Charlotte Motor Speedway
Race promoter/car dealer Bruton Smith and driver Curtis Turner formed a partnership to build a 1.5-mile oval north of Charlotte in 1959.
On June 19, 1960, the first World 600 was run at the new facility. A year later, like many superspeedways of the era, the track fell into Chapter 11 reorganization from which it eventually emerged despite lagging ticket sales.
Smith left in 1962 to pursue other business interests but returned in 1975 as majority stockholder and regained control of the day-to-day operations, hiring Humpy Wheeler as general manager.
Charlotte Motor Speedway has the distinction of being the first sports facility in America to offer year-round condominiums overlooking the speedway in 1984.
Eight years later, Smith and Wheeler added a $1.7 million permanent reflective lighting system, making Charlotte the first modern superspeedway to host night racing. The revolutionary lighting process uses mirrors to simulate daylight without glare, shadows or obtrusive light poles.
Three Cup Series events, two Nationwide Series races and a Truck Series race are among the major events held on the 1.5-mile superspeedway. The Richard Petty Driving Experience and the Fast Track High Performance Driving School and the 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, Bandoleros and Thunder Roadsters, as well as World Karting Association regional, national and international races.
In May 2000, a state-of-the-art four-tenths-mile clay oval, The Dirt Track at Charlotte Motor Speedway, was completed across Highway 29 from the speedway. The stadium-style facility has nearly 15,000 seats and hosts Dirt Late Model, Modifieds, Sprint Cars, Monster Trucks and more.
Corporations such as Lowe's Home Improvement, Coca-Cola, Miller Brewing, Pfizer Pharmaceuticals and DuPont have rented the speedway to film television commercials or to entertain employees and clients with food, music and racecar rides.
Motion pictures such as Days of Thunder, Speedway and Stroker Ace and even music videos like Tracy Lawrence's If the Good Die Young have been filmed at the speedway. Adding to rental dates are race team testing and automobile manufacturer research.
Charlotte Motor Speedway also annually presents two of the nation's largest car shows and swap meets: the Food Lion AutoFairs in April and September. With track rentals and track events, the speedway is used more than 300 days per year.
