Paducah International Raceway (PIR) is a 3/8 mile, clay oval track located in

Paducah Paducah ( ) is a home rule-class city in and the county seat of McCracken County, Kentucky. The largest city in the Jackson Purchase region, it is located at the confluence of the Tennessee and the Ohio rivers, halfway between St. Louis, Missour ...

Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia to ...

. UMP Super Late Models, CARS Crate Late Models, UMP Open Wheel Modified, UMP Pure Streets,

Warrior A warrior is a person specializing in combat or warfare, especially within the context of a tribal or clan-based warrior culture society that recognizes a separate warrior aristocracies, class, or caste. History Warriors seem to have been p ...

, and Mini Sprints have raced at PIR. PIR also hosted

Demolition Derby Demolition derby is a non-racing motorsport usually presented at county fairs and festivals. While rules vary from event to event, the typical demolition derby event consists of five or more drivers competing by deliberately ramming their vehic ...

events. The track was first opened in 1972 and was operated by numerous ownership groups until it was purchased by

NASCAR The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, LLC (NASCAR) is an American auto racing sanctioning and operating company that is best known for stock car racing. The privately owned company was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1948, and hi ...

drivers

Dale Earnhardt Jr. Ralph Dale Earnhardt Jr. (born October 10, 1974) is an American semi-retired professional stock car racing driver, team owner, author, and an analyst for ''NASCAR on NBC''. He currently competes part-time in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, driving t ...

and Kenny Schrader along with promoter Bob Sargent in 2005. This was Earnhardt Jr.'s first track while Schrader and Sargent both previously owned tracks in Illinois and Missouri. The group was joined by NASCAR driver Tony Stewart in late 2006, who also owned

Eldora Speedway Eldora Speedway (nicknamed "The Big E", "Auto Racing's Showcase Since 1954," and "The World's Greatest Dirt Track") is a high-banked clay dirt oval. Located north of Rossburg, Ohio in the village of New Weston, Ohio, it features permanent and ...

Rossburg, Ohio Rossburg is a village in Darke County, Ohio, United States. The population was 201 at the 2010 census. History Rossburg was platted by John G. Ross in 1868. In its early years, the community was also known as "Hagerman"; under this name a po ...

, and is part owner in Macon Speedway,

Macon, Illinois Macon is a town in Macon County, Illinois, United States whose population was 1,138 at the 2010 census, and 1,120 at a 2018 estimate. It is included in the Decatur, Illinois Metropolitan Statistical Area and lies 11 miles South of Decatur. Histo ...

. The track's signature race was the USA World 50, billed as "The World's Richest 50-Lap Race". First held in 1978, the race featured

Super Late Model A late model car is a car which has been recently designed or manufactured, often the latest model. (An early model car or classic car is a car old enough to be of historical interest; there is no usual intermediate term.) The precise definition ...

racing cars. The race featured drivers from the MARS Racing Series and the UMP Racing Series. At the end of the 2016 season, the track went dormant, with no racing taking place in the 2017 season. The track reopened in April 2018, but was again shut down in May of that year. This led to a dispute between the owners and those who purchased season tickets, expecting a full racing season.

References

External links

Paducah International Raceway website
{{POWRi National Midgets race venues Motorsport venues in Kentucky Buildings and structures in Paducah, Kentucky Tourist attractions in McCracken County, Kentucky Dale Earnhardt Jr. Tony Stewart 1972 establishments in Kentucky Sports venues completed in 1972