Homestead-Miami Speedway 1995-98
Circuit info:
- Address:
Homestead-Miami Speedway
One Speedway Boulevard
Homestead
FL 33035-1501
USA- PH:
- (1) 305 230-5000
- Fax:
- (1) 305-230-5140
- Circuit lengths:
- 1.500 miles/2.414 km oval
2.210 miles/3.556 km road course - Circuit type:
- Permanent road course
Circuit history:
One of the most modern speedway facilities in America, the Homestead complex at Miami was among the first to kick-start the recent trend in oval circuit building.
Long-time Miami street race promotor Ralph Sanchez came up with the concept of a permanent motorsports complex as a way of revitalising the Miami-Dade area after the destruction caused by Hurricane Andrew in 1992.
Agreement with the Homestead city fathers soon followed and ground-breaking began on the 434-acre facility on August 24, 1993. The circuit was completed in just over two years, with grand opening ceremonies held on November 3-5, 1995, as NASCAR made its South Florida debut in front of a sold-out grandstand. Executives and dignitaries did the ribbon cutting and Dale Jarrett provides the fireworks.
In July 1997, Penske Motorsports Inc.and International Speedway Corporation became partners in the track and the following year acquired the remaining interest.
In 1998 the Homestead-Miami Speedway underwent a substantial re-build in a bid to provide more exciting racing. The $8.2 million reconstruction transformed the former quad-oval and its Indy-style "short-chutes" between the turns into a continuous turn oval.
The result was improved racing, although many drivers still complained of there being only one racing line.
A second, $10 million reconstruction has also been undertaken to try and improve things once and for all. The banking on the turns was increased to a maximum of 20 degrees, with an innovative variable-degree system, which resulted in the creation of several racing lines for competitors.
The 2.210 miles road course has been unaffected by all of the changes. It is fully FIA sanctioned, and unusually for an 'inner oval' circuit in the USA, it has actually held an FIA-sanctioned event; in 1998 the FIA GT series paid a visit, although the track was not well-received by some of the drivers who thought it dangerous. The European sportscars did not pay a return visit, although the Grand-Am series has been a regular visitor and the IRL has held test sessions there.
