Bobby Ball 150
 |
|
| Venue |
Arizona State Fairgrounds (1915, 1950–63) Phoenix International Raceway (1964–2005, 2016–) |
|---|---|
| First race | 1915 |
| Distance | 255.5 miles |
| Laps | 250 |
| Previous names |
Bobby Ball Memorial Jimmy Bryan Memorial |
| Most wins (driver) | Al Unser (6) |
| Most wins (manufacturer) | Chassis: March Dallara (9) Engine: Offenhauser (25) |
The Desert Diamond West Valley Phoenix Grand Prix is a Verizon IndyCar Series race held at the Phoenix International Raceway in Avondale, Arizona. Open wheel racing in the Phoenix area dates back to 1915 on a dirt oval at the Arizona State Fairgrounds. The race was revived in 1950 by the AAA, and then passed to the United States Auto Club in 1956. USAC moved the race to the newly built Phoenix International Raceway in 1964. The race became a CART event in 1979, and joined the Indy Racing League in 1996. It was held continuously through 2005.
After a hiatus of eleven years, the race was revived by the Verizon IndyCar Series in 2016. It is currently held on Saturday night under the lights. Long considered a popular Indy car track, Phoenix has a rich history of open wheel races, including a spectacular crash involving Johnny Rutherford (1980), and the final career victory for Indy legend Mario Andretti (1993).
During its time on the USAC Championship Car circuit, Phoenix International Raceway typically held two races annually, one in the spring, and one in the fall. During the CART years, two races were scheduled through the mid-1980s, but the track dropped down to one race per year starting in 1987. In many years, Phoenix served as the CART season opener. After a feud between the track ownership and CART series officials, the track was dropped from the CART schedule after 1995, and immediately switched to the IRL beginning in 1996.
Citing low attendance, the race was put on hiatus after the 2005 season. In 2007, the Grand Prix Arizona for the Champ Car series was planned on a street circuit in downtown Phoenix nearby to the original course used for the U.S. Grand Prix. The event was cancelled four months before the event due to insufficient sponsorship funding.
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