History of Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park
Originally opened in 1960, Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park has a rich history steeped in motorsport excellence. The track has hosted a wide array of racing events over the years, including drag racing, oval racing, and road course events. 1958 Led by Tom Binford, Frank Dickie, Roger Ward and Howard Fieger, 15 Indianapolis area businessmen and racing professionals invested $5,000.00 each to fund the development of what would become Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park. The group purchased a 267-acre farm about seven miles from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and developed a multipurpose auto racing facility.
1961 During the 1960 U.S. Nationals in Detroit, a handshake agreement between Binford and NHRA founder Wally Parks promised that the event would move to Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park in 1961. The historic three-year pact was signed and sealed under a tree in Detroit Dragway's pits which eventually became the home of the NHRA's biggest annual event
1980's Throughout the 1980s, Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway park underwent it's first major renovations since the facility originally opened. In 1983, the original Wally Parks Tower, a four- story tall tower by the start line was constructed and dedicated. In 1988, attention moved the Oval at IRP where new grandstands, suites and a tower complex on the front straightway were built along with the repaving on the oval racing surface.
2001 The NHRA and Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park constructed a new drag strip racing surface, replacing the strip with a 660-foot concrete pad and laying new asphalt on the remainder of the track and shutdown area.
2011 In January 2011, the track announced a new entitlement sponsorship with Lucas Oil Products and is now named Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park. Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park reached another milestone in 2014 by celebrating the 60th Anniversary of the U.S. Nationals as well as the 60th anniversary of the facility in 2021. In 2024, Lucas Oil Products signed a new long-term naming rights deals to keep IRP as Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park.
2024 Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park began a multi-phase redevelopment project targeted on replacing and building new infrastructure to improve the stakeholders experiences while at America's Great Race Place. The first phase of the project started with the demolition of the existing Wally Parks Tower that will be replaced with a more modern tower in it's place. The New Wally Parks Tower is expected to be open in time for the 71st Annual Cornwell Quality Tools NHRA U.S. Nationals in 2025!
An Inside Look at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park
The Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park (IRP) first came to life in 1959 when four local businessmen, Tom Binford, Frank Dickie, Roger Ward, and Howard Fieger, had a vision for a complex focused entirely on automobile racing.
The owners originally built two separate tracks, a 15-turn road course and a drag strip that was incorporated into the main straightaway. A paved oval was then added later in 1961 that is regularly used by midget, sprint, and stock cars today. The very first IRP race was held later on during that same year and the track began to generate interest beyond any initial expectations.
IRP’s drag strip has hosted the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) U.S. Nationals since 1961. This year, IRP will host the 70th annual running from August 28 – September 2, the largest professional drag racing event in the world. The NHRA U.S. Nationals draws over 150,000 spectators and 1,000 racing teams each year, all competing for top prizes.
The NHRA purchased the Indianapolis Raceway Park in 1979, and over the last three decades has invested heavily into renovations of the track helping to improve surfaces and spectator experiences. In 2011, the track announced a new entitlement sponsorship with Lucas Oil Products and is now named Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park.
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