# Pikes Peak International Raceway

Pikes Peak International Raceway (PPIR) is a racetrack in the Colorado Springs area within the city limits of Fountain, Colorado, that by October 12, 1997, was "the fastest 1-mile paved oval anywhere". The speedway hosted races in several series including the Indy Racing League and two NASCAR series (Busch and Truck) until operations were suspended from August 2005. A wide variety of amateur racing groups use PPIR for racing and training as the circuit is now closed to sanctioned professional auto racing due to the purchase of the track by PPIR LLC from NASCAR/ISC in 2008 after the track was put up for sale in 2006. The sale included a clause that prohibited sanctioned professional auto racing, as well as the need for additional safety upgrades at a cost of $1 million+ for professional racing series that the new ownership had no interest in implementing with the clause in place.

## History

Racing in the Pikes Peak Region included 19th century horse tracks (e.g., to the west of Colorado Springs' Palmer House along Fountain Creek by 1882 and to the north by 1903, the "Roswell Racing Park"), and the annual Pikes Peak International Hill Climb started in 1916 on the 1915 Pikes Peak Highway. In 1938, a track was north of the Alexander Aircraft factory and c. World War II another was to the factory's southeast at the south end of the Nichols Field taxiway. On the Pike's Peak Ocean-to-Occan Highway west of the city was the end of the 1951 Colorado sports car rally (terminus at the Crystola Inn), a 1953 dirt dragstrip "some four miles east of Colorado Springs" was used for "the first statewide drag race", and a stock car track was along Powers Road in the early 1960s. The "last local track" for auto racing east of the city through the late 1970s was the Colorado Springs International Speedway which "had crowds in the 3,000-4,000 range on summer weekends". The Platte Avenue go-kart track closed c. 1990, the greyhound track closed c. 2005 and is now an off track betting facility, and the Olympic velodrome in Memorial Park is one of the remaining racing venues within the city.

### Pikes Peak Meadows

Pikes Peak Meadows was a dirt horse racing track facility opened in 1964 20 mi (32 km) south of Colorado Springs and 25 mi (40 km) north of Pueblo, Colorado, with a large, blue, covered grandstand on the west. After its horse racing ended in 1993, C. C. Myers "announced plans in May 1996 to build a major auto racing facility" at Pikes Peak Meadows.

### Speedway development

In 1997, "Apollo Real Estate Advisors LP formed a joint venture January 30 with Raceway Associates, a partnership headed by California contractor and developer C.C. Myers Inc, to own and run the 1,300-acre" speedway complex. The asphalt track was constructed 6 ft (1.8 m) below the "normal ground level", C.C. Myers planned "to get a big-time NASCAR race in 1998", and the facility had an open house for the local community on May 31, 1997. The first race's attendance (June 8) was 16,810, the Richard Petty Driving Experience used PPIR from July 2–17, the first IRL Series race on June 28 was televised, and a Winston West 500K race was held in July 1997.

### International Speedway Corporation

Earlier in 1996, a competing track near Denver in Adams County, Colorado was attempted by Penske Motorsports, Inc. which merged in 1999 with the International Speedway Corporation. In 2002 ISC gained "the right of first refusal should PPIR owners decide to sell their 1,200-acre complex" and in October 2005 for $11 million, "bought out the owners of Pikes Peak International Raceway" (racing operations were suspended and the scoreboard was moved to Texas Motor Speedway.) In 2006, meetings "between attorneys representing [Commerce City, near Denver] and International Speedway Corporation" were conducted before ISC "announced in February [1997] that it was eyeing land in Commerce City as well as eastern Aurora for the track. It envision[ed] a $360 million to $400 million track and stadium that could hold 75,000 to 80,000 fans." A new opposition group, Commerce City Citizens and Business Alliance, endorsed anti-raceway candidates which won local elections, and in May 1997 "ISC executive Wesley Harris said the 1,300-acre parcel the company was considering near Denver International Airport was not compatible with its needs". ISC sold PPIR in November 2006 (the purchase closed in the first quarter of 2007), and PPIR operations resumed in 2008.

### Current races

On December 6, 2012, USAC announced that PPIR would be on the 2013 USAC Traxxas Silver Crown Series schedule. Pikes Peak International Raceway would host the richest event in SRL Southwest Tour history as announced on April 23, 2013. PPIR also hosts regional club road course races such as the National Auto Sport Association (NASA) and SCCA as well as local enthusiast events such as track days, drifting events, and car shows.
PPIR currently hosts the largest autocross racing series in the Rocky Mountain Region, PPIR Time Attack. The series consists of 8-10 races per year on varying courses on the infield of the track. Courses run from 40 seconds to 1min 5 secs with competitors taking five runs to best their times. The series is based on weight to power and drivetrain classes, including front wheel drive, rear wheel drive, all-wheel drive and a XX class for non-conforming cars or non-street-legal cars.

## Lap records

As of July 2005, the fastest official race lap records at Pikes Peak International Raceway are listed as:
| Category | Time | Driver | Vehicle | Event |
| Road Course: 2.074 km (1997–present) |||||
| WSC | 0:49.238 | Andrea Montermini | Ferrari 333 SP | 1997 Festival of Road Racing |
| Trans-Am | 0:52.575 | Tommy Kendall | Ford Mustang Trans-Am | 1997 Pikes Peak Trans-Am round |
| Superbike | 0:54.748 | Eric Bostrom | Ducati 999R | 2004 Pikes Peak AMA Superbike round |
| Supersport | 0:55.458 | Jake Zemke | Honda CBR600RR | 2005 Pikes Peak AMA Supersport round |
| Ferrari Challenge | 0:58.207 | Chris Cox | Ferrari 360 Challenge | 2000 Pikes Peak Ferrari Challenge North America round |
| D-Shaped Oval: 1.609 km (1997–present) |||||
| IndyCar | 0:20.7067 | Tony Kanaan | Dallara IR-03 | 2003 Honda Indy 225 |
| Indy Lights | 0:23.9174 | Paul Dana | Dallara IPS | 2004 Pikes Peak 100 |
| Star Mazda | 0:26.187 | Graham Rahal | Star Formula Mazda 'Pro' | 2005 Pikes Peak Star Mazda round |

### Race results

PPIR race winners :
| Date | Series | Winning driver | Vehicle | Event |
| 2014-09/28 | SRL SPEARS Southwest Tour | Derek Thorn | | SPEARS Manufacturing Colorado 100 |
| 2013-09/29 | SRL SPEARS Southwest Tour | Greg Voigt | | SPEARS Manufacturing Colorado 100 |
| 2013-09-27/28 | NASA Rocky Mountain | Garrett Edmunds | Chevrolet | |
| 2013-06-29 | USAC Silver Crown Series | Bobby East | Tony Stewart/Curb Agajanian Performance Group Chevrolet Performance/Curb Beast/Kistler | TRAXXAS USAC Silver Crown Championship "Rocky Mountain Classic" 100 |
| 2013-06-29 | USAC National Midget Championship | Tracy Hines | Parker Machinery/Turbines, Inc. Spike/Stanton Toyota | Honda USAC National Midget “Rocky Mountain Classic” 25 |
| 2009-05-23 | United States Late Model Association | Danny Burson | | |
| 2005-08-21 | IRL | Dan Wheldon | Andretti Dallara/Honda | Honda Indy 225 |
| 2005-08-21 | Indy Lights | Jeff Simmons | Team ISI Dallara / Infiniti | Infiniti Pro Series Pikes Peak 100 |
| 2005-08-21 | NASCAR West Series | Steve Portenga | Chevrolet | NAPA Auto Parts 150 |
| 2005-07-23 | NASCAR Busch | David Green | Brewco Ford (#27) | ...Salute to the Troops 250 |
| 2005-07-23 | NASCAR AutoZone Elite Division, Southwest Series NASCAR AutoZone Elite Division, Midwest Series | Jim Pettit, II | Ford | King Soopers Freedom 150 |
| 2005-07-03 | USAC National Midget Championship USAC Western States Midget Series | Michael Lewis | | Rocky Mountain Classic |
| 2005-07-03 | USAC Weld Racing Silver Crown Series | Dave Steele | | Rocky Mountain Classic |
| 2004-08-22 | IRL | Dario Franchitti | Andretti Dallara/Honda | Honda Indy 225 |
| 2004-08-22 | Indy Lights | P. J. Chesson | Pioneer Dallara / Infiniti | Infiniti Pro Series Pikes Peak 100 |
| 2004-07-31 | NASCAR Busch | Greg Biffle | Ford | Gould Pumps/ITT Industries Salute to the Troops 250 |
| 2004-07-31 | NASCAR AutoZone Elite Division, Midwest Series | Eddie Hoffman | | Freedom 150 |
| 2004-07-04 | USAC Weld Racing Silver Crown Series | Jay Drake | | King Soopers Rocky Mountain Classic |
| 2004-07-04 | USAC Valvoline National Sprint Car Series | Dave Steele | | King Soopers Rocky Mountain Classic |
| 2004-07-04 | USAC National Midget Series USAC Western States Midget Series | Dave Steele | | King Soopers Rocky Mountain Classic |
| 2003-07-26 | NASCAR Busch | Scott Wimmer | Chevrolet | TrimSpa Dream Body 250 presented by Dodge |
| 2003-07-26 | NASCAR International Truck & Engine Corporation Midwest Series | Steve Carlson | Chevrolet | Wright Group Event Services 150 |
| 2003-07-04 | USAC Weld Racing Silver Crown Series | Jay Drake | | Rocky Mountain Classic |
| 2003-07-04 | USAC Valvoline National Sprint Car Series USAC Western Sprint Car Series | Tracy Hines | | Rocky Mountain Classic |
| 2003-07-04 | USAC National Midget Series USAC Western States Midget Series | Dave Steele | | Rocky Mountain Classic |
| 2003-06-15 | IRL | Scott Dixon | Ganassi G-Force/Toyota | Honda Indy 225 |
| 2003-06-14 | Indy Lights | Aaron Fike | RFMS Dallara / Infiniti | Infiniti Pro Series Pikes Peak 100 |
| 2002-07-27 | NASCAR Busch | Hank Parker Jr. | Dodge | NetZero 250 |
| 2002-07-27 | NASCAR RE/MAX Challenge Series | Tim Schendel | Chevrolet | Rent-Rite West 150 |
| 2002-06-16 | IRL | Gil de Ferran | Penske Dallara/Chevrolet | Radisson Indy 225 |
| 2002-06-16 | USAC Weld Racing Silver Crown Series | Brian Tyler | | |
| 2002-05-19 | NASCAR Truck | Mike Bliss | Xpress Chevrolet (#16) | Rocky Mountain 200 |
| 2002-05-19 | NASCAR Featherlite Southwest Series | Eddy McKean | Pontiac | Pikes Peak 100 |
| 2001-07-28 | NASCAR Busch | Jeff Purvis | Chevrolet | NAPA Auto Care 250 |
| 2001-07-28 | NASCAR RE/MAX Challenge Series | Jon Lemke | Chevrolet | Rent-Rite West 150 |
| 2001-06-17 | IRL | Buddy Lazier | Hemelgarn Dallara/Oldsmobile | Radisson Indy 200 |
| 2001-06-17 | USAC Coors Light Silver Bullet Series | Dave Steele | | |
| 2001-06-16 | Supermodified Racing League | Troy Regler | | Pikes Peak 25 |
| 2001 | NASCAR Truck | Joe Ruttman | Dodge | Jelly Belly 200 |
| 2001-05-20 | NASCAR Featherlite Southwest Series | Craig Raudman | Chevrolet | Sunstate Equipment Company 100 |
| 2000-07-22 | NASCAR Busch | Jeff Green | Chevrolet | NAPA Auto Care 250 |
| 2000-07-22 | NASCAR RE/MAX Challenge Series | Travis Kvapil | Chevrolet | Jensen Audio 150 |
| 2000-06-18 | IRL | Eddie Cheever | Cheever Dallara/Infiniti | Radisson 200 |
| 2000-06-18 | USAC MCI WorldCom National Midget Car Series USAC MCI WorldCom Western Midget Car Series | Ryan Newman | | |
| 2000-05-21 | NASCAR Truck | Greg Biffle | Ford | Grainger.com 200 |
| 2000-05-21 | NASCAR Featherlite Southwest Series | Ross Thompson | Chevrolet | Sunstate Equipment Company 100 |
| 1999-08-29 | IRL | Greg Ray | Menard Dallara/Oldsmobile | Radisson 200 |
| 1999-08-29 | USAC MCI WorldCom National Midget Car Series USAC MCI WorldCom Western Midget Car Series Ryan Newman | | |
| 1999-07-24 | NASCAR Busch | Andy Santerre | Chevrolet | NAPA Auto Care 250 |
| 1999-07-24 | NASCAR RE/MAX Challenge Series | Travis Kvapil | Chevrolet | Jensen 150 |
| 1999-06-27 | USAC Coors Light Silver Bullet Series | Tracy Hines | | Rocky Mountain Classic |
| 1999-05-16 | NASCAR Truck | Mike Wallace | Ford | NAPA 300K |
| 1999-05-16 | NASCAR West | Mike Wallace | Ford | King Soopers 150 |
| 1998-09-27 | USAC Western Sprint Car Series | Tony Hunt | | |
| 1998-08-16 | IRL | Kenny Bräck | Foyt Dallara/Oldsmobile | Radisson 200 |
| 1998-08-15 | ASA AC-Delco Challenge Series | Mike Garvey | Pontiac | Cornwall Tools 200 |
| 1998-07-26 | NASCAR West | Kevin Harvick | Chevrolet | Kidde Safety Safety 200 |
| 1998-07-26 | NASCAR RE/MAX Challenge Series | Rick Carelli | Chevrolet | Pikes Peak 150 |
| 1998-07-25 | NASCAR Truck | Ron Hornaday Jr. | Chevrolet | Tempus Resorts 300K |
| 1998-07-14 | NASCAR Busch | Matt Kenseth | Chevrolet | Lycos.com 250 |
| 1998-07-12 | USAC Silver Crown Series | John Heydenreich | | Rocky Mountain Classic |
| 1998-07-12 | ARCA Bondo Mar-Hyde Series | Tim Steele | Ford | Pikes Peak ARCA 150 |
| 1998-07-12 | USAC National Midget Car Series USAC Western States Midget Series | Jason Leffler | Nine Racing | Rocky Mountain Classic |
| 1998-06-13 | NASCAR RE/MAX Challenge Series | Jim Inglebright | Chevrolet | Cornwell Tools 150 |
| 1997-08-17 | AMA Superbike | Miguel Duhamel | Honda | MBNA Superbike Final |
| 1997-08-17 | AMA Superbike | Rich Oliver | Yamaha | ELF Fuels and Lubricants 250 Grand Prix |
| 1997-08-17 | AMA Superbike | Jason Pridmore | Suzuki | Teamline 750 Supersport |
| 1997-08-17 | AMA Superbike | Nate Wait | Harley Davidson | Progressive Insurance H-D Supertwins Final |
| 1997-08-17 | AMA Superbike | Paul Harrell | Yamaha | Pirelli Formula XTreme Final |
| 1997-07-27 | NASCAR Winston West | Michael Waltrip | Ford | NASCAR 500K |
| 1997-07-27 | USAC Western Sprint Car Series | Kevin Urton | | |
| 1997-06-29 | IRL | Tony Stewart | Menard G-Force/Oldsmobile | Samsonite 200 |
| 1997-06-08 | USAC Silver Crown Series | Kenny Irwin, Jr | | Rocky Mountain Classic |
| 1997-06-08 | USAC National Midget Championship USAC Western States Midget Series | Ryan Newman | | Rocky Mountain Classic |