Altamont Raceway Park was a motorsportsrace track in the westernUnited States, located northernCalifornia, west of Tracy. It opened on July 22, 1966, and operated under the names Altamont Speedway, Altamont Raceway, Altamont Motorsports Park, Altamont Raceway Park and Arena, and Bernal Memorial Raceway. After 42 years of operation, the speedway closed in October 2008;[2] the site is just south of the junction of Interstates 205 and 580.
The Raceway Park contained a variety of different racetrack configurations including a 1/2 mile oval, 1/4 mile oval, 1.1-mile (1.8 km) road course, and a figure 8 track. The course was the state's largest oval racetrack north of Los Angeles.
The track featured a pit lane that was uncharacteristic when compared to larger ovals for the weekly events. The pit lane was located on the outside of the course on the opposite side of the oval from the start finish line. However, during Grand National West races, the pit lane was moved to the 1/4 mile oval so as to be inside the larger oval, as is customary for most oval tracks, since live pit stops are used during the higher-level NASCAR-sanctioned race.
In 2004, the track appeared in an episode of the popular Discovery Channel show MythBusters. In the episode, the show's hosts Jamie Hyneman and Adam Savage used the track to test the myth that a car will have better fuel mileage with the air conditioner on and windows closed than it would with all of the windows down.
In 2006, the park came under the ownership of Riverside Motorsports Park, LLC. They initiated several upgrades to the park including fresh asphalt, the addition of the 1.1-mile (1.8 km) road course and the new Figure 8 track. Altamont staged a variety of motorsports events, including NASCARWhelen All-American Series raced weekly as the schedule permitted for the California State and Whelen National Championships.
The park also played host to a race on the NASCAR Camping World West Series schedule, the Dan Gamel RV Centers 200 in the fall. Additionally, Formula 4, Sprint Cars, Motorcycle races and the 24 Hours of LeMons were held at the racetrack, the latter being a play on the famous 24 Hours of Le Mans. However, in the place of top dollar racing machines, the 24 Hours of LeMons features cars with a maximum price of $500 (excluding safety gear, brakes, and tires), hence the title 'lemons'.
References
^. Archived from the original on March 17, 2008. Retrieved September 12, 2008.
^Burks, John (February 7, 1970). . Rolling Stone. p. 2. Archived from the original on October 16, 2008. Retrieved November 16, 2008.
External links
Altamont Raceway Park race results at Racing-Reference
Altamont Motorsports Park race results at Racing-Reference
January 07, 2023
altamont, raceway, park, motorsports, race, track, western, united, states, located, northern, california, west, tracy, opened, july, 1966, operated, under, names, altamont, speedway, altamont, raceway, altamont, motorsports, park, arena, bernal, memorial, rac. Altamont Raceway Park was a motorsports race track in the western United States located northern California west of Tracy It opened on July 22 1966 and operated under the names Altamont Speedway Altamont Raceway Altamont Motorsports Park Altamont Raceway Park and Arena and Bernal Memorial Raceway After 42 years of operation the speedway closed in October 2008 2 the site is just south of the junction of Interstates 205 and 580 Altamont Raceway Park2007 Dan Gamel RV Centers 200Location17001 Midway RoadTracy California U S Coordinates37 44 17 N 121 33 47 W 37 738 N 121 563 W 37 738 121 563 Coordinates 37 44 17 N 121 33 47 W 37 738 N 121 563 W 37 738 121 563Capacity7 500 NASCAR OwnerRiverside Motorsports Park LLCOperatorRiverside Motorsports Park LLCOpenedJuly 22 1966ClosedOctober 2008Former namesAltamont Raceway Altamont Speedway Altamont Raceway ParkMajor eventsNASCAR Camping World West SeriesDan Gamel RV Centers 200 NASCAR Whelen All American Series1 2 Mile OvalLength0 5 miles 0 8 km BankingTurns 12 degrees Straights 4 degrees 1 1 4 Mile OvalLength0 25 miles 0 4 km Road CourseLength1 1 miles 1 8 km Contents 1 Description 2 History 3 References 4 External linksDescription Edit Diagram of Altamont Raceway Park The Raceway Park contained a variety of different racetrack configurations including a 1 2 mile oval 1 4 mile oval 1 1 mile 1 8 km road course and a figure 8 track The course was the state s largest oval racetrack north of Los Angeles The track featured a pit lane that was uncharacteristic when compared to larger ovals for the weekly events The pit lane was located on the outside of the course on the opposite side of the oval from the start finish line However during Grand National West races the pit lane was moved to the 1 4 mile oval so as to be inside the larger oval as is customary for most oval tracks since live pit stops are used during the higher level NASCAR sanctioned race History EditThe park is well known for its December 6 1969 hosting of the notorious and ill fated Altamont Free Concert featuring Santana Jefferson Airplane The Flying Burrito Brothers Crosby Stills Nash amp Young and The Rolling Stones During the Stones set Meredith Hunter a concert goer high on methamphetamine and brandishing his revolver was stabbed to death by a member of the Hells Angels which had been hired to provide security in front of the stage as the band played The death was captured on film and appears in the 1970 documentary Gimme Shelter 3 In 2004 the track appeared in an episode of the popular Discovery Channel show MythBusters In the episode the show s hosts Jamie Hyneman and Adam Savage used the track to test the myth that a car will have better fuel mileage with the air conditioner on and windows closed than it would with all of the windows down In 2006 the park came under the ownership of Riverside Motorsports Park LLC They initiated several upgrades to the park including fresh asphalt the addition of the 1 1 mile 1 8 km road course and the new Figure 8 track Altamont staged a variety of motorsports events including NASCAR Whelen All American Series raced weekly as the schedule permitted for the California State and Whelen National Championships The park also played host to a race on the NASCAR Camping World West Series schedule the Dan Gamel RV Centers 200 in the fall Additionally Formula 4 Sprint Cars Motorcycle races and the 24 Hours of LeMons were held at the racetrack the latter being a play on the famous 24 Hours of Le Mans However in the place of top dollar racing machines the 24 Hours of LeMons features cars with a maximum price of 500 excluding safety gear brakes and tires hence the title lemons References Edit WhoWon com The Internet Source for Motorsports News and Information Archived from the original on March 17 2008 Retrieved September 12 2008 R I P Altamont Raceway Burks John February 7 1970 Rock amp Roll s Worst Day The Aftermath of Altamont Rolling Stone p 2 Archived from the original on October 16 2008 Retrieved November 16 2008 External links EditAltamont Raceway Park race results at Racing Reference Altamont Motorsports Park race results at Racing Reference Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Altamont Raceway Park amp oldid 1087335498, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
