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Phoenix International Raceway
In 1964, Phoenix International Raceway was Arizona's newest addition to come from the foothills of the Estrella Mountains. World famous drivers Mario Andretti, Parnelli Jones, A.J. Foyt and the Unsers quickly fell in love with the one mile oval track, which just happened to be located in Phoenix as the tourism industry was really starting to pick up.
Even with all of it's popularity, it wasn't until 1988 that Phoenix sparked the attention of the NASCAR Winston Cup (now known as Nextel Cup) Series. At that time, the sport of auto racing became a major sporting event for the "Valley of the Sun." Legends such as Dale Earnhardt, Davey Allison, Richard Petty and Rusty Wallace roared into town, along with the rest of the NASCAR stars and their respective teams. These days, NASCAR has grown so popular that Phoenix International Raceway now dedicates an entire weekend each Fall for the Nextel, Busch and Craftsman Truck competitions. This annual weekends marks one of the largest events in the state. The Nextel Cup race, in fact, is considered the largest one-day sporting event in all of Arizona.
Phoenix, Arizona is the sixth largest city in America. The surrounding area offers a wide variety of food, accommodations and entertainment. Each of these amenities would be expected in any tourism spot, but the addition of NASCAR produces a large economic impact on the city without a doubt.
Phoenix International Raceway is a one mile racetrack with 11 degree banking in turns one and two and nine degrees banking in turns three and four. On the straights, competitors find three degrees of banking on the front and 9 degrees on the back. Rusty Wallace holds the track record in NASCAR's Nextel Cup series as he drove his Ford at speeds of 134.178 mph around the oval track in only 26.830 seconds. This record was set on November 3, 2000 and has since remained unmatched by any competitor.
Among the amenities offered at Phoenix International Raceway include modern restroom facilities, quality concessions and a variety of collectible and souvenir trailers. Fans who wish to take a quick peak at Pit Road may be able to purchase pit passes, which provides for access prior to the beginning of the race. Garage access is not permitted, but fans can tour the pits, mingle with the teams and seek autographs from their favorite stars of NASCAR. Who ever said that the pits was a bad place to be? Well it's not - if you're a race fan.
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