Indianapolis Raceway Park

Indianapolis, Indiana

O'Reilly Raceway Park at Indianapolis is a multi purpose racing facility located in Indianapolis, Indiana. It is not to be confused with Indianapolis Motor Speedway, IMS, which is referred to as a superspeedway, although its construction vastly predates the use of that term. Surprisingly to some, the vast majority of motorsports events held in Indianapolis are held at Indianapolis Raceway Park, including a NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race, a NASCAR Busch Series event, drag racing and road racing.

Sprint car races and other events suited to a shorter track are held here. Raceway Park also traditionally stages an extensive program on the Saturday night of Memorial Day weekend (late May), the night before the Indianapolis 500 event at IMS, serving as something of an unofficial preliminary event to the far more famous one.

The facility also includes a 2.5 mile, 15-turn road course used for Sports Car Club of America "club" road racing events, featuring a 4,400 foot long drag strip that hosts the annual NHRA U.S. Nationals on Labor Day weekend.

The track was known as Indianapolis Raceway Park until 2006, when the naming rights were bought by O'Reilly Auto Parts.

At the .686 mile oval track, the biggest names in stock car, open car and a variety of other autos compete in a diverse schedule from April through September.

This historic racing facility had its beginnings as a dream on the part of 15 racing professionals and area businessmen. It is now the site of three world-famous race courses -- a 4,400-foot drag strip, a .686-mile oval and a 15-turn, 2.5-mile road course -- all of which are paved with asphalt. Indianapolis Raceway Park was host to the first-ever NASCAR race in Indianapolis in 1982, and has been a part of the NASCAR Busch Series Grand National Division schedule every year in series history.

Each season, Richmond International Raceway hosts two NASCAR Nextel Cup Series races, two NASCAR Busch Series races, a NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race, an IRL IndyCar Series event, the Crown Royal IROC Series, a USAC Weld Racing Silver Crown Series event, and a USAC Valvoline National Sprint Car Series race. The .75-mile track at Richmond International Speedway has been reconfigured four times in its history and has transformed from a .5-mile dirt track to the popular asphalt track we know today.

Richmond International Raceway is the only track to hold all of its major events under the lights. It boasts a wide surface for side-by-side action and fast speeds. Driver skill plays an important part in races held at Richmond International Speedway.

Lee Petty won the first NASCAR Grand National Division race at Richmond International Speedway. Since that first race in Richmond in 1953, the track has undergone three name changes. Lights were added to the facility in 1991.

In 1960 The King, Richard Petty, competed in his first race at Richmond. He finished sixth and his father, Lee Petty, won the race. Included in the group in front of Petty were Ned Jarrett (third) and Glen Wood (fifth). On September 9, 1968, Richard Petty won the first race on the newly paved .625-mile track. The race was 187.5 miles (300 laps). Richard Petty holds the record of 13 wins at Richmond International Speedway.