Kansas Speedway
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| Location | Kansas City, Kansas, United States |
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| Time zone | UTC−6 / −5 (DST) |
| Coordinates | 39°6′56.84″N 94°49′51.82″W / 39.1157889°N 94.8310611°WCoordinates: 39°6′56.84″N 94°49′51.82″W / 39.1157889°N 94.8310611°W |
| Capacity | 74,000 |
| Owner | International Speedway Corporation |
| Operator | International Speedway Corporation |
| Broke ground | 1999 |
| Opened | 2001 |
| Architect | HNTB |
| Major events | |
| Tri-oval | |
| Surface | Asphalt |
| Length | 1.500 mi (2.414 km) |
| Turns | 4 |
| Banking |
Turns: 17-20° Frontstretch: 9-11° Backstretch: 5° |
| Lap record | 24.761 seconds (Scott Dixon, Chip Ganassi Racing, 2003, IRL IndyCar Series) |
| Road course | |
| Surface | Asphalt |
| Length | 2.37 mi (3.81 km) |
| Turns | 6 |
| Lap record | 1:09.745 (Scott Pruett, Chip Ganassi Racing, 2013, Daytona Prototype) |
| Website | www |
Kansas Speedway is a 1.5-mile (2.4 km) tri-oval race track in Kansas City, Kansas. It was built in 2001 and it currently hosts two annual NASCAR race weekends. The Verizon IndyCar Series also held races at the venue until 2011. The speedway is owned and operated by the International Speedway Corporation.
International Speedway Corporation began exploring the idea of building a racing facility in the midwest in 1996. Attention was turned towards the Kansas City area in 1997. Officials considered both the Missouri and Kansas side of the city but eventually settled with the Kansas side because of better funding. Architecture firm HNTB, which also designed Chicagoland Speedway, was selected to design the facility, and firm Turner Construction was selected to provide construction management. Construction began on the 1,200 acres (490 ha), 1.5 miles (2.4 km) speedway in May 1999, and in July, preferred tickets went on sale. The demand at the ticket sales prompted ISC officials to expand the planned 32 by an additional 36, expanding capacity from 75,000 to 82,000. Speedway officials were hopeful to have the track completed sometime in 2000, and possibly host a race, but construction was delayed by weather and further complicated by lawsuits from nearby land owners. In May 2000, both IndyCar and NASCAR announced events to be held at the speedway for the 2001 season. Track paving began in September 2000, and construction of the speedway was completed in early 2001.
The building of the speedway has had a significant impact on the nearby area, even before construction was finished. New commercial developments sprung up around the speedway, including a movie theater complex, an outdoor retail mall, and hotels. A 2008 survey by The Washington Economics Group revealed that Kansas Speedway brings $243 million to the state of Kansas each year. It also provides over 5000 jobs, with 4000 jobs coming directly from track operations. Additional seats have been added since initial construction. In 2003, 1,600 seats were added, and in 2005, 1,500 seats plus a 7,000 square feet (650 m2) concession and restroom building were added. Both expansions were headed by the track's original contractors, HNTB and Tuner Construction.
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