Phoenix Raceway

Phoenix Raceway at a glance

Location

Avondale, Arizona

Type

oval

Length

1.022 mi (1.645 km)

Turns

4

Direction

counter-clockwise

Banking

9° turns 1-2, 11° turns 3-4, 9° frontstretch, 3° backstretch

Surface

asphalt

Opened

1964

Owner

NASCAR

Capacity

42,000

Address

7602 Jimmie Johnson Drive

Phone

+1-866-408-7223

Website

phoenixraceway.com

Track map and layout

Phoenix Raceway is a distinctive low-banked 'dogleg' oval just over a mile long, named for the kink partway down the frontstretch where the straightaway widens and bends before the start/finish line. The irregular, low-banked shape and varying turn radii make it a genuine handling track rather than a horsepower track, and it has become known for tight, technical racing where mechanical grip and tire management matter more than raw speed. A 2011 reconfiguration pushed the dogleg out and widened the frontstretch, and a 2018 renovation moved the start/finish line to just past turn two and rebuilt the infield and fan areas without altering the core oval shape. Its low banking and desert setting have made it one of NASCAR's most demanding short ovals for drivers.

Named corners and sections

• The dogleg. The kink partway along the frontstretch that gives the track its shape and complicates the entry to turn one.
• Turns 3-4. Banked slightly steeper than turns 1-2 at 11 degrees, often the site of late-race passes.

Configurations

Events and race weekends

Phoenix hosts two NASCAR Cup Series weekends a year: a spring date in early March and a fall date that was the sport's season-ending championship weekend from 2020 through 2025. For 2026 the championship moved to Homestead-Miami Speedway, and Phoenix's fall race (the Freeway Insurance 500) moved to October as a Chase race. Xfinity and Truck Series support races run on both NASCAR weekends.

Getting there and parking

Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport is the main gateway, roughly 24 miles and about 30-35 minutes east of the track via Interstate 10, though race-weekend traffic can push that considerably higher. The raceway sits just off I-10 in Avondale, west of downtown Phoenix.

• Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX) · about 35 min drive

Parking

General parking is available on-site for NASCAR event weekends; the track recommends arriving early given I-10 congestion, especially for the fall race weekend.

Traffic on I-10 westbound toward Avondale backs up heavily before green flag on Cup Series race days; allow significantly more time than the normal drive from Phoenix or Sky Harbor.

Hotels and camping near Phoenix Raceway

Most visitors stay in the West Valley cities of Avondale, Goodyear and Litchfield Park, minutes from the track, or in downtown/central Phoenix and Tempe for a wider choice of hotels and a shorter flight connection. Rates rise for the fall race weekend, which was the championship finale from 2020 to 2025.

Where to look

Avondale, Goodyear and Litchfield Park near the track; downtown Phoenix, Tempe and Scottsdale for more hotel choice further out.

Track days, driving experiences and lap records

There is no public HPDE or ride-along program at Phoenix Raceway itself. The area's well-known driving school, formerly Bob Bondurant's and now Radford Racing School, is a separate facility at Firebird Motorsports Park in Chandler, roughly 30 miles from the raceway, offering car-control and performance-driving courses rather than laps on the NASCAR oval.

Who runs days here

• Radford Racing School (Firebird Motorsports Park, Chandler - separate facility)car

Lap records

Spectator guide

Grandstands wrap the frontstretch and both ends of the oval, and the track's compact mile-plus size means most seats offer a fuller view of the field than at bigger superspeedways. The low banking gives fans a clear look at tight, technical passing rather than pack drafting.

Seating

Frontstretch grandstands overlook the start/finish line near turn two after the 2018 relocation; turn grandstands sit close to the low-banked corners where cars are worked hard on entry.

Best places to watch

Frontstretch seats near the tri-oval-style front straight for the best mix of pit action and racing; turn 3-4 seats for close views of late-race passing.

Bag policy

Up to two bags per person, each no larger than 18 x 18 x 14 inches, plus one soft-sided cooler up to 14 x 14 x 14 inches; alcohol and glass are not allowed in the grandstands and insulated cups must be empty. Full-size coolers are allowed on the hill, but not with alcohol.

Weather

• Mar: Warm, sunny desert spring, highs typically 75-85°F
• Nov: Mild, highs around 75-80°F with cool evenings, low rain chance

History of Phoenix Raceway

Early years

Phoenix Raceway opened in January 1964 as Phoenix International Raceway, built for about $1 million as a road-course and oval facility hosting Indy car and sports car racing through the 1960s and 1970s before NASCAR's national series became regular visitors. International Speedway Corporation bought the track in 1997, folding it into the same corporate family as Daytona and prompting the first of several major investment rounds.

From road course to modern oval

The track's original oval carried a distinctive dogleg shape that survives to this day, but ISC's ownership brought steady change: seating expansion through the 1990s and 2000s, and a significant 2011 reconfiguration that pushed the dogleg out roughly 95 feet, widened the frontstretch to improve passing, and paved over the apron to stop drivers cutting corners.

Championship era and NASCAR ownership

When NASCAR restructured its playoff format in 2020, Phoenix was chosen to host the season-ending championship race for the Cup, Xfinity and Truck Series, a role it held through 2025 after a $178 million 2018 renovation relocated the start/finish line and modernized the infield and fan plaza. NASCAR itself took ownership of the track in a corporate consolidation completed in late 2019.

Handing off the finale

From the 2026 season the NASCAR championship race moves to Homestead-Miami Speedway, ending Phoenix's six-year run as the sport's title venue. Phoenix retains its two-race Cup Series slate, a spring date and an October Chase race, and remains known among drivers as one of the toughest low-banked ovals on the circuit, where handling and tire management typically decide the race more than raw horsepower.

Frequently asked questions

Other tracks nearby

• Las Vegas Motor Speedway · 252 mi · oval
• Fox Raceway at Pala · 275 mi · motocross
• Arroyo Seco Raceway · 294 mi · road course
• Auto Club Speedway / California Speedway · 302 mi · oval
• Grand Prix of Long Beach · 340 mi · street circuit
• Willow Springs International Raceway · 356 mi · road course