TRACKS: TEXAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY

USA - UNITED STATES

TEXAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY

Description

Circuit proposed and built from 1995, according to Nascar owner, Bruton Smith's idea to build a great circuit for more than 160000 spectators. At first it should have been a tri-oval, but in February 1998 it was converted into a 4-bends oval. 
 
It has different banking values: from 8° to 24° on bends and 5° on main straight. Such banking let reach very high speed, average speed is more than 385 km/h - 240 mph. It has been paved more than once because of the poor quality of drainage 
 
There is also a road infield course (ALMS course), that uses banked curves of the oval course and that could be splitted in some minor courses. 
 
Behind curve 2 there is Lone Stars Tower, a great redidential complex: it's possible to watch whole races from its windows. 
 
It should have hosted on April 29^th 2001 a Cart race. Nevertheless, the high banking and high max. speed caused many problems to drivers, that fainted away and/or suffered sight troubles; for these reason the race was canceled. For more details, see note, below on this page (unfortunately it's available only in Italian on Italian page) 
 
Today this track hosts IRL (since 1997) and Nascar races, always on oval course.

Location

Fort Worth
TX - Texas - Southern States

Location

Between Fort Worth and Denton 
 
How to go there: from I-35 W North of downtown Fort Worth, take Hwy. 114 Exit. Speedway is located on Hwy. 114 W. 
 
Texas Motor Speedway 
3601 Highway 114 
Fort Worth, TX

Latitude - Longitude

+ 33°02'12" - 97°16'54"
33.036667 -97.281667

UTM Coordinates

X = 660462.914 - Y = 3656663.896 - Zone 14S

Aerial photo / Map (*)

OpenStreetMap - Aerial photo / Map (*)

Google Maps - Aerial photo / Map (*)

Bing Maps - Aerial photo / Map (*)

Zoom Earth - Aerial photo / Map (*)

Wikimapia - Aerial photo / Map (*)

MapQuest

Altitude AMSL

192 m - 630 ft

Inauguration

Closing

Designer

Sources and links (Translation) (**)

(1)	www.texasmotorspeedway.com	Official website
(2)	www.texasmotorspeedway.com/images/imgSpeedwayMaps.jpg	Official website
(3)	Forum	Forum Chat in English Aerials of circuits [ENG]
(4)	Forum	Forum North America USA: Southern States Texas - Texas Motor Speedway [ENG, GER]
(5)	racing.ballparks.com/Texas/aerial.jpg	Photo 2
(6)	www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=1983726	Track layout
(7)	www.megascenery.com/images/megacitydfw/dfw1-1.jpg	Photo 3
(8)	www.racefanguide.com
(9)	www.racingcircuits.net	Motor Racing Circuits Database
(10)	www.speedtv.com/_assets/library/img/large/87707_tms.track.night.jpg	Photo 1
(11)	www.texasmotorspeedway.com/pages/a_common/diagrams-seatingcharts.shtml
(12)	www.texasmotorspeedway.com/pages/fanguide/maps.shtml
(13)	Youtube (...)	Video: CartCrash2001 - Volume 3 (2001-03 FortWorth)
(14)	Autosprint 10/1991 (page 11)	A new circuit with oval and road courses is announced in Texas	March 5^th 1991
(15)	Autosport (UK) August 26^th 2010 (page 208)	Track history (by Andrew Van de Burgt)	August 26^th 2010

(*) NOTE: a complete and detailed view of the circuit can be found (if available) on Street View by Google Maps and/or Bird's Eye and 3D views by Bing Maps for Enterprise (former Microsoft Virtual Earth): both can be reached using their own link in Aerial photo / Map cell.

(**) For on-line not-English speaking sources, click on each small flag and you open the corresponding Google Translator page with automatic translation.

Oval
Description
Years
Direction	Anticlockwise
Proposal	NO
No longer operational
Car Circuit	YES
Motorbike circuit
Type	Oval course
Inauguration
Closing
Last update of this page	October 23^rd 2007
Info last update
Designer
Distinctive points
length	2414 m	7920 ft	1.5 mi	(12)

American Le Mans Series Course
Description	In 2000 a temporary chicane was create more or less at pit exit. Tyre marks are clearly visibile on aerial photos, so probably it was used even later (and maybe before too), but I have no more info
Years
Direction	Anticlockwise
Proposal	NO
No longer operational
Car Circuit	YES
Motorbike circuit
Type	Permanent
Inauguration
Closing
Last update of this page	June 13^th 2008
Info last update
Designer
Distinctive points
length	4554 m	14942 ft	2.83 mi		(11)
length	3740 m	12271 ft	2.324 mi	Calculated from aerial photo (*)	(6)

Infield Road Course
Description
Years
Direction	Clockwise
Proposal	NO
No longer operational
Car Circuit
Motorbike circuit
Type	Permanent
Inauguration
Closing
Last update of this page	October 23^rd 2007
Info last update
Designer
Distinctive points
length	2189 m	7181 ft	1.36 mi	(11)

Infield Short Course I
Description
Years
Direction	Clockwise
Proposal	NO
No longer operational
Car Circuit
Motorbike circuit
Type	Permanent
Inauguration
Closing
Last update of this page	October 23^rd 2007
Info last update
Designer
Distinctive points
length	821 m	2693 ft	0.51 mi	(11)

Infield Short Course II
Description
Years
Direction	Clockwise
Proposal	NO
No longer operational
Car Circuit
Motorbike circuit
Type	Permanent
Inauguration
Closing
Last update of this page	October 23^rd 2007
Info last update
Designer
Distinctive points
length	724 m	2376 ft	0.45 mi	(11)

Oval track
Description
Years	1991
Direction	Anticlockwise
Proposal	YES
Proposal not developed
Car Circuit	YES
Motorbike circuit
Type	Oval course
Inauguration
Closing
Last update of this page	October 23^rd 2007
Info last update	March 1991
Designer
Distinctive points
length	2414 m	7920 ft	1.5 mi	(14)

Road course
Description
Years	1991
Direction
Proposal	YES
Proposal not developed
Car Circuit	YES
Motorbike circuit
Type	Permanent
Inauguration
Closing
Last update of this page	October 23^rd 2007
Info last update	March 1991
Designer
Distinctive points
length	4023 m	13200 ft	2.5 mi	(14)

Texas Motor Speedway: oval course

Texas Motor Speedway, American Le Mans Series Course

Texas Motor Speedway, American Le Mans Series Course with chicane (2000)

See this track layout with milermeter.com

(milermeter.com can be used in your browser, without installing anything; Google Earth is a program that must be installed in your computer)

Texas Motor Speedway, Infield Road Course

Texas Motor Speedway, Infield Short Course I (red)

Texas Motor Speedway, Infield Short Course II (blue)

Texas Motor Speedway
FIRESTONE FIREHAWK 600 - 2001

A cura di Lorenzo Tommasi

(by Lorenzo Tommasi)

Sorry, English version is not ready yet!

Sul Texas Motor Speedway di Forth Worth si doveva correre il 29 aprile 2001 la Firestone Firehawk 600, prima gara del campionato Cart (ora Champ Car) su questo circuito, e la più lunga dell'anno, sulla distanza 373 giri, pari a 663,850 km - 412,5 mi. 
 
Le macchine della Cart, più potenti di quelle della IRL e della Nascar che qui avevano già corso, raggiungono velocità folli, con medie 350 km/h - 230 mph, sfruttando le fantastiche curve sopraelevate a 24 gradi, uno dei valori più alti nella storia degli ovali recenti. 
 
Per il Texas Motor Speedway è una gran giornata: ci sono le tribune piene da giorni. Ma qualcosa va storto: molti piloti (non si saprà mai il numero preciso, si parla di 21 su 25) fin dalle prove hanno subito perdite momentanee di coscenza, annebbiamento della vista o visioni. Secondo i dottori Paul Werchan e Richard Jennings (contattati da Steve Olvey, capo medico Cart), questi problemi sono dovuti al fatto che i piloti non sono in grado di sopportare l'eccessiva forza gravitazionale subita (la cosidetta forza G), a causa della grande velocità combinata alla posizione della testa dovuta all'eccessiva sopraelevazione. 
 
Per forza G si intende la forza che viene esercitata su un dato oggetto dalla gravità naturale, sul livello del mare. Secondo studi della NASA, si è visto che con valori superiori di 3 volte alla norma (cioè a 3G) il soggetto tende ad avere vertigini, mentre a 5G corre seriamente il rischio di perdere coscenza. 
 
Tenendo conto che su una macchina in movimento su un ovale la forza calcolata è la somma di quella frontale, di quella laterale e di quella dall'alto verso il basso, si è visto che per 6 secondi al giro, i piloti subivano una forza di 5G (contro ad esempio i 3G raggiunti ad Indianapolis per 4 secondi). 
 
Inoltre, secondo il dr.Hewko, guidare ad alta velocittà con una sopraelevazione così elevata porterebbe ad una naturale confusione delle relazioni fra cervello, occhi e spina dorsale. 
 
Per questi motivi, 2 ore prima dell'inizio della gara i piloti, all'unanimità e con in consenso di Olvey, hanno deciso di non correre e la Cart è stata costretta a posticipare la gara a data da destinarsi. In effetti non si è mai più disputata. 
 
Nei mesi successivi è nato un forte contenzioso fra il Texas Motor Speedway e la Cart, ricucito solo in via stragiudiziale successivamente con il pagamento di una forte penale da parte della Cart. Ad oggi, dal 2001, la Cart/Champcar, non ha mai più organizzato un altro evento al Texas Motor Speedway

Updates
Date	Track layout	Years	Description by	Map by	Thanks to	Note
May 4^th 2025			Guido de Carli			Update	Sources and links
June 13^th 2008	American Le Mans Series Course		Guido de Carli	borough82	borough82	Update	Description
June 18^th 2007			Lorenzo Tommasi			Update	Video (link)
June 5^th 2007			Lorenzo Tommasi			Update	Description
June 15^th 2006			Guido de Carli	Guido de Carli	Lorenzo Tommasi	New	Description with map
August 7^th 2002			Guido de Carli			Update	Description
Not all eventual updates issued in last years are already visible in this list

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