The Dallas International Motor Speedway (DIMS) was a

racetrack 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 us ...

located in

Lewisville, Texas Lewisville ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Texas, located in Denton County with portions extending into Dallas County. As one of the Mid-Cities within the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the 2020 census reported a population of 111,822. O ...

. It operated from June 1969 to 1973. The racetrack served as the site for such events as the NHRA Springnationals, NHRA World Finals, and the

Texas International Pop Festival The Texas International Pop Festival was a music festival held at Lewisville, Texas, on Labor Day weekend, August 30 to September 1, 1969. It occurred two weeks after Woodstock. The site for the event was an open field just south and west of th ...

in 1969. When it first opened, the Speedway featured a quarter-mile paved

dragstrip A dragstrip is a facility for conducting automobile and motorcycle acceleration events such as drag racing. Although a quarter mile (1320 feet, 402 m) is the best known measure for a drag track, many tracks are eighth mile (201&n ...

, grandstands, and a distinctive control and observation tower. Later, a 2.5-mile road course was added, followed by a quarter-mile dirt course for motorcycle racing. The first event held at the Speedway was the 1969 NHRA Springnationals. The event was generally considered to be a successful debut for the new track with having the first all six second 32 car Top Fuel dragster field in history. But the event was marred by tragedy when Funny Car driver Gerry Schwartz was killed in a mid-track collision with Pat Foster. On Labor Day Weekend of 1969, the

was held on the grounds of DIMS with an estimated crowd of 150,000. 30 musical acts that rivaled the more remembered Woodstock festival that took place two weeks prior played in a 25 acre section of the racing facility and included names like Janis Joplin, Santana, Sly & the Family Stone, B.B. King, Chicago Transit Authority and Led Zeppelin among others. The track was also the site of another racing tragedy on Oct. 16, 1971 when race car driver Art Arfons crashed his jet-powered "Super Cyclops" resulting in the deaths of two track workers and a passenger in the vehicle, WFAA TV news reporter Gene Thomas. The

National Hot Rod Association The National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) is a governing body which sets rules in drag racing and hosts events all over the United States and Canada. With over 40,000 drivers in its rosters, the NHRA claims to be the largest motorsport sanction ...

sanctioned the track when it opened until July of 1971. Track management switched sanctioning bodies to the

International Hot Rod Association The International Hot Rod Association (IHRA) is the second-largest drag racing sanctioning body in North America after the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA). The Carrier Era 1971-1987 The IHRA was formed in November 1970 by businessman Larr ...

that month and remained until the facility closed in April of 1973. A series of event rainouts, debt issues, and track maintenance costs combined to force the Speedway into bankruptcy by 1973, when the property was purchased for commercial development and the Speedway facilities were demolished. No trace of the Speedway remains at the site today. The track was located east of I-35E at what is now approximately mile marker 448 (Round Grove Rd./Hebron Parkway exit). The Speedway tower was near the present-day intersection of Waters Ridge Dr. and Lake Pointe Dr.

References

External links

* http://www.na-motorsports.com/Tracks/TX/DIMS.html * http://www.dragzine.com/news/flashback-friday-dallas-international-motor-speedway/ * http://www.cityoflewisville.com/index.aspx?page=896 Motorsport venues in Texas Sports venues in Dallas {{Dallas-stub