Our History
Bill France Racing, Inc., established in 1953, signed the initial contract to secure land for construction of Daytona International Speedway on November 8, 1957. Thus, Daytona International Speedway Corporation (now International Speedway Corporation) was born.
The development of a permanent racing facility in Daytona Beach, FL, took shape in 1955, as William H.G. France began negotiations with city officials to construct a state-of-the-art 2.5-mile high-banked speedway. Ground clearing began for the mammoth project on November 25, 1957, and dream became reality when the first Daytona 500 was run on February 22, 1959. The world's most diverse racing facility is now recognized internationally as the "World Center of Racing."
France, however, had visions of an even bigger and faster speedway. Therefore, on May 23, 1968 construction of a new superspeedway began on a 2,000-acre site in North Central Alabama. The first race was held at Talladega Superspeedway on September 13, 1969. The 2.66-mile high-banked tri-oval is recognized internationally as the "World's Fastest Speedway."
Darlington Raceway was acquired by ISC in 1982. Darlington opened in 1950 and is known as NASCAR's original superspeedway. The track "Too Tough To Tame" steeped in tradition, has undergone numerous improvements and renovations under ISC ownership.
Watkins Glen International was added to the ISC family in 1985. ISC assumed full ownership of in 1997. Watkins Glen is the home to numerous road-racing events each year including the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race.
In 1997, ISC acquired Phoenix International Raceway, "The World's Fastest One Mile Oval," and created Kansas Speedway Corporation, a wholly owned subsidiary of ISC, to develop a 1.5-mile oval motor speedway in western Kansas City, Kansas. The facility was completed and opened in 2001.
Also in 1997, ISC purchased a 40 percent interest in the Homestead-Miami Speedway. The state-of-the-art facility is located just south of Miami. In 1998, ISC purchased an additional 5 percent of the facility.
In 1999, the Company merged with Penske Motorsports, Inc., adding four more tracks: California Speedway in San Bernardino County (now Auto Club Speedway); Michigan Speedway near Detroit; North Carolina Speedway near Rockingham, N.C.; and, Nazareth Speedway in Nazareth, Pa.
With the merger, also ISC held a 90 percent interest in the Homestead-Miami Speedway, acquiring the remaining 10 percent in 2001.
Also in 1999, ISC formed Raceway Associates, LLC, in order to build a motorsports facility in the Chicago area. Raceway Associates, LLC, is a limited liability company owned 75 percent by the Motorsports Alliance (a company owned 50 percent by ISC and 50 percent by the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Corporation) and 25 percent by the nine former owners of the Route 66 Raceway in Joliet, Ill. In addition to owning the Chicagoland Speedway that opened in 2001, Raceway Associates owns Route 66 Raceway; a 240 acre motorsports complex that includes a state-of-the-art drag strip, a 3/8-mile clay oval and a road course test track.
On December 1, 1999, ISC acquired Richmond International Raceway. Located approximately 10 miles from downtown Richmond, Virginia, "The Action Track" is a moderately-banked, lighted, 3/4-mile oval speedway known for its close, side-by-side racing.
In 2004, ISC acquired Martinsville Speedway in Martinsville, Virginia. Located near Greensboro and Winston-Salem, Martinsville is one of only two one-half mile tracks on the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series circuit. Also in 2004, ISC sold the assets of North Carolina to Speedway Motorsports, Inc.
In 2007, ISC purchased the remaining 62.5 percent interest in Raceway Associates (Chicagoland Speedway and Route 66 Raceway).
As a result of these acquisitions and developments, International Speedway Corporation is a leading promoter of motorsports activities in the United States, currently promoting more than 100 events nationwide.
