History of Kansas Speedway

Kansas Speedway is a speedway in Kansas City, Kansas. The speedway is a 1.5 mile tri-oval with 15 degree banking in the turns. The track held its first race on June 2, 2001, when the Winston West came and raced in the Kansas 100. 

The track seats nearly 82,000 spectators in the grandstands, but will eventually expand to 150,000 upon completion of the final phase of development. The facility has fan friendly access to 65 rows of seating, with a unique ground level concourse that allows spectators to walk down 30 rows (on grade) or up 35 rows (on structure). 

The Steel and Foam Energy Reduction System (SAFER barrier) at Kansas Speedway is made of steel tubes and pads of energy-absorbing foam attached to the track's existing concrete retainer walls between Turns 1 and 2, between Turns 3 and 4 and along most of the frontstretch. The total 1.28 miles of SAFER walls around Kansas Speedway is the longest length at any of the tracks with SAFER walls on the NASCAR circuit. The SAFER wall at Kansas Speedway is about 40 inches high, and extends about 30 inches from the wall. Each SAFER wall section consists of five steel tubes stacked vertically. Closed cell foam is stacked between the steel tubes and the old retaining wall to create energy-absorbing pylons.

The track seats nearly 82,000 spectators in the grandstands, but will eventually expand to 150,000 upon completion of the final phase of development. The facility has fan friendly access to 65 rows of seating, with a unique ground level concourse that allows spectators to walk down 30 rows (on grade) or up 35 rows (on structure).  On a NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series race weekend, Kansas Speedway becomes the fourth-largest city in the state of Kansas. (Wichita is No. 1 at 344,000; Overland Park is No. 2 at 149,000; Kansas City is No. 3 at 146,000.)