LOWES MOTOR SPEEDWAY

Built more than four decades ago, the largest sports facility in the Southeast has 167,000 permanent seats, including 121 executive suites, and capacity for nearly 50,000 more spectators in the infield area. Lowe's Motor Speedway was the first superspeedway to host night racing in 1992 and was the first sports facility in America to offer year-round living accommodations when it released 40 condominiums for sale high above Turn One in 1984.

 

HISTORY OF LOWES MOTORSPEEDWAY

Lowe's Motor Speedway was designed and built in 1959 by current chairman O. Bruton Smith. The late Curtis Turner, one of stock car racing's earliest driving stars, was Smith's business partner. At the time Smith, a native of Oakboro, N.C., was an automobile dealer and short-track stock car racing promoter at Concord Motor Speedway and the Charlotte Fairgrounds. Turner, a Virginian who amassed his money in the lumber industry, became one of the first drivers on the NASCAR circuit after the sanctioning body debuted in 1949. Together, they built their dream of a 1.5-mile superspeedway on the outskirts of The Queen City and, on June 19, 1960, the first World 600 was run at the new facility.

 

In 1961, like many superspeedways of the era, the track fell into Chapter 11 reorganization from which it eventually emerged despite lagging ticket sales. After his departure from the speedway in 1962, Smith pursued other business interests in Texas and Illinois. Working within Ford Motor Company's dealership program, Smith became quite successful and began purchasing shares of stock in Lowe's Motor Speedway. By 1975 Smith had again become the majority stockholder in the speedway, regaining control of its day-to-day operations.

During the ensuing 25 years, Smith and Wheeler demonstrated a commitment to  customer satisfaction, building a facility that continuously established new industry standards. Thousands of grandstand seats and luxury suites were built. Food concessions and restroom facilities were added and modernized to increase the comfort of race fans.

 

Smith Tower, a 135,000-square-foot, seven-story facility connected to the speedway's grandstands, was erected and opened in 1988. The building houses the speedway's corporate offices, ticket office, souvenir gift shop, leased office space and The Speedway Club, an exclusive dining and entertainment facility.

 

Under the watchful eye of Smith and direction of Wheeler, in 1984 Lowe's Motor Speedway became the only sports facility in America to offer year-round living accommodations when it built 40 condominiums high above turn one. Twelve additional condominium units were added in 1991. Another innovation implemented by Smith and Wheeler was a $1.7 million, 1,200-fixture permanent lighting system developed by MUSCO Lighting of Oskaloosa, Iowa. The revolutionary lighting process uses mirrors to simulate daylight without glare, shadows or obtrusive light poles. The lighting system was installed in 1992, allowing Lowe's Motor Speedway to be the first superspeedway to host night auto racing.

 

Ever cognizant of the competitors as well as the spectators, Smith and Wheeler added a new $1 million, 20,000-square-foot Winston Cup garage area in 1994. Other additions and improvements include the development of the speedway's 2,000-plus acres. In addition to the speedway, the property, some of which is leased, includes an industrial park that serves as home to several motorsports-related businesses, a modern landfill facility operated by BFI and a natural wildlife habitat.

 In addition to the 1.5-mile quad oval, the Lowe's Motor Speedway complex includes a 2.25-mile road course and a six-tenths-mile karting layout in the speedway's infield; a quarter-mile asphalt oval utilizing part of the speedway's frontstretch and pit road; and a one-fifth-mile oval located outside turn three of the superspeedway. Three NASCAR Winston Cup events, two NASCAR Busch Series races, a pair of Automobile Racing Club of America events and a Goody's Dash Series race are among the events held each year on the 1.5-mile superspeedway. The FasTrack Driving School and the Richard Petty Driving Experience also use the track extensively throughout the year.

 

Other events on the various tracks include a weekly, nationally televised short track series for Legends Cars; Sports Car Club of America national and regional competitions; American Motorcycle Association events; and World Karting Association regional, national and international races.

 

In May 2000, a state-of-the-art four-tenths-mile clay oval-The Dirt Track @ Lowe's Motor Speedway-was completed across Highway 29 from the speedway. The stadium-style facility has nearly 15,000 seats and plays host to the Pennzoil World of Outlaws sprint cars, dirt late model stock cars, the AMA Grand National motorcycles, the Advance Auto Parts Modified Super DIRT Series and Monster Trucks. Lowe's Motor Speedway also annually presents two of the nation's largest car shows and swap meets-the Food Lion AutoFairs in April and September-and rents the facility more than 300 days per year. Corporations such as IBM, UNOCAL, Miller Brewing, Coca-Cola, Duracell, Wendy's and Lipton Tea have rented the speedway to film television commercials or to entertain employees and clients with food, music and race car rides.

 

More than 10,000 stadium-style seats, 20 new executive suites and 40 special 32-seat boxes were built in turn four in 1995. In May 1997, the Diamond Tower Terrace grandstand was opened along the backstretch to accommodate an additional 26,000 race fans for The Winston and Coca-Cola 600. In May 1998, an 11,000-seat expansion of the new Diamond Tower Terrace was completed, bringing the total seating capacity of Lowe's Motor Speedway to approximately 147,000. Then in May 1999, more than 10,000 new seats were completed in the Fourth Turn Terrace grandstand. A 10,860-seat expansion of the Ford grandstand on the frontstretch was completed in May 2000, bringing the speedway's total seating capacity to 167,000. These additions are all part of a long-term project calling for additional grandstand seating, infrastructure improvements, spectator amenities and the development of adjacent land for possible commercial real estate ventures.

 

Building on the basic philosophy of keeping spectator and competitor comfort a high priority, Lowe's Motor Speedway continues to be a leading promoter and marketer of motorsports activities in the United States.

 

 

TRACK INFORMATION

Lowes Motor Speedway is banking on 6 degrees in the corners with 1,760 feet front and backstretch. With a variable banking system, the degree of banking is increased progressively from the bottom to the top of each turn. At the midpoint of each banking turn, there is an 18-degree banking at the bottom and 19-degree in the middle way of the bank with 20-degree banking outstretch to the top of the track area. The variable banking system designed to create three competitive racing grooves around the tracks.

 

Lowes Motor Speedway becomes the first NASCAR Winston Cup track to be planned and constructed to include this variable banking system. The new Lowes Motor Speedway with its variable degrees of banking is being designed to facilitate three competitive racing grooves around the new track, is an innovative design that will in turn translate into more exciting, side-by-side racing action to the fans. NASCAR racing made its debut in the Miami area in 1995, drawing a sellout crowd of 60,000 to its first event. The track has a $100 million annual impact on the local economy and draws more than 300,000 racing enthusiasts annually to the area.

 

The reconfiguration of the track with additional and variable banking at Lowes Motor Speedway is great news that intends to provide for great side-by-side racing facilities with some real excitement for all the fans who visits to witness the Championship Racing game on every weekend. The added banking system at Lowes Motor Speedway is the finest facilities in the country with added banking in turns, the tracks and the racing arena is more exciting than ever. 

 

Source: Lowes Motor Speedway Official Website. NASCAR 2003

 

Lowes Motor Speedway was built as 1.5-mile oval track with 6-degree banking in the turns and 4-degree banking on the straightaways with 1760 feet length of the front stretch and backstretch. Initially designed as a smaller version of Indianapolis Motor Speedway, the track is a rectangular shape with 8 degrees of banking in the corners and straightaways were equally 2,100 feet in length. Even after the multiple modifications in the speedway, the 3-degrees of straightaway banking did not change following end of the 1997 season. With the Pit Speed of 55, the track type is Speedway and its turn radius and width is 650 feet and 80 feet respectively.

Track Information – Lowes Motor Speedway
Length	1.5mile – oval shaped
Straight-aways	1,760feet
Turns	650feet
Width	60-72 feet
Banking
Straight-aways	3 degree
Turns	6 degrees
Seating capacity	65,0000
Inaugurated and functional in the year 1995, The Lowes MotorSpeedway witnessed the First IRL Race on April 08, 2001
Race Records	Sam Hornish Jr., 148.508 mph - 4/8/01
Laps	267 Laps = 400.5miles

Source: Lowes MotorSpeedway Official Website. NASCAR 2003

 

Area Info: Known as the major international hub of the Americas, Miami's business community, people, neighborhoods, schools and architecture all exhibit a cosmopolitan character. The proximity of the Caribbean, Central and South America plus superior seaport and airport capabilities provide this area with a distinct advantage as a global trading center. Long acclaimed for its physical beauty and advantageous climate, Lowes Motoralso continues as a prime tourist destination. With area attractions and festivals, college bowl games, and internationally renowned events such as the Pennzoil 400, the Lowes Motor area is one of the premier destinations in the world.

 

SEATING ARRANGEMENT AND DETAILING

 

 

 

TICKETING PRICES AND DETAILING

 

PRICING REGULATIONS AND GUIDELINES

Lowes Motor Speedway Ticket orders are normally processed within 24 hours (Monday-Friday) of when they are placed. If the race is within 72 hours, give us a call (800-451-8499) to make special delivery arrangements.  If, for some reason, the Lowes Motor Speedway tickets you wish to purchase are not available, we will give the option to purchase other seats or to cancel the order.  However, once the order is processed, there are no cancellations.