Phoenix Raceway: NASCAR's championship host has long racing history
No one calls it Avondale Raceway
Phoenix Raceway is 21 miles west of Phoenix, in Avondale. It was built in 1964 at the foot of the Estrella Mountains, alongside the Gila River.
The track was originally built to host IndyCar racing. NASCAR didn’t start racing there until 1988. Its first IndyCar race was won by A.J. Foyt.
Alan Kulwicki's unique victory lap began at Phoenix
Its first Cup Series race was won by Alan Kulwicki. It was Kulwicki’s first Cup Series win and he celebrated by debuting his clockwise “Polish Victory Lap.”
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NASCAR owns this one, too
The track is one of 12 Cup Series venues owned by NASCAR. NASCAR’s former track-ownership arm, International Speedway Corp., bought the track in 1997 from Buddy Jobe.
The track was known as ISM Raceway from 2018-20. For one day — Nov. 15, 2015 — it was renamed Jeff Gordon Raceway, to honor the Hall of Fame driver on the day of his last race at Phoenix.
Maybe they should rename it Kevin Harvick Raceway. He holds the track record for wins (nine), top-5s (18), and laps led (1,595). From 2012 to 2016, Harvick won six times in eight Phoenix starts.
Arizona history overlooks Phoenix Raceway
A popular (and cheaper) vantage point for fans is Monument Hill, outside Turns 1 and 2. Atop that hill is a marker noting the Gila and Salt River Meridian, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and traces back to the mid-1800s. The spot marks the original land-survey point for all of Arizona.
Third time as Cup Championship host
Phoenix Raceway held one race a year until 2005 when it added a second NASCAR weekend. This will be the third season it has been host to NASCAR’s “championship weekend.”
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: NASCAR's Phoenix Raceway: From A.J. Foyt to Alan Kulwicki, some trivia
