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| In
the run up to the 2006 race Race Engineer Eddie Jones
said:
""Kentucky
is a 1.5-mile oval that has real similarities to
Kansas and Nashville. We
are confident that we have a good setup for Kentucky.
Provided we give him a good car we should really
be competitive"
Eddie Jones, Race Engineer,
#26 NYSE Dallara/Honda/Firestone |
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#Race
#14 :
The Meijer Indy 300
From Kentucky Speedway
Presented by Coca Cola and Edy's
Sunday
August 11th
Sparta,Kentucky
Highway 35,
Route 1, Box 15
Sparta, KY 41086
(888) 652-7223
2006
winner Sam Hornish Jr.
Distance:
200 laps/300 miles
TV:
6.30pm on ESPN2.
Ticket
Info
Race
Track Website
The
Race :
The Meijer Indy 300 presented by Coca-Cola and Secret is
an Indy Racing League IndyCar Series race held at Kentucky
Speedway in Sparta, Kentucky.
The IRL IndyCar Series debuted the race in 2000 and has been won
by Buddy Lazier, Felipe Giaffone, Sam Hornish Jr, Adrian
Fernandez and Scott Sharp.
Backstory:
Kentucky Speedway is a 1.5 mile motor speedway located in
north-central Kentucky, near the community of Sparta,
Kentucky; approximately halfway between Louisville, Kentucky
and Cincinnati, Ohio, and is additionally 70 miles from
another fairly sizable market, Lexington, Kentucky.
The
track was designed to host a NASCAR NEXTEL Cup race and
has hosted NASCAR Busch Series and Craftsman Truck Series
races, as well as IRL IndyCar Series and IndyPro Series
races.
Jan.
8, 1998 — Jerry Carroll, owner of Turfway Park
horse racing track in Florence, announces that he and four
other investors will spend $153 million to build a 11 1/2-mile
motor speedway in Sparta, Ky., about 40 miles southwest of
downtown Cincinnati.
• July 18, 1998 — Groundbreaking
ceremonies are held. Construction begins on the 1,000-acre
site a few days later.
• Jan. 15, 1999 — Carroll
sells his interest in Turfway Park to devote full time
to the speedway.
• June 1, 1999 — Kentucky
Speedway announces it will open in June 2000 with an ARCA
(Automobile Racing Club of America) stock car race, the
Blue Grass Quality Meats 200.
• Sept. 21, 1999 — The
Indy Racing League announces it will race at Kentucky Speedway
on Aug. 27, 2000, with the Belterra Resort Indy 300.
• Oct. 7, 1999 — ARCA
stock car driver Bill Baird takes the first test run at
the newly paved speedway, doing 20 laps at about 155 mph.
• Nov. 3, 1999 — The
Speedway announces its grand opening will be the weekend
of June 16-17, 2000, with a NASCAR Craftsman Truck race.
• Nov. 15, 1999 — Indy Racing League champion
Greg Ray tests at 209 mph at the speedway, the track’s
fastest time yet.
• Dec. 11, 1999 — ARCA
announces a second race at Kentucky Speedway for 2000,
this one on July 2.
• May 2000 — The speedway spends $552,000 to
repave its track surface, after noticing some bumps and ‘‘wrinkles’’ caused
over the winter.
• June 16, 2000 — The
66,000-seat Kentucky Speedway is scheduled to open with
a NASCAR Slim Jim All-Pro race.
• June 17, 2000 — Grand
opening ceremonies with the first major event, a NASCAR
Craftsman Truck race.
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