I-70 Motorsports Park

I-70 Motorsports Park

Location	Washington Township,Lafayette County,at 12773 North Outer Rd.,Odessa,Missouri
Opened	1969 (as I-70 Speedway) 2021 (as I-70 Motorsports Park)
Closed	2008 (as I-70 Speedway)
Major events	Craftsman Truck Series
Website	https://www.i70motorsportspark.com/ http://i70speedway.net/(former)
1/2 Mile Asphalt Oval (1969–2008)
Surface	Asphalt
Length	0.543 miles (0.874 km)
Banking	30° (corners), 4° (front), 7° (back)
3/8 Mile Dirt Oval (2021–)
1/4 Mile Dragstrip (2021–)

I-70 Motorsports Park,also known asI-70 Speedway,is a multi-purpose motorsports facility nearInterstate 70east ofOdessa,Missouri,USA.The track, first opened in 1969, and has since been completely rebuilt and renovated in 2021 under new ownership.

I-70 Speedway is now the home to a state of the art facility and 1/2 mile dirt oval racetrack hosting events for every kind of motorsports enthusiast. Classes of motorsport include but are not limited to 410 winged sprint cars, non-winged sprint cars, super dirt late models, modifieds, monster trucks, flat track motorcycles, and motorcross bikes.

History

The track was built and opened by Bill Roberts and other partners in 1969. Roberts had previously built and owned theKansas City International RacewaydragstripinKansas City, Missouri.

Roberts sold I-70 Speedway toGreg Weld(of WELD wheels) sometime in the late 1970s or early 1980s (?). Weld turned the track into a dirt track. Late in 1989 Roberts, who had continued holding the note on the track, repossessed I-70 Speedway from Weld. At that time, Roberts, along with sons Dennis and Randy, resurfaced the track with asphalt and got it NASCAR sanctioned. Roberts' third son Dan, a Kansas City area country music DJ onKFKF-FMand later a long-time announcer atArrowhead Stadium,got his start in sports broadcasting at I-70 Speedway.

In 2006, a new 3/8 dirt track was built on the site. The asphalt track is a long 1/2 mile (0.54 mi). The backstretch has a small dog-leg. It is regarded as one of the fastest and highest banked short tracks in the nation. I-70 Speedway was also one of the first tracks to feature a prototypicalSAFER barrier;during a World Cup race in the early 1990s, huge styrofoam blocks were placed high along the retaining wall in all four turns. All-Pro Series driver and former NASCAR Rookie of the Year,Jody Ridley,hit one of the blocks which sent him airborne over the wall in turn four upside down. Ridley walked away from the wreck, but this style of the barrier was only used in a few more races at I-70.

I-70 was considered the "home" track of many NASCAR drivers such asRusty Wallace,Clint Bowyer,andLarry Phillips.James Ince,who was Larry Phillips crew chief and later a NASCAR Crew Chief of the Year withJohnny Benson Jr.,also started his career at I-70 Speedway. Other notable drivers who had driven there (not all of them on a full-time basis) includedMark Martin,Butch Miller,Bob Senneker,Dick Trickle,Mike Eddy,Johnny Benson Jr.,Jamie McMurray,John O'Neal Jr., track championTerry Bivins,Jenny White, andJennifer Jo Cobb.Short track driverJoe Shearonce held the 4 barrel Late Model track record.Adam Petty,grandson ofRichard Petty,once won an ASA race there.

Actor and race car driverPaul Newmanrented the race track in 1990, while he was filming in the Kansas City area, for a private practice session. He drove some of the local race cars including that of the 1989 Late Model Track Champion, Jay Truelove.

Bill Roberts sold the track to Ted Carlson in the mid-1990s. Carlson later sold the track to Brad McDonald. The track has hostedstock car racingandkart racingevents. It used to offer a twin-billing Saturday night dirt track and asphalt track show. The dirt track is directly behind the original asphalt facility. On July 5, 2018, it was announced that I-70 Speedway was bought by Chris Payne, owner ofHeartland Motorsports Parkand would reopen in 2019. The half-mile asphalt oval at I-70 would be converted to a dirt track with a drag strip to be included on the property.After delays due to negotiations withLafayette Countyand theCOVID-19 pandemic,the new complex reopened in 2021.

In 2023, Chris Payne and his partner entered into an agreement with Scott Higgs to invest in the development of a drag strip on the property next to the 1/2 mile dirt oval track. The Flying H Drag Strip is set to open to the public in summer of 2024.

Races

The major asphalt event held at the track was the World Cup. This event first featured the All-Pro series, but in later years it featured the ASA Late Model Series (formerly known asARTGOand NASCAR Midwest Series) North vs. South Showdown.

The track hosted theO'Reilly Auto Parts 200from 1995 to 1999.

TheNASCAR Midwest Series(also formerly known asARTGO) ran 3 races under the NASCAR banner from 1999 to 2001. The track also hosted 7NASCAR Southeast Seriesevents between 1991 and 1998.

TheARCA Racing Serieshad raced one race in I-70 Speedway in 1994 and was won byRandy Churchill.TheASA National Tourhad a 300-lap race in the facility from 1998 until 2003. All the six winners of ASA National Tour races drove in NASCAR:Adam Petty,Mike Miller,Tim Sauter,Johnny Sauter,Joey ClantonandMike Garvey.

World of Outlawsannounced in December 2019 that they would return to I-70 in 2020, on a new 3/8th mile oval layout, surfaced with dirt. The effort was delayed a year by theCOVID-19 pandemic,but a grand opening of the track featuring World of Outlaws occurred on April 30, 2021.

Since the 2021 reopening, theAll Star Circuit of Champions,USAC National Sprint Car Championship,POWRiLucas Oil WAR Sprint League, Lucas Oil American Sprint Car Series andLucas Oil Late Model Dirt Serieshave also raced at I-70.

In May 2023, construction began on the drag strip, which is located next to the dirt track. It is planned to host a Mission Foods Drag Racing Series event in 2024.

External links

• Official website
• Track race results at Racing-Reference
• Track description