Montana Raceway Park

Last updated
Montana Raceway Park
Montana Raceway Park layout.jpg
Exterior for Montana Raceway Park from U.S. Route 93 in 2013
Location U.S. Route 93 north of Kalispell, Montana
Opened1991
Closed2020
Former namesRaceway Park
Kalispell Raceway Park
Flathead Valley Raceway Park
Major eventsMontana 200 (Super Late Models), ARCA Menards Series West, NASCAR K&N Pro Series West
Surfacepaved
Length0.25 miles (0.40 km)

Montana Raceway Park is a closed motorsports facility located near Kalispell, Montana, in the state's Flathead Valley region. It features a 1/4-mile-long high-banked oval track paved with asphalt. Seating at the facility accommodates 4,000 spectators and parking areas can stage more than 100 race teams. [1] The track announced in March 2020 that it would close for the entire 2020 season. [2] In May 2020, the track announced that it would close permanently due to "constant vandalism, declining fan bases and support." [2]

Contents

History

The racetrack opened on May 1, 1991, as Raceway Park. During its first year, the facility also carried the names Kalispell Raceway Park and Flathead Valley Raceway Park. Weekly auto races and specialty events are currently the main uses for the facility. [3]

Drivers from the northwestern United States and Canada travel to Montana Raceway Park for the annual Coors Light Montana 200, a racing event hosted by the racetrack each year since the track opened. [4] Typically, a field of approximately 40–50 drivers competes for the 24 positions available in the race, which has yielded more than $50,000 in prize money during past years. [5]

Other racing at the track includes the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West, [6] Canadian Super Truck Racing Series [7] and local divisions of Super Late Models, Super Stocks, Bombers, Hobby Stocks, Hornets, Legends, and Bandoleros. [3]

Beyond racing, the facility hosts other sports competitions and music performances. Foghat, Blue Öyster Cult, Eddie Money, and Alice Cooper have entertained crowds at the racetrack. [8]

Charlotte Motor Speedway and racetrack manager Humpy Wheeler presented their 2007 Promoter of the Year award to the staff and management of Montana Raceway Park. [9]

In March 2020, the track closed for the 2020 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic before releasing its schedule. [2] The track released a statement in May 2020: "Through 30 years of racing as a cornerstone facility in the northwest there has been a lot of ups and downs. Today is the day where we announce that Montana Raceway Park will be closed permanently. This is not an easy decision like any decision where we know there will be heavy hearts but for the past few years there has been constant vandalism, declining fan bases and support. The COVID-19 crisis which has forced us to close our doors for the season will have an unsurvivable economic impact forcing our hand." [2]

Related Research Articles

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

Atlanta Motor Speedway is a 1.54-mile entertainment facility in Hampton, Georgia, United States, 20 miles (32 km) south of Atlanta. It has annually hosted NASCAR Cup Series stock car races since its inauguration in 1960.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oval track racing</span> Form of auto racing where competitors duel on an oval shaped track

Oval track racing is a form of closed-circuit motorsport that is contested on an oval-shaped race track. An oval track differs from a road course in that the layout resembles an oval with turns in only one direction, and the direction of traffic is almost universally counter-clockwise. Oval tracks are dedicated motorsport circuits, used predominantly in the United States. They often have banked turns and some, despite the name, are not precisely oval, and the shape of the track can vary.

<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.

PJ1 TrackBite is a custom formulated synthetic resin, typically black in color, used in drag racing to either increase the traction of a car's tires or as a sealer for newly ground and/or resurfaced race tracks. It stays sticky for weeks, has fire-retardant properties and is hydrophobic. It has been used in professional racing since 1972.

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

Texas Motor Speedway is a speedway located in the northernmost portion of the U.S. city of Fort Worth, Texas – the portion located in Denton County, Texas. The reconfigured track measures 1.500 mi (2.414 km) with banked 20° in turns 1 and 2 and banked 24° in turns 3 and 4. Texas Motor Speedway is a quad-oval design, where the front straightaway juts outward slightly. The track layout is similar to Atlanta Motor Speedway and Charlotte Motor Speedway. The track is owned by Speedway Motorsports, Inc. Nicknamed “The Great American Speedway“ the racetrack facility is one of the largest motorsports venues in the world capable of hosting crowds in excess of 200,000 spectators.

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

Rockingham Speedway, formerly North Carolina Motor Speedway and later North Carolina Speedway is a racetrack located near Rockingham, North Carolina. It is also known as TheRock and previously hosted NASCAR Cup Series, NASCAR Xfinity Series, NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, ARCA Menards Series, CARS Tour, and UARA-Stars races.

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

Myrtle Beach Speedway, was built in 1958 and was located on U.S. Route 501 near Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ascot Park (speedway)</span> Former dirt race track

Ascot Park, first named Los Angeles Speedway, and later New Ascot Stadium, was a dirt racetrack located near Gardena, California. Ascot Park was open between 1957 and 1990. The track held numerous United States Auto Club (USAC) national tour races and three NASCAR Grand National (now NASCAR Cup Series races. The Turkey Night Grand Prix was held at the track for several decades.

<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">2011 Crown Royal Presents the Matthew and Daniel Hansen 400</span> Motor car race

The 2011 Crown Royal Presents the Matthew and Daniel Hansen 400 was a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stock car race held on April 30, 2011 at Richmond International Raceway in Richmond, Virginia. Contested over 400 laps on the 0.75-mile (1.21 km) asphalt D-oval, it was the ninth race of the 2011 Sprint Cup Series season. The race was won by Kyle Busch for the Joe Gibbs Racing team. Denny Hamlin finished second, and Kasey Kahne clinched third.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mesa Marin Raceway</span>

Mesa Marin Raceway was a 0.5-mile (0.80 km) paved oval race track, located near the junction of CA 178 and CA 184, east of Bakersfield, California. It opened in 1977 and was owned by Marion Collins throughout its existence. The Collins family helped start the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series in 1995, and hosted nine races in that series at the track between 1995 and 2003. Mesa Marin also hosted 45 races for the Winston West Series and for NASCAR's Southwest Tour. The last race was held at Mesa Marin on October 16, 2005, as the track was sold for a housing development to be constructed on the site.

TRICON Garage, formally known as David Gilliland Racing and Team DGR, is an American professional stock car racing team that competes in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, the ARCA Menards Series, the ARCA Menards Series East, the ARCA Menards Series West, and the CARS Tour. The team was founded in early 2017 when racing team owners David Gilliland and Bo LeMastus came together to form a collaborative effort from their respective teams, David Gilliland Racing and Crosley Sports Group, known as DGR-Crosley. DGR-Crosley fielded Toyotas in 2018 and 2019 before announcing its switch to Ford starting in 2020. The team reverted to the David Gilliland Racing name in 2021 as Johnny Gray became a co-owner. Former co-owner and driver Bo LeMastus remained with the team in a marketing and sponsorship capacity.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2020 Production Alliance Group 300</span> NASCAR Xfinity Series race

The 2020 Production Alliance Group 300 was a NASCAR Xfinity Series race held on February 29, 2020 at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California. Contested over 150 laps on the 2-mile (3.2 km) asphalt superspeedway, it was the third race of the 2020 NASCAR Xfinity Series season. Rookie driver Harrison Burton won his first ever race in the NASCAR Xfinity series.

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

Ona Speedway is an Auto racing oval short track venue located in Ona, West Virginia. Ona Speedway is known for being the only paved oval race track in West Virginia and hosting NASCAR Cup Series races in 1963, 1964, 1970, & 1971. It is located adjacent to the Ona Airpark between the cities of Huntington and Charleston.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2022 WISE Power 400</span> Second race of the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series

The 2022 WISE Power 400 was the second stock car race of the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series and the 25th running of the event. The race was held on Sunday, in Fontana, California, at Auto Club Speedway, a 2 miles (3.2 km) permanent D-shaped oval racetrack. The race took the scheduled 200 laps to complete. At race's end, Kyle Larson, driving for Hendrick Motorsports, would win a drama-filled race after a controversial block on teammate Chase Elliott within the closing laps of the race had put Elliott in the wall. Larson would defend the field on the final restart to win his 17th career NASCAR Cup Series win and his first of the season. To fill out the top 3, Austin Dillon of Richard Childress Racing and Erik Jones of Petty GMS Motorsports would finish second and third, respectively.

The 2014 TreatMyClot.com 300 was the fifth stock car race of the 2014 NASCAR Nationwide Series season, and the 18th iteration of the event. The race was held on Saturday, March 22, 2014, in Fontana, California, at Auto Club Speedway, a 2 miles (3.2 km) permanent D-shaped oval racetrack. The race took the scheduled 150 laps to complete. On the final restart with 16 to go, Kyle Larson, driving for Turner Scott Motorsports, would hold off fierce charges from the field to win his first career NASCAR Nationwide Series win and his first of the season. To fill out the podium, Kevin Harvick, driving for JR Motorsports, and Kyle Busch, driving for Joe Gibbs Racing, would finish second and third, respectively.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2022 Alsco Uniforms 250</span> 17th race of the 2022 NASCAR Xfinity Series

The 2022 Alsco Uniforms 250 was the 17th stock car race of the 2022 NASCAR Xfinity Series, and the second iteration of the event. The race was held on Saturday, July 9, 2022, in Hampton, Georgia at Atlanta Motor Speedway, a 1.54 miles (2.48 km) permanent tri-oval racetrack. The race took it's scheduled 163 laps to complete. Austin Hill, driving for Richard Childress Racing, held off Josh Berry on the final few laps, and earned his second career NASCAR Xfinity Series win, along with his second of the season. Hill would mostly dominate the race as well, leading 73 laps. To fill out the podium, Ryan Truex, driving for Joe Gibbs Racing, would finish in 3rd, respectively.

Layne G. Riggs is an American professional stock car racing driver. He will compete at least part-time in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series in 2023, driving the No. 62 Toyota Tundra for Halmar Friesen Racing. He has also competed in the CARS Late Model Stock Tour, driving the No. 99 Ford Mustang for his family owned team, Riggs Racing. He is the 2022 NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series national champion. He is the son of former NASCAR driver Scott Riggs.

References

  1. ↑ "Montana Raceway Park Track Info". montanaracewaypark.com. Retrieved 2016-08-18.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "Montana Race Track Closes Permanently". Speed51. Retrieved May 29, 2020.
  3. 1 2 "Montana Raceway Park Schedule of Races for 2008". montanaracewaypark.com. Retrieved 2016-08-18.
  4. ↑ "DRIVERS ARRIVE FOR 20TH ANNUAL COORS LIGHT MONTANA 200". racingwest.com. Archived from the original on 2014-03-04. Retrieved 2014-02-09.
  5. ↑ "Montana Raceway Park". montanaracewaypark.com. Retrieved 2014-02-09.
  6. ↑ "NASCAR Home Tracks | The Soul of NASCAR". hometracks.nascar.com. Retrieved 2014-02-09.
  7. ↑ "supertruckracingseries.com". supertruckracingseries.com. Archived from the original on 2010-09-10. Retrieved 2014-02-09.
  8. ↑ "Montana Raceway Park Concerts". montanaracewaypark.com. Retrieved 2014-02-09.
  9. ↑ "Montana Raceway Park's Michelle Siderius to Receive Charlotte Motor Speedway Promoter of the Year Award | News Archive | Speedway | Charlotte Motor Speedway". charlottemotorspeedway.com. Archived from the original on 2014-02-22. Retrieved 2014-02-09.

Coordinates: 48°17′33″N114°20′15″W / 48.29250°N 114.33750°W / 48.29250; -114.33750

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.