Stardust International Raceway
The Stardust International Raceway was an auto racing track in present-day Spring Valley, Nevada, United States, in the Las Vegas Valley. It featured a flat, 3-mile (4.8 km), 13-turn road course, and a quarter-mile drag strip. Some track maps depicted the road course with 10 numbered turns.
| Location | Spring Valley, Nevada, United States |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 36°6′28″N 115°15′9″W / 36.10778°N 115.25250°W |
| Owner | Stardust Racing Association |
| Broke ground | July 25, 1965 |
| Opened | 1965 |
| Closed | 1971 |
| Major events | United States Road Racing Championship Can-Am Trans-Am USAC Champ Car NHRA National Open |
| Surface | Asphalt |
| Length | 3 miles (4.830 km) |
| Turns | 13 (10) |
| Race lap record | 1:30.950 (Bruce McLaren, McLaren M8A-Chevrolet, 1968, Can-Am) |
Stardust International Raceway was developed in 1965 by the Stardust Racing Association, a Nevada corporation headed by the primary owner of the Desert Inn and Stardust hotel-casinos.[1] The track was developed ostensibly to attract high rollers to the Stardust hotel.[2] The Stardust Racing Association also owned the property and functioned as event promoter.
In 1966 it began hosting the season finale of the Can-Am championship. In 1968 the USAC Championship Car series held a race at Stardust. The drag strip hosted the NHRA Stardust National Open in 1967, 1968, 1969, and 1971.
The Stardust Racing Association was dissolved on April 1, 1968, 1 day after the USAC Stardust 150. The hotel and raceway were sold in January 1969 to the Parvin-Dohrmann Corporation, and the new ownership closed the track shortly thereafter. Larry Horton, the track's manager, re-opened the drag strip in August 1970 and ran drag racing events until October 1971. Real estate developers Pardee Homes acquired the Stardust International Raceway property and related adjacent properties in August 1970 and built the Spring Valley community. Pardee commenced residential development on a portion of the property as drag racing events were still in operation directly adjacent. The track was replaced by the Las Vegas Speedrome, which opened in 1972 as a drag strip and road course. It was subsequently expanded in 1985 with a 3/8 mile paved oval, in 1996 with a 1.5 mile oval, when the circuits current name, Las Vegas Motor Speedway, was used, and in 2000 with the current drag strip location.
Results edit
Sports car edit
| Year | Driver | Entrant | Car | Distance/Duration | Championship | Report |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1965 | Hap Sharp | Chaparral Cars | Chaparral 2A-Chevrolet | 200 miles (320 km) | Competition Press & Autoweek Series | report |
| 1966 | John Cannon | Dan Blocker | Genie Mk.10-Chevrolet | 180 miles (290 km) | United States Road Racing Championship | report |
| 1966 | John Surtees | Team Surtees | Lola T70 Mk.2-Chevrolet | 210 miles (340 km) | Can-Am | report |
| 1967 | Mark Donohue | Roger Penske | Lola T70 Mk.3-Chevrolet | 183 miles (295 km) | United States Road Racing Championship | report |
| 1967 | John Surtees | Team Surtees | Lola T70 Mk.3-Chevrolet | 210 miles (340 km) | Can-Am | report |
| 1968 | Denny Hulme | Bruce McLaren Motor Racing | McLaren M8A-Chevrolet | 210 miles (340 km) | Can-Am | report |
Trans-Am edit
| Year | Driver | Entrant | Car | Distance/Duration | Report |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1967 | Mark Donohue | Roger Penske | Chevrolet Camaro | 350 miles (560 km) | report |
USAC Champ Car edit
| Season | Date | Race Name | Winning Driver | Chassis | Engine | Team | Report |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1968 | March 31 | Stardust 150 | Bobby Unser | Eagle | Ford | Leader Cards Racing | report |
Lap records edit
The official lap records at Stardust International Raceway are listed as:
| Category | Time | Driver | Vehicle | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Road Course: 4.820 km (1965–1971) | ||||
| Can-Am (Group 7) | 1:30.950[3] | Bruce McLaren | McLaren M6A | 1968 Stardust Grand Prix |
| U.S.A.C. IndyCar | 1:32.401[4] | Dan Gurney | Eagle 67 | 1968 Stardust 150 |
| Group 4 | 1:35.700[5] | John Surtees | Lola T70 Mk.2 | 1966 Stardust Grand Prix |
| Trans-Am | 1:50.900[6] | Jerry Titus | Ford Mustang | 1967 Las Vegas Trans-Am round |
References edit
- ^ Cannon, Randall (2018-09-18). Stardust International Raceway : Motorsports Meets the Mob in Vegas, 1965-1971. Gerry, Michael. Jefferson, North Carolina. ISBN 978-1476673899. OCLC 1016962048.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ^ "Stardust memories". Las Vegas Sun. May 22, 2003. Retrieved 7 December 2009.
- ^ "Can-Am Las Vegas 1968". Retrieved 24 May 2022.
- ^ "1968 STARDUST 150". Retrieved 4 June 2022.
- ^ "Can-Am Las Vegas 1966". Retrieved 24 May 2022.
- ^ "Trans-Am Las Vegas 1967". Retrieved 24 May 2022.
External links edit
- Ultimate Racing History: Stardust archive
- Track info and map