South Sound Speedway is a oval

race track A race track (racetrack, racing track or racing circuit) is a facility built for racing of vehicles, athletes, or animals (e.g. horse racing or greyhound racing). A race track also may feature grandstands or concourses. Race tracks are also u ...

with a

Figure 8 Figure 8 (figure of 8 in British English) may refer to: * 8 (number), in Arabic numerals Entertainment * ''Figure 8'' (album), a 2000 album by Elliott Smith * "Figure of Eight" (song), a 1989 song by Paul McCartney * '' Figure Eight EP'', a ...

course located near Grand Mound and

Rochester Rochester may refer to: Places Australia * Rochester, Victoria Canada * Rochester, Alberta United Kingdom *Rochester, Kent ** City of Rochester-upon-Medway (1982–1998), district council area ** History of Rochester, Kent ** HM Prison ...

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered on ...

History

The racetrack, originally called the Olympia-Tenino Speedway, was constructed in 1971 by Dick and Wanda Boness. The track would later be owned by Jerry Cope, the uncle of

Derrike Cope Derrike Wayne Cope (born November 3, 1958) is an American professional stock car racing driver and team owner. He is known for his win in the 1990 Daytona 500. He last competed in the NASCAR Cup Series, driving the No. 15 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 f ...

. The racetrack was sanctioned for use as a

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 ...

site from 1989 until 2002, when the partnership ended due to rising costs. The track was purchased in 1995 by the Behn family, and an auto racing parts and tire store would be open on the site in 2002, with a repair shop eventually added.

Racetrack and site

The oval track is in length and the course is a Figure 8 configuartion. The track is mentioned in a 2003 report to accommodate 4,000 people. A wall on the front stretch of the track was raised by one foot before the 2007 season as a safety measure for spectators.

Events

South Sound Speedway hosts several racing divisions including

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 ...

street stock A street is a public thoroughfare in a built environment. It is a public parcel of landform, land adjoining buildings in an urban area, urban context, on which people may freely assemble, interact, and move about. A street can be as simple as ...

Legends A legend is a historical narrative, a symbolic representation of folk belief. Legend(s) or The Legend(s) may also refer to: Narrative * Urban legend, a widely repeated story of dubious truth * A fictitious identity used in espionage Books, co ...

, NW baby grand, NW Vintage Modified, and asphalt

sprint cars Sprint may refer to: Aerospace *Spring WS202 Sprint, a Canadian aircraft design *Sprint (missile), an anti-ballistic missile Automotive and motorcycle * Alfa Romeo Sprint, automobile produced by Alfa Romeo between 1976 and 1989 *Chevrolet Sprint ...

. In the past it hosted the

NASCAR K&N Pro Series West The ARCA Menards Series West, formerly the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West, NASCAR AutoZone West Series, NASCAR Winston West Series and NASCAR Camping World West Series, is a regional stock car racing series owned and operated by the Automobile Racin ...

and currently hosts the Northwest Super Late Model Series once or twice a season. A signature event at the track was the Miller 200, an annual

super stock race held in the 1990s and 2000s.

Drivers

Notable drivers, such as

Greg Biffle Gregory Jack Biffle (born December 23, 1969) is an American semi-retired professional stock car racing driver. He last competed part-time in the NASCAR Cup Series, driving the No. 44 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 for NY Racing Team and full-time in the ...

, have raced at South Sound Speedway. Other drivers of note from the

NASCAR K&N Pro Series The NASCAR K&N Pro Series refers to former names of two regional stock car racing series owned and operated by the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR), both now operated under the ARCA Menards Series banner after NASCAR's purcha ...

are

Rick Carelli Richard Dean Carelli (born November 9, 1954) is a retired American race car driver from Arvada, Colorado. He was nicknamed the "High Plains Drifter". He won multiple times in the No. 6 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series truck. He is the spotter for Eri ...

, Ron Eaton,

Ron Hornaday Jr. Ronald Lee Hornaday Jr. (born June 20, 1958) is an American former professional stock car racing driver. He is the father of former NASCAR driver Ronnie Hornaday and son of the late Ron Hornaday Sr., a two-time Winston West Champion. Hornaday is ...

, Robert Sprague, Dirk Stephens,

Angela Cope Angela Christine Ruch (née Cope, pronounced "ruck") (born August 18, 1983) is an American professional stock car racing driver. She is the niece of Derrike Cope and the sister of Amber Cope. She last competed in the NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors T ...

, and

Amber Cope Amber Nicole Cope (born August 18, 1983) is a professional stock car racing driver. She is known for making NASCAR history with her sister Angela Cope-Ruch. they became the first twins to compete in one of its top three series on October 23, 20 ...

Images

File:South Sound Speedway flagstand (2).jpg, Flagstand File:South Sound Speedway Grandstands from Turn 4.jpg, Grandstands File:South Sound Speedway Scoreboard.jpg, Scoreboard File:South Sound Speedway Turns 3 and 4.jpg, Turns 3 and 4 File:South Sound Speedway Scoring Tower.jpg, Scoring tower

References

External links

Official site
{{NASCAR Elite Division Northwest racetracks Motorsport venues in Washington (state) Buildings and structures in Thurston County, Washington Tourist attractions in Thurston County, Washington NASCAR tracks