Oct24

Pikes Peak to be ploughed under

Map of Pikes Peak International Raceway

Pikes Peak International Raceway is to close and be ploughed under, after being sold to the International Speedway Corporation (ISC).

The facility at Fountain, Colorado will officially close on October 31, after which it is expected the 1,200-acre parcel of land will be put up for sale, with the requirement that the property not be used for motorsports-related events.

ISC subsidiary Rocky Mountain Speedway Corporation purchased the track assets for an undisclosed sum, immediately transferring its NASCAR Busch Series event to Martinsville Speedway for 2006. Ironically, in 2002 ISC entered into a management agreement to market events at Pikes Peak, with first refusal to buy the facility if its owners put it up for sale.

Grandstand seating from Pikes Peak is set to be mothballed for use at other ISC facilities when they expand.

Pikes Peak was a relatively new facility, opening in 1997 and hosting IRL and Busch Series races throughout its short lifespan. Its Alan Wilson-designed infield road course was also used by the Grand-Am series. The facility boasted grandstand seating for 42,000 spectators.

"This purchase further strengthens our ability to capitalize on future growth opportunities, including internal expansion initiatives," said John R. Saunders, executive vice president and CEO of ISC. "In addition, assuming NASCAR approves our request for realignment, we believe we can successfully grow the Busch event over the long term at a quicker rate than in its current venue."


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