Summit Point Motorsports Park is a
road racing
Road racing is a form of motorsport racing held on a paved road surface. The races can be held either on a closed circuit or on a street circuit utilizing temporarily closed public roads. Originally, road races were held almost entirely on publ ...
and driver training facility located in
Jefferson County,
West Virginia
West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian, Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States.The Census Bureau and the Association of American Geographers classify West Virginia as part of the Southern United States while the Bur ...
about two hours west of
Washington, D.C.
)
, image_skyline =
, image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...
in the state's
Eastern Panhandle
The Eastern Panhandle is the eastern of the two panhandles in the U.S. state of West Virginia; the other is the Northern Panhandle. It is a small stretch of territory in the northeast of the state, bordering Maryland and Virginia. Some sources a ...
.
Current status
Owned and operated by Xator Corporation, Summit Point Motorsports Park features three road racing circuits that are currently used for amateur automobile, motorcycle racing, and contracted government training.
History
Built in 1969–1970, Summit Point Motorsports Park (then "Summit Point Raceway"), opened in 1969.
The first races held there were SCCA regional races in the fall of 1969 with IMSA International Sedans being the first professional event, later to become The Radial Tire Series, and IMSA Pro Formula Ford. The event was held on Memorial Day, May 30, 1970. (The holiday was still celebrated on the 30th then.) Rasey Feezell won in an Alfa Romeo 4-door sedan, whose modifications were very questionable, taking home the grand sum of $200 prize money. Five of the eleven entrants were from Raleigh, North Carolina.
During its early years and since SCCA held numerous events at the track. Several Regional and National races were run each year. Many racers got their start in the popular SCCA Driver's Schools held there by the Washington DC Region.
Paul Newman
Paul Leonard Newman (January 26, 1925 – September 26, 2008) was an American actor, film director, race car driver, philanthropist, and entrepreneur. He was the recipient of numerous awards, including an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, three ...
ran several of his early races there in a Bob Sharp-prepared
Datsun 510
The Datsun 510 was a series of the Datsun Bluebird sold from 1968 to 1973, and offered outside the U.S. and Canada as the Datsun 1600.
The 510's engineering was inspired by contemporary European sedans, particularly the 1966 BMW 1600-2 &mdash ...
sedan. He wished to be just another "racer" and did not want to be recognized at racing events as a "superstar", so he and wife
Joanne Woodward
Joanne Gignilliat Trimmier Woodward (born February 27, 1930) is an American actress. A star since the Golden Age of Hollywood, Woodward made her career breakthrough in the 1950s and earned esteem and respect playing complex women with a charact ...
kept to themselves and eschewed signing autographs. Few realized they were racing in the company of famous actors. The only outward clue was the plate on his 510's front bumper... "PLN"
Over time the track was host to a number of professional races sanctioned by
IMSA
The International Motor Sports Association (IMSA) is a North American sports car racing sanctioning body based in Daytona Beach, Florida under the jurisdiction of the ACCUS arm of the FIA. It was started by John Bishop, a former executive direc ...
and the
SCCA
The Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) is a non-profit American automobile club and sanctioning body supporting road racing, rallying, and autocross in the United States. Formed in 1944, it runs many programs for both amateur and professional r ...
Trans-Am Series
The Trans-Am Series is a sports car racing series held in North America. Founded in 1966, it is sanctioned by the Sports Car Club of America (SCCA).
Primarily based in the United States, the series competes on a variety of track types includ ...
through the late 1980s.
The track was sold to Bill Scott and his partner Tom Milner in the early 1980s. Bill was 1970
Formula Vee
Formula Vee (Formula Fau Vee in Brazil and Germany) or Formula Volkswagen is a popular open wheel, single-seater junior motor racing formula, with relatively low costs in comparison to Formula Ford.
On the international stage, Niki Lauda, Eme ...
World Champion
Bill Scott.
The
Sportscar Vintage Racing Association
The Sportscar Vintage Racing Association (SVRA) is an American automobile club and sanctioning body that supports vintage racing in the United States. The organization was founded in 1981, and is regarded as the premier vintage racing organizati ...
is set to return to Summit Point in 2023 after a two-decade absence.
In addition to racing, the track became a training ground for various federal agencies and other security organizations.
Circuits
Summit Point Main
Summit Point Main is a 10-turn, road course that features a main straight. This original circuit opened in 1970.
The original layout did not include the "Carousel", presently denoted Turns 6 and 7. In the original layout, Turn 5 was a ~90 deg. left-hander leading to a 90 deg. right-hander at the entry to what is now denoted Turn 8. Therefore, the original layout had 8 turns (or 9 depending on how you counted them). The "Carousel" wasn't added until ''sometime'' after mid-1973.
No longer used for professional auto races, it hosts many WKC,
WKA,
SCCA
The Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) is a non-profit American automobile club and sanctioning body supporting road racing, rallying, and autocross in the United States. Formed in 1944, it runs many programs for both amateur and professional r ...
,
Audi
Audi AG () is a German automotive manufacturer of luxury vehicles headquartered in Ingolstadt, Bavaria, Germany. As a subsidiary of its parent company, the Volkswagen Group, Audi produces vehicles in nine production facilities worldwide.
Th ...
,
Mazda Drivers
, commonly referred to as simply Mazda, is a Japanese multinational automotive manufacturer headquartered in Fuchū, Hiroshima, Japan.
In 2015, Mazda produced 1.5 million vehicles for global sales, the majority of which (nearly one m ...
,
BMWCCA,
NESBA, and
NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agency of the US federal government responsible for the civil space program, aeronautics research, and space research.
NASA was established in 1958, succeeding t ...
club races,
track day
A track day is an organised event in which non-members are allowed to drive or ride around established motor racing circuits, or alternatively (though far less common) on closed or disused airfields. Most race tracks around the world now provide t ...
s, and schools. In addition, motorcycle races are run b
CCSan
WERA which also holds national-level 6-hour endurance race.
The Main Circuit is also the annual home of the ''Jefferson 500'' vintage race and ''
The 12 Hours at the Point
The 12 Hours at the Point was an endurance race for sports cars and sedans hosted by the Washington, D.C. Region of the Sports Car Club of America (SCCA). The initial event was staged in June 1999 at Summit Point Motorsports Park in Summit Po ...
''
endurance race.
The Main Circuit was repaved in the Fall of 2007.
Jefferson Circuit
The ''Jefferson Circuit'' is a seven-turn, road course that was designed and built by Bill Scott as a dedicated course for high-performance, accident avoidance and emergency operation driver training. Opened in 1996 or 1997, the Jefferson is a course that demands constant attentiveness and smooth inputs from drivers.
The circuit hosts a number of driver training schools, as well as a handful of motorcycle trackdays each year.
The Jefferson Circuit is currently under construction with extensive upgrades, according to the track's website.
Shenandoah Circuit
The ''Shenandoah Circuit'' is a 22-turn, road course that first opened in 2004. Widely considered one of the most technical circuits of the recent crop of race courses, the Shenandoah also boasts a smaller scale replica of the
Nürburgring-Nordschleife's famous banked ''Karussell'' turn. It's also known as the concrete jungle.
Since opening in late 2004, the Shenandoah has played host to a number of high-performance driver education clinics, a handful of road races and a number of motorcycle races. After a number of races and schools, minor changes were made to the track layout in late 2004 and early 2005, including the addition of a straight between turns 5 and 7.
Washington Circuit
The Washington Circuit is Summit Point's newest addition constructed and opened in 2009.
Several layouts are used depending on the types of events occurring and the weather conditions, but the course is most often configured as the "Washington Long Course". This is and 11 turns, including a sweeping 160-degree decreasing radius corner and 3 straights.
References
External links
Official SiteTrackpedia guide to driving this trackPhotos of the track from the 1970s
{{Authority control
Buildings and structures in Jefferson County, West Virginia
Motorsport venues in West Virginia
IMSA GT Championship circuits
Tourist attractions in Jefferson County, West Virginia
Road courses in the United States