Walt Disney World Speedway
Motorsport track in the United States / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Walt Disney World Speedway was a racing facility located on the grounds of the Walt Disney World Resort in Bay Lake, Florida, near Orlando.
The Mickyard | |
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Location | Floridian Way Walt Disney World Resort Bay Lake, Florida, U.S. |
Time zone | UTC−5 (UTC−4 DST) |
Coordinates | 28°23′48.02″N 81°34′39.61″W |
Capacity | 51,000 (1996) 43,000 (1999) 30,000 (2000) |
Owner | Walt Disney Company |
Operator | IMS Events, Inc. |
Broke ground | June 6, 1995; 28 years ago (1995-06-06) |
Opened | November 28, 1995; 28 years ago (1995-11-28) |
Closed | August 9, 2015; 8 years ago (2015-08-09) |
Construction cost | $6 million |
Architect | Kevin Forbes |
Major events | Indy Racing League Indy 200 (1996–2000) NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Chevy Trucks Challenge (1997–1998) U.S. F2000 National Championship (1996–1998) United States Auto Club#USAC Silver Crown Series (1998–2000) |
Website | http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/recreation/richard-petty-driving-experience/ |
Tri-oval (1995–2015) | |
Surface | Asphalt |
Length | 1.609 km (1.000 miles) |
Turns | 3 |
Banking | Turn 1: 10 degrees Turn 2: 8.5 degrees Turn 3: 7 degrees |
Race lap record | 0:20.954 ( Buzz Calkins, Reynard 95I, 1996, IRL) |
It was built in 1995 by IMS Events, Inc., a subsidiary of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Corporation, and was designed primarily as a venue for the Indy 200 at Walt Disney World, an Indy Racing League event.
The circuit's primary use was as a venue for the Richard Petty Driving Experience, and the Indy Racing Experience, programs that allow fans to drive or ride in real race cars. After the 2000 racing season, it was no longer used as a track for major motorsports racing series, but was used by many racing teams from IndyCar to NASCAR as a test venue due to the warmer climate than other tracks around the United States during the off season for racing. However, the track closed permanently on August 9, 2015.
AutoWeek magazine and the Orlando Sentinel dubbed the track "The Mickyard" (a portmanteau of the Disney icon Mickey Mouse and Indianapolis Motor Speedway's nickname, the "Brickyard").