track for events for several decades, along with various concerts and special events. The speedway has also hosted World of Outlaws, ARCA, and NASCAR races in the past.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Amber Balcaen</span> Canadian racing driver

Amber Balcaen is a Canadian professional stock car racing driver. She competes part-time in the ARCA Menards Series, driving the No. 15 Toyota Camry for Venturini Motorsports. She is most known for being the first Canadian woman to win in a NASCAR-sanctioned race in the United States.