Track Specifications:
Track Length: 1.5-mile quad oval
Width: 58 feet (minimum)
Turns: 750-foot radius
Degree of Banking: Turns: 24 degrees
Straightaways/dogleg: Banking: 5 degrees;
Straights: Front Straight - 2250 feet; Back Stretch - 1330 feet
Infield Capacity: Approx. 53,000
Grandstand Seating: 122,377
Total Permanent Seating: 138,122
Total Estimated Capacity: 191,122 Pit Road: 45 pit stalls for NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
Pit Road Speed: 45mph
Pace Car Speed: 55mph
Opened: 1997

April 2013 Pole Sitter: #18-Kyle Busch, 196.299mph, finished 1st

November 2012 Pole Winner: #48-Jimmie Johnson, 191.076mph, finished 1st

Track Pole Record: #18-Kyle Busch, 196.299, 4/12/2013

Oldest Pole Winner: Bill Elliott, 46 years, 6 months, 0 days, 4/08/2002

Youngest Pole Winner: Brian Vickers, 23 years, 0 months, 12 days, 11/05/2006

April 2013 Race Winner: #18-Kyle Busch, 144.751mph, started 1st

November 2012 Race Winner: #48-Jimmie Johnson, 136.117mph, started 1st

Track Race Record: Greg Biffle, April 2012, 160.577mph

Slowest Race Record: Jeff Burton, 1997, 125.102mph

Oldest Race Winner: Dale Jarrett, 44 years, 4 months, 6 days, 4/1/2001

Youngest Race Winner: Ryan Newman, 25 years, 3 months, 22 days, 3/30/2003

Most Wins: 3 - Carl Edwards

Most Poles: 2 - Ryan Newman, Bobby Labonte, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jeff Burton, Jeff Gordon

Most Top 5s: 12 - Matt Kenseth

Most Top 10s: 15 - Matt Kenseth, Jimmie Johnson

Most Cautions: 12 - 4/2/2000 and 11/5/2006

Fewest Cautions: 2 - 4/14/2012

Most Caution Laps: 73, 4/6/1997

Fewest Caution Laps: 10, 4/14/2012

Most Running at the Finish: 40 - 11/6/2005 & 11/2/2008

Fewest Running at the Finish: 29 - twice, most recently 4/5/1998

Most Lead Changes: 33 - 11/7/2010

Most Leaders: 17 - 4/2/2000

Fewest Lead Changes: 13 - 11/8/2009 & 11/7/2010

Fewest Leaders: 4 - 11/8/2009

Most Wins by Manufacturer: 10 - Ford; 7 - Chevy; 4 - Dodge; 3 - Toyota

Fewest Laps Led by a Race Winner: 1 [of 334] - Jeff Burton 4/15/2007

Most Laps Led by a Race Winner: 278 [of 334] - Tony Stewart, 11/5/2006

Worst Starting Spot to Win: #17-Matt Kenseth, 2000, started 31st

NASCAR will evaluate future race sponsorships: With the NRA 500 drawing attention just for the name of the race, NASCAR will take a closer look at race sponsorships in the future, the sanctioning body said in a statement Thursday. Tracks negotiate their own naming rights deals, and Texas Motor Speedway announced last month that the National Rifle Association would sponsor its Sprint Cup Series race, scheduled for Saturday night. The sanctioning agreement tracks have with NASCAR states that "NASCAR reserves the right to approve or disapprove any advertising, sponsorship or similar agreement in connection with the event." NASCAR approved the sponsorship, and Texas Motor Speedway President Eddie Gossage said Thursday there has been no public outcry over the sponsorship. But NASCAR spokesman David Higdon released a statement that indicated the timing of a sponsorship and the perception of NASCAR will be used to determine whether to approve race sponsorships in the future. "The NRA's sponsorship of the event at Texas Motor Speedway fit within existing parameters that NASCAR affords tracks in securing partnerships," the NASCAR statement said. "However, this situation has made it clear that we need to take a closer look at our approval process moving forward, as current circumstances need to be factored in when making decisions."(Sporting News)(4-12-2013)

Shawn Michaels to drive pace car at Texas: After a career of driving opponents to the mat in professional wrestling rings with his signature "Sweet Chin Music" finishing move, WWE Hall of Famer Shawn Michaels will now grab the wheel of the "No Limits" Wild Asphalt Circus Chevrolet Camaro Official Pace Car and lead the 43-car field to the green flag for Saturday evening's NRA 500 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Texas Motor Speedway. Considered one of the most gifted sports entertainers of all time prior to retiring in 2010, Michaels now gets the rare opportunity as a celebrity to pace the stars of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series for the start of the NRA 500 in the Official Pace Car. NASCAR has granted Texas Motor Speedway special permission to allow Michaels to drive the car pending a mandatory on-track orientation prior to race. Michaels is just the third celebrity in the history of Texas Motor Speedway to earn the honor, following movie star Vince Vaughn (2007 Dickies 500) and former Texas Rangers pitcher C.J. Wilson (2010 AAA Texas 500). Former Dallas Stars great Mike Modano also was bestowed the honor, but had his moment washed out for the April race in 2010 when the Samsung Mobile 500 was postponed until Monday due to rain.(TMS)(4-11-2013)

Texas unveils new food items for NRA 500 weekend: Texas Motor Speedway will unveil a variety of brand new food items over the NRA 500 weekend. Always striving to build the most unique and flavorful items for fans, Levy Restaurants and The Speedway Club at Texas Motor Speedway Executive Chef Joel Pena created these one-of-a-kind additions. Some of the new featured items will include a glazed donut and brisket combination dubbed the "Smokin' Hubcaps," the "Bacon Cotton Candy Martini," the "Jackalope Sausage" featuring pork, rabbit and antelope, as well as a "Kid's Favorite" hot dog.(TMS)(4-5-2013)

Six-shooter celebration to remain at Texas: Firing six-shooters with blanks will remain a part of the Texas Motor Speedway Victory Lane celebration for the April 13 Sprint Cup race that will be sponsored by the National Rifle Association. Texas Motor Speedway president Eddie Gossage told ESPN.com last month he planned to meet with some Cup owners to see if they or their sponsors opposed having the six-shooters as part of the celebration because of a potential conflict with the NRA's involvement. If some were opposed, Gossage said he would consider altering the tradition. He has since reconsidered. "The more thought I gave to it, the more I realized that it is purely a celebration,'' Gossage said. "As you know, it's been going on for a long time and is not affiliated with the NRA. As a result, I decided we would go through our normal Victory Lane celebration, including the Cowboy Boot Trophy, the cowboy hat and the six-shooters. It is my decision and I'm sure it will be fine."(ESPN)(4-4-2013)

Texas could alter famous victory lane gun celebration: Eddie Gossage isn't expecting any significant fallout from his track's sponsorship with the NRA, but the Texas Motor Speedway president is considering tweaks after aligning with the organization. Gossage told USA TODAY Sports in a phone interview Monday that he will solicit team owners' opinions about altering his victory lane procedure for the NRA 500 on April 13. For several years, Texas winners have celebrated by donning a cowboy hat and firing two six-shooters (with blanks) for victory lane photos.(USA Today)(3-5-2013)

NRA to sponsor April race at Texas: Texas Motor Speedway and the National Rifle Association have signed a one-year agreement with a renewal option for America's oldest civil rights and sportsmen's group to serve as the title sponsor for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race on April 13, speedway president Eddie Gossage announced Monday. The annual spring NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Texas Motor Speedway will be retitled the "NRA 500" and serve as the first prime-time Saturday evening race of this season. The NRA replaces Samsung Mobile, which had served as the title sponsor of this race since 2002. Gossage made the announcement and unveiled the race logo during Texas Motor Speedway's annual Media Day held in the Grand Ballroom of The Speedway Club.
"The NRA has been involved in the sport for several years and a partner of Speedway Motorsports, Inc. for many years in various aspects, and this race entitlement is just another extension of that business relationship," Gossage said. "We look forward to another successful partnership with the NRA for our April race week of activities."
The NRA has had a relationship with the NASCAR industry for more than a decade on a variety of platforms. The organization continues to be a generous supporter of SMI's Speedway Children's Charities and its fund-raising events since 2000. The NRA has contributed more than $500,000 to the Texas Chapter of SCC at Texas Motor Speedway alone.
NRA's most recent race entitlement in the sport came last season when the organization was the title sponsor for the NASCAR Nationwide Series race known as the "NRA American Warrior 300" that was held Sept. 1 at Atlanta Motor Speedway. NASCAR owner Richard Childress is a current NRA board member and team owners and drivers have donated sponsor space on their cars to support the NRA in the past.
NRA Executive Vice President and CEO Wayne LaPierre was unable to attend the event in person, but did provide a video message for the Media Day audience. "The NRA 500 is the latest announcement in the long history of a growing partnership between the NRA, Speedway Motorsports and the NASCAR community," LaPierre said. "NRA members and NASCAR fans love their country and everything that is good and right about America. We salute our flag ... volunteer in our churches and communities ... cherish our families ... and WE LOVE RACING! On April 13, we'll all come together at Texas Motor Speedway." Tickets for the NRA 500 are available by visiting www.texasmotorspeedway.com or by calling the speedway ticket office at (817) 215-8500. (TMS)(3-4-2013)

Texas Motor Speedway offering bacon cotton candy: Bacon and cotton candy sound like unlikely pairings for a flavorful treat, but Levy Restaurants and The Speedway Club at Texas Motor Speedway Executive Chef Joel Pena have proven otherwise. On Tuesday, Chef Pena combined the two and unveiled Texas Motor Speedway's newest tasty treat, "Hawg Heaven Bacon Cotton Candy," to the media at the NASCAR Sprint Media Tour hosted by Charlotte Motor Speedway.
Hawg Heaven Bacon Cotton Candy In an effort to help create unique, signature concession stand items for Texas Motor Speedway race fans during the 2013 season, Chef Pena spent the offseason in the kitchen trying to find ways to tie in Texas' unique culture while at the same time building off the speedway's "No Limits" Wild Asphalt Circus theme. His more than two months in the kitchen led him to "Hawg Heaven Bacon Cotton Candy," one of the new menu items that will be available at concession stands for April's Texas 500 NASCAR doubleheader weekend, as well as a few others that will be announced at a later date.
"It will definitely create a buzz," Chef Pena said. "Expect the unexpected when you come to Texas Motor Speedway. That is the philosophy of the Wild Asphalt Circus theme and that is what fans are going to get with 'Hawg Heaven Bacon Cotton Candy.' We wanted to come up with something that is a traditional circus theme, but turn it around and make it something completely different and unique to Texas Motor Speedway."
"Hawg Heaven Bacon Cotton Candy" features four ounces of bacon-infused cotton candy and topped with candy coated bits of bacon. The cotton candy will be sold in a specially packaged wrapper featuring the "Hawg Heaven Bacon Cotton Candy" logo during race weekend.
The creation came naturally to Chef Pena, who wanted to capitalize on the race fan's affinity for bacon. From the importance of bacon on the tailgate menu, to the number of items on Texas Motor Speedway's menu that featured bacon, the meat reigned supreme among fans. After trying countless artificial flavorings, Chef Pena discovered the only way to get the desired flavor was to use real bacon. After cooking the bacon, it is drained, dried and locked into an airtight container with sugar for 24 hours. The sugar then takes on the traditional smokiness and flavoring of bacon to create "Hawg Heaven Bacon Cotton Candy."
"What makes the 'Hawg Heaven Bacon Cotton Candy' a home run is that we use real bacon to infuse the flavor into the sugar," Chef Pena said. "All the race fans love bacon. We hope to see a lot of hands full of cotton candy in April."
The 2013 race season at Texas Motor Speedway kicks off with the April 11-13 Texas 500 NASCAR weekend, featuring the Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series. Tickets for the Texas 500 and O'Reilly Auto Parts 300 are available by calling (817) 215-8500 or by visiting www.texasmotorspeedway.com.(TMS)(2-18-2013)

Texas Motor Speedway makes sweeping changes for fans: Texas Motor Speedway President Eddie Gossage announced a dozen impactful changes to further enhance the motorsports fan experience in 2013, ranging from a new, wide-ranging children's ticket pricing program and restructured individual adult ticket pricing to unique race-related perks for season ticketholders. Fan Fueled Evolution Web The sweeping changes - known as the Fan-Fueled Evolution - come as a result of recommendations from the Texas Motor Speedway Fan Council and extensive fan surveys of former season and individual ticketholders. The speedway executive team, led by Gossage, examined and evaluated all of the recommendations and survey results to construct an all-encompassing package to further enrich the fan experience while making it even more economical to visit the largest sports facility in Texas during its three major race weeks.
"These fan-fueled changes are 12 things we're doing to change the sport," Gossage said. "Sports teams, both locally and nationally, have been announcing ticket price increases, but we have come up with a dozen dynamic changes for our fans. From price cuts to children's ticket pricing to a new rainout policy to race friendly hotel listings on our website and more will make attending our races easier and more fun. We are committed to over delivering to our fans once again."
The majority of the changes will go into effect immediately while others will be in place when Texas Motor Speedway opens its 2013 season with the Texas 500 NASCAR doubleheader weekend on April 11-13. The changes and enhancements that will go into effect consist of:
" Revamped Rainout Policy. If a season or individual ticketholder is unable to attend a rained-out race (all series) on its rescheduled date, they will have the ability to redeem that ticket for a future event at equal or lesser value for up to one calendar year. Tickets under the previous policy were only valid for the rescheduled date.
" "Code Of Conduct" Text Response System. Texas Motor Speedway will incorporate a texting system where fans can alert speedway officials of conduct unbecoming
" Non-Smoking Grandstands. Texas Motor Speedway will no longer permit smoking in the grandstands
" Upgraded Backstretch Seating Experience. Ticketholders will now have the benefit of a 17x27-foot Jumbotron screen in the center of the backstretch
" New Children's Ticket Program That Will Be Among The Most Comprehensive In Motorsports And Other Major Sports.
" Adult Individual Ticket Restructuring
" Unique Race-Related Perks For Season Ticketholders
" Upgraded Fan Tram Service
" Flexible Season, Individual Ticket Payment Plans
" Premium Seat Options Available Through Texas Motor Speedway and Ticketmaster
" Fan Friendly Hotel Listing
" New Reactive Website, Mobile Lite Site
The 2013 racing season begins April 11-13 with the Texas 500 NASCAR doubleheader weekend. The opener is followed by the Firestone 550 INDYCAR/NASCAR Camping World Series doubleheader June 6-8 and AAA Texas 500 NASCAR tripleheader weekend on Oct. 31-Nov. 3. Tickets, including season ticket packages beginning as low as $270, are available by calling the Texas Motor Speedway ticket office at (817) 215-8500 or by visiting www.texasmotorspeedway.com.(TMS)(1-21-2013)

TMS, CMS intend to bid for X Games: Texas Motor Speedway and Charlotte Motor Speedway have signed letters of intent to bid on becoming a host venue for ESPN's X Games beginning in 2014. TMS, which is located in Fort Worth, and CMS, which is located in Concord, N.C., are owned by parent company Speedway Motorsports Inc. Atlanta Motor Speedway, another SMI track, is part of an overall bid by the Atlanta Sports Council. Mike Zizzo, vice president of media relations at TMS, said X Games officials are traveling to TMS at the end of the month to evaluate the facility. TMS officials say they are interested in a three-year hosting period for the summer edition of the X Games. The summer event requires venues that can accommodate courses ranging from rally car and motocross to skateboarding and BMX competition. The four-day event traditionally attracts between 80,000 and 100,000 spectators. TMS is one of 13 locations bidding for the summer X Games, including two others in Texas: Austin's Circuit of the Americas Formula One road course and the Houston Sports Authority, representing Harris County.(ESPN)(1-18-2013)

Individual tickets on sale for Texas Motor Speedway events: Individual tickets for Texas Motor Speedway's Texas 500 NASCAR doubleheader weekend and Firestone 550 INDYCAR/NASCAR weekend are on sale. The Texas 500 returns April 13 and Texas Motor Speedway is providing fan friendly deals for the first Saturday night NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race of the 2013 season. The ever-popular "2 for $99" frontstretch ticket package returns while supplies last and fans also can take advantage of the "Backstretch Buster" seats at $20 and $40 per ticket. The Texas 500 will highlight the weekend that also includes the O'Reilly Auto Parts 300 NASCAR Nationwide Series race on Friday evening, April 12. Tickets for the O'Reilly Auto Parts 300, which includes Sports Day Qualifying Days Powered by The Dallas Morning News for Sprint Cup and Nationwide, start as low as $25. Fans wanting to enjoy all 10 days of exciting racing scheduled for 2013 at Texas Motor Speedway can still purchase season-ticket packages beginning at $270, a savings of up to 25 percent over individual tickets. Season-ticket packages once again include special perks such as passes for the "No Limits" Garage Party presented by WinStar World Casino, discounts on concession stand items and merchandise, discounted pit passes, and more. Fans can purchase tickets by visiting the Texas Motor Speedway ticket office beginning at 9 a.m., calling the ticket office at (817) 215-8500 or by visiting www.texasmotorspeedway.com.(TMS)(11-20-2012)

Texas names 2013 race dates: Texas Motor Speedway announced its 2013 season schedule Tuesday and also unveiled its "No Limits" Wild Asphalt Circus marketing theme for next year. The theme comes with a new logo and will be heavily incorporated into the speedway's marketing and advertising materials, souvenir merchandise, tickets, signage, web site and the overall fan experience. In addition to the wild race action on the asphalt, fans also will be treated to a wide range of entertainment associated with the theme that will range from the newly formed "No Limits" Thrill Riders to high divers to popular musical acts. Outside of the circus-themed ambiance for next year, Texas Motor Speedway's 2013 season schedule will consist of its three customary weekends in their traditional dates and featuring NASCAR's three premier series and INDYCAR.
April's Texas 500 - formerly the Samsung Mobile 500 - and November's AAA Texas 500 will once again serve as signature events on the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series schedule. The Texas 500, set for April 13, will anchor Texas Motor Speedway's season-opening NASCAR doubleheader race weekend that is scheduled as the first Saturday night event of the Sprint Cup Series season. The three-day race week opens with practice sessions for both the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and Nationwide Series on Thursday, April 11. SportsDay Qualifying Days Powered By The Dallas Morning News for both series will be held Friday, April 12, and the day's on-track activities will be highlighted by the running of the O'Reilly Auto Parts 300 Nationwide Series race that evening. The race action will culminate with the Texas 500 on Saturday, April 13, which will fall on the same weekend as The Masters golf tournament but will not conflict due to the evening start time.
The Texas Motor Speedway season closes with its busiest race week of the season as all three NASCAR series (Sprint Cup, Nationwide and Camping World Truck Series) visit Oct. 31-Nov. 3 for the AAA Texas 500 event. The AAA Texas 500 serves as the eighth race in the 10-event, playoff-style Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup while the O'Reilly Auto Parts Challenge Nationwide Series race and WinStar World Casino 350 Camping World Truck Series race could be pivotal in the championship aspirations for their respective series contenders as the season winds down.
The race week opens with two NASCAR Camping World Truck Series practice sessions on Thursday, Oct. 31, and is followed with a day that features all three series on track. SportsDay Qualifying Days Powered by The Dallas Morning News for the Camping World Truck Series WinStar World Casino 350 and Sprint Cup Series AAA Texas 500 will be held on Friday, Nov. 1. The day also will include two NASCAR Nationwide Series practices for the O'Reilly Auto Parts Challenge and culminate with the WinStar World Casino 350 being run that evening.
The Nationwide Series takes center stage Saturday, Nov. 2, as SportsDay Qualifying Days Powered by The Dallas Morning News will take place in the afternoon and be followed by the evening running of the O'Reilly Auto Parts Challenge race. The day also will feature Sprint Cup Series "Happy Hour," with the final two practice sessions being run in preparation for the next day's AAA Texas 500.
The weekend and Texas Motor Speedway race season will conclude Sunday, Nov. 3, with the running of the AAA Texas 500, the eighth race in the 10-event Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup championship format. The AAA Texas 500 has proven to be a critical Chase race in determining the sport's next champion. The mid-afternoon start offers a unique setting and strategy for teams as the race will begin in daylight and culminate under the lights.
Individual tickets go on sale Nov. 16, 2012, for the 2013 Texas 500 and Firestone 550 race weeks. Individual tickets for the 2013 AAA Texas 500 race week will go on sale following the 2013 Texas 500 race weekend. For additional ticket information, please call the Texas Motor Speedway ticket office at (817) 215-8500 or visit www.texasmotorspeedway.com.(TMS)(8-21-2012)