Tracks Of Yesterday:
       Texas International Speedway/Texas World Speedway

January 12, 2010

By Allen Madding

Allen Madding

Near College Station, Texas, the 2-mile Texas International Speedway opened in 1969 with 22 degree banking in the turns and 8 degree banking on the straightaways. Four vehicle tunnels were constructed to allow access to the infield, one car and one truck tunnel located under the entrance of turn one, one car and one truck tunnel located under turn four, and a pedestrian tunnel located under the start/finish line of the front straightaway. The track was designed to be a duplicate of Michigan International Speedway.

The owner of both speedways was a Detroit industrialist, Larry LoPatin. LoPatin had seen an opportunity to make a fortune in auto racing. He created American Raceways, Inc. with plans to create a dozen or so speedways across the country and make a fortune operating them. LoPatin launched a capital drive and quickly sold $3million in stock.

LoPatin wasted no time in initiating his plan. He purchased 47 percent ownership in Riverside International Raceway in California, and he acquired 19 percent ownership in Atlanta International Raceway. Additionally, he held an option to purchase an additional 52 percent ownership in Atlanta. He then merged Riverside and Atlanta operations.

When LoPatin held the inaugural event at Michigan, a USAC Indy Car race on October 13, 1968, all was well with the world. A crowd estimated at 55,000 attended the event and LoPatin could see success just on the horizon for American Raceways, Inc.

But the launch of Texas International Speedway was not as grand. When the inaugural NASCAR Grand National Division Texas 500 was held December 7, 1969, a mere 23,508 people attended. Bobby Isaac won the event driving Nord Krauskopf’s No. 77 K&K Insurance Dodge.

The lack of attendance and its impact on the budget for the operation of Texas International Speedway was so severe, the track could not finance another NASCAR event in 1970.

The second Texas 500 was not held until December 12, 1971. The track had been renamed Texas World Speedway when the NASCAR Winston Cup Series returned to Texas. Richard Petty won the event in front of a small crowd of 18,000 marking two financial disasters at the Texas track that had only hosted two events.

Richard Petty won the Lone Star 500 on June 25, 1972 at Texas World Speedway after qualifying on the pole. The NASCAR Winston Cup Series returned November 12 for the Texas 500. A. J. Foyt qualified on the pole, but Buddy Baker won in the No. 71 K & K Insurance Dodge.

Baker would qualify on the pole when the NASCAR Winston Cup Series returned to Texas on June 10, 1973 for the Alamo 500, but Richard Petty took the win after leading a mere 77 laps of the 250 lap event.

The failure to attract crowds at Texas was beginning to take a huge toll on American Raceways, Inc. The county tax office seized Michigan International Raceway in 1973 due to unpaid property taxes. It was sold at auction to Pat Patrick who would later sell it to Roger Penske.

Texas World Speedway management could not raise the capital required to host a NASCAR Grand National event and fell off the schedule for several years. Finally, in 1979, the track managed to raise the funds and hosted a NASCAR Winston Cup Series event. Darrell Waltrip won the Texas 400 in 1979 in front of 11,000 fans.

Texas hosted the NASCAR 400 in 1980. 14,500 fans showed up, but only a field of 31 NASCAR Winston Cup teams competed. Cale Yarborough won the event while the talk in the garage quietly aired doubts that the NASCAR Winston Cup Series would return to Texas.

Texas World Speedway was not having much luck hosting USAC Indy car events either. The USAC Indy Car Series competed on the Texas track in 1973, 1974, 1976, 1977, 1978, and 1979 before dropping the track from their schedule.

The NASCAR Winston Cup Series ran its final event at Texas World Speedway, the Budweiser NASCAR 400, on June 7, 1981. Benny Parsons won the event driving Bud Moore’s No. 15 Melling Tool Ford beating out Dale Earnhardt in Rod Osterland’s No. 2 Wrangler Pontiac.

Since NASCAR’s departure, the track’s multiple road course layouts, 1.8, 1.9, and 2.9 mile configurations, have seen regular competition with the main track only being used for test sessions. The main track has been smooth ground to provide smooth racing surfaces in the track’s 22 degree banking and Greg Biffle tested there in January 2009 -- running 218 mph. Biffle’s test proving the track worthy as a testing facility that NASCAR teams could utilize under NASCAR’s ban on testing on any track holding a NASCAR sanctioned event.

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