Palm Beach International Raceway
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| Location | Palm Beach County, near Jupiter, Florida |
|---|---|
| Time zone | UTC-04 |
| Capacity | 6,000 |
| Owner | Raymond Graziotto, Joseph G. Lubeck J.C. Solomon II, |
| Broke ground | 1964 |
| Opened | 1965 |
| Construction cost | $1.5 Million |
| Architect | Martyn Thake, Others |
| Former names | Moroso Motorsports Park |
| Road Course | |
| Surface | Asphalt |
| Length | 3.27 km (2.043 mi) |
| Turns | 11 |
| Lap record | 1:12.783 (Spencer Pigot, Cape Motorsports, 2012, U.S. F2000 Winterfest) |
| Kart | |
| Surface | Asphalt |
| Length | 1.29 km (.8 mi) |
| Turns | 11 |
| Drag Strip | |
| Surface | Concrete |
| Length | .402 km (.25 mi) |
Palm Beach International Raceway (formerly Moroso Motorsports Park) is a motorsports facility located west of Jupiter, Florida.
The facility opened in 1964, costing a reported $1.5 million to build. The track was originally named "Palm Beach International Raceway" and was owned by local contractor Joe Bucheck Jr. and his brother Edward. In March 1965 the inaugural race was held at the track. Some 10,000 spectators attended the event, which was a series of sports car events.
Racing promoter Alec Ullman was set to move the 12 Hour Race in Sebring from Sebring International Raceway for the 1967 season to the facility after multiple fatalities in the 1966 race. Those plans eventually fell through due to the $1.5 million it would cost to expand the site. In November 1969 a controversial rock concert was held at the facility after months of legal battles. During the rock festival artists such as Janis Joplin, The Rolling Stones, Sly & The Family Stone and Jefferson Airplane performed. Since then, several artists including Eric Clapton have performed there. Another concert featuring Led Zeppelin, Bachman–Turner Overdrive and J. Geils Band was in the works in 1975 but organizers cancelled it when they decided the facility couldn't handle the estimated 50,000 fans that were expected to attend.
In April 1971 the Grand American Series of Professional Drag Racing had one of the first major drag racing events held at the track. The facility hosted an air show November 7, 1971. The Air Force Thunderbirds were scheduled to perform but had to cancel due to flooding on the track. In 1979 famous sports car and Indy 500 racer Lyn St. James made her professional debut at the facility, which ended in a major accident in which her car crashed into the swamps and sank in the mud.
In 1981, Dick Moroso the owner of Moroso Racing Parts, purchased the track and renamed it "Moroso Motorsports Park". In 1982, Moroso spent a reported $100,000 to upgrade the facility to host the opening event of the 1983 SCCA Trans Am Series. The facility was scheduled to host a circus in 1987, but it was cancelled after promoters found out about a poor safety record.
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