Texas Motor Speedway

Lore & Background

Following the decline of the Texas World Speedway that began in the 1980s, the state of Texas found itself without a major racetrack and races for more than a decade. In the early 1990s, the newly incorporated and rising Speedway Motorsports and its founder, Bruton Smith, sought to build a major racetrack west of the Mississippi River, deciding on the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex in 1994 with eventual longtime track general manager Eddie Gossage. Construction began in 1995 and was completed in 1996, with TMS holding its first races in 1997. Upon the track's christening, TMS became one of the biggest sports facilities in the United States. In recent years, TMS has come under criticism for a poor racing product, particularly for its NASCAR races.

In Their Own Story

The sun hangs low and orange over the backstretch, painting the grandstands in amber. In the pit lane, the last of the tire crews are packing their equipment, the hiss of air guns fading. A lone IndyCar sits at the end of the row, its nose cone catching the dying light, the livery still streaked with a fine mist of track dust. The driver steps out, visor fogged, and walks slowly toward the wall. He presses his palm flat against the painted concrete, feeling the faint residual heat of the track surface — a small, unspoken ritual. Behind him, the banking rises in a long, smooth arc, the white line glowing in the last light. The crowd has thinned to a murmur, but the silence that follows is heavier than the roar ever was. Tomorrow, the engines will scream again, the cars will lean into the corners like birds in a gale, and the whole place will shake. But tonight, the track just breathes, warm and waiting.

Reader's Guide

Texas Motor Speedway (TMS) in its current form is measured at 1.5 miles, with 20 degrees of banking in the speedway's first two turns, 24 degrees of banking in the speedway's last two turns, five degrees of banking on the track's frontstretch and backstretch, and a racing surface width of 80 feet. From 1998 to 2017, the turns were all banked at 24 degrees and the racing surface width was 58 feet. When the track was initially constructed, it had a dual-banking system, with a high bank of 24 degrees and a low bank of eight degrees in the turns. Disputes over the track's length exist; the IndyCar Series have at times utilized two lengths: one for the pre-2017 layout and one for the reconfigured layout with new turn 1/2 profile. However, these measurements have been disputed as an 'error' by former longtime track general manager Eddie Gossage. The infield road course was completed in August 2000, and has four variations that are mainly used for sports car racing. As of 2021, the track has a capacity of 75,000. TMS's track complex covers 1,500 acres according to the Star-Telegram. Adjacent tracks include Lil' Texas Motor Speedway, a paved short track opened in May 1998, and a dirt track opened in March 2000.

Did You Know?

• The track was originally named Texas International Raceway from September to December 1996.
• TMS features the world's largest HD video screen, named Big Hoss TV, which was completed in March 2014 and certified by Guinness World Records as the largest HD television LED screen in the world.
• The Speedway Club, a members-only club overlooking the first turn, opened in March 1999 and was inspired by the club at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
• At its opening in 1997, the track had a reported capacity of 155,061 and held the world record for the most toilets at a facility with 2,450 toilets.