Lowe’s Motor Speedway
Lowe’s Motor Speedway
The Beast of the Southeast
Location
5555 Concord Parkway South
Concord, North Carolina, 28027
Capacity
167,000
Owner
Speedway Motorsports, Inc.
Operator
Speedway Motorsports, Inc.
Broke
ground
1959
Opened
1960
Construction
Cost
$1.25 million
Architect
Bruton Smith and Curtis Turner
Former
Names
Charlotte Motor Speedway
(1960-1998)
Major
Events
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
Sprint Showdown
Sprint All-Star Race
Coca-Cola 600
Bank of America 500
NASCAR Nationwide Series
Carquest Auto Parts 300
Dollar General 300
NASCAR Craftsman Truck
Series
Quaker Steak and Lube 200
NHRA Powerade Drag
Racing Series
NHRA Carolina Nationals
Quad-oval
Surface
Paved
Circuit
Length
1.5 mi (2.4 km)
Banking
Turns - 24 degrees
Straightaways - 5 degrees
Lap Record
0:24.49 (Tony Stewart, Team
Menard, 1998, IRL IndyCar
Series)
Lowe’s Motor Speedway (formerly Char-
lotte Motor Speedway) is a speedway in
Concord, North Carolina, north of Charlotte.
It features a 1.5-mile (2.4 km) long quad-oval
track that seats 167,000 people, with room
for 50,000 more spectators in the infield.
Constructed in 1959, it was the first speed-
way to host nighttime superspeedway racing
(in 1992) in the "modern era," the first being
the now defunct Raleigh, N.C. Speedway in
1958, and to offer year-round residences (in
1984) with 52 condominiums available over
turn one. It is owned by Speedway Motors-
ports, which has its corporate headquarters
on the same property. The speedway is con-
sidered the home base of NASCAR, with 90%
of NASCAR teams being based within
50 miles (80 km). In February 1999, Lowe’s
bought the naming rights to the speedway,
making it the first race track in the country
with a corporate sponsor.
Along with the main oval, the speedway
also has a 2.25-mile (3.62 km) road course in
the infield, a 0.6-mile (0.97 km) kart course
in the infield, a quarter-mile oval using part
of the front stretch and pit road, and an
0.2-mile (0.32 km) oval outside turn three.
Also, across U.S. Highway 29 from the speed-
way, is a