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Michigan International Speedway
Michigan International Speedway is located in southeastern Michigan's Irish Hills and is situated on more than 1,400 acres of property. Ground was broken for this historic facility on September 28, 1967. In order to form the D-shaped oval that race fans attribute to Michigan International Speedway, over 2 ½ million yards of dirt was moved. Charles Moneypenny, who was responsible for the design of the Daytona International Speedway, was also responsible for the design at Michigan as well.
Lawrence H. LoPatin, a land developer from Detroit, was credited with building the Michigan International Speedway at an estimated budget of between four and six million dollars. The original idea was to include infield and exterior roads, which could accommodate either a single 3-mile track or two 1.9 mile road courses. The road course designs were courtesy of Formula One legend Stirling Moss. To this day, these courses are used on a limited basis for exclusive passenger car testing.
On October 13, 1968, the track's inaugural race was held as the 250-mile IndyCar Series rolled into town with Ronnie Bucknum defeating a field of competitors for a celebration in the Winner's Circle. The first NASCAR competition was held on June 15, 1969 as race fans cheered Cale Yarborough on to victory. In an exciting finish, after Cale Yarborough and LeeRoy Yarbrough raced side by side for much of the race, they finally bumped twice as the pair entered turn one. LeeRoy touched the wall and went on to spin out and crash only 900 feet from the finish line. This paved the way for Cale to take the victory, which he did in one of the most exciting finishes in Michigan International Speedway's history. Since that time, many racing legends and historical moments have found their way to this facility.
LoPatin, the original land developer of Michigan International Speedway, formed American Raceways Inc. (ARI). His interest became widespread as he wished to develop speedways in more cities across the United States. Michigan International Speedway has remained a constant profitable investment for LoPatin, but the other ARI speedways were not as fortunate. Ultimately, the company was left with no other option than to file for bankruptcy in 1971.
During the time of financial hardships for the organization, Roger Penske stepped in and picked up where LoPatin had left off. After purchasing the facility for $2 million, Penske immediately began to work on improvements by investing millions into his dream of making Michigan International Speedway one of the greatest superspeedways in the entire world. During his ownership, thousands of grandstand seats, several buildings, garages and suites were added. Various other improvements were made, including the addition of modern amenities and more spaces for parking. In 1997, Roger Penske developed Penske Motorsports, Inc. (PMI), which later merged with International Speedway Corporation in 1999. As the years progressed, Michigan International Speedway underwent it's largest renovation project to date. With the addition of even more seats, upgraded amenities and fan friendly services, this facility has everything to offer in the world of racing.
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