Stardust International Raceway

The Stardust International Raceway was an auto racing track in present-day Spring Valley, Nevada, in the Las Vegas Valley. It featured a flat, 3-mile (4.8 km), 13-turn road course, and a quarter-mile drag strip. Some track maps depicted the road course with 10 numbered turns. Stardust International Raceway was developed in 1965 by the Stardust Racing Association, a Nevada corporation headed by the primary owner of the Desert Inn and Stardust hotel-casinos.[1] The track was developed ostensibly to attract high rollers to the Stardust hotel.[2] The Stardust Racing Association also owned the property and functioned as event promoter. In 1966 it began hosting the season finale of the Can-Am championship. In 1968 the USAC Championship Car series held a race at Stardust. The drag strip hosted the NHRA Stardust National Open in 1967, 1968, 1969, and 1971. The Stardust Racing Association was dissolved on April 1, 1968, 1 day after the USAC Stardust 150. The hotel and raceway were sold in January 1969 to the Parvin-Dohrmann Corporation, and the new ownership closed the track shortly thereafter. Larry Horton, the track's manager, re-opened the drag strip in August 1970 and ran drag racing events until October 1971. Real estate developers Pardee Homes acquired the Stardust International Raceway property and related adjacent properties in August 1970 and built the Spring Valley community. Pardee commenced residential development on a portion of the property as drag racing events were still in operation directly adjacent. A subsequent racing facility, the Las Vegas Speedrome, opened in 1972 across from Nellis Air Force Base. The Speedrome property was later redeveloped into the current Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Stardust International Raceway
LocationSpring Valley, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
Coordinates36°6′28″N 115°15′9″W
OwnerStardust Racing Association
Broke groundJuly 25, 1965
Opened1965
Closed1971
Major eventsUnited States Road Racing Championship
Can-Am
Trans-Am
USAC Champ Car
NHRA National Open
SurfaceAsphalt
Length3 mi (4.830 km)
Turns13 (10)
Race lap record1:29.63 (Bruce McLaren, McLaren M8A-Chevrolet, 1968, Can-Am)

Results

Sports car
YearDriverEntrantCarDistance/DurationChampionshipReport
1965 Hap Sharp Chaparral CarsChaparral 2A-Chevrolet200 miles (320 km)Competition Press & Autoweek Seriesreport
1966 John CannonDan Blocker Genie Mk.10-Chevrolet180 miles (290 km)United States Road Racing Championshipreport
1966 John Surtees Team SurteesLola T70 Mk.2-Chevrolet210 miles (340 km)Can-Amreport
1967 Mark Donohue Roger PenskeLola T70 Mk.3-Chevrolet183 miles (295 km)United States Road Racing Championshipreport
1967 John Surtees Team SurteesLola T70 Mk.3-Chevrolet210 miles (340 km)Can-Amreport
1968 Denny Hulme Bruce McLaren Motor RacingMcLaren M8A-Chevrolet210 miles (340 km)Can-Amreport

Trans-Am
YearDriverEntrantCarDistance/DurationReport
1967 Mark Donohue Roger PenskeChevrolet Camaro350 miles (560 km)report

USAC Champ Car
SeasonDateRace NameWinning DriverChassisEngineTeamReport
1968March 31Stardust 150 Bobby UnserEagleFordLeader Cards Racingreport

References
  1. Cannon, Randall (2018-09-18). Stardust International Raceway : Motorsports Meets the Mob in Vegas, 1965-1971. Gerry, Michael. Jefferson, North Carolina. ISBN 978-1476673899. OCLC 1016962048.
  2. "Stardust memories". Las Vegas Sun. May 22, 2003. Retrieved 7 December 2009.


This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.