HISTORY59 - Motorsport Racing in Phoenix

This topic, particularly the history of Formula One racing in Phoenix, was suggested by Pat’s son David, who also provided a research link.

 

After a little study, I decided to broaden the topic to overall motorsport racing so that I could also include the history of Phoenix’s closed-track Indy car, stock car, and sports car racing, and drag racing as shown in the figure below.   

My simple introduction to the cars I will be discussing.

I’m going to start at the beginning of motor vehicle racing in Phoenix - the 1908 Cactus Derby race from Los Angles to Phoenix.  Then, I’m going to cover the racing history of the major tracks in the Phoenix area, in order of their opening year, including the Arizona State Fairgrounds, Phoenix Raceway, Wildhorse Pass Motorsport Park, and finish with the short history of the Phoenix Street Circuit and Formula One racing in Phoenix.

My principal sources include “The Cactus Derby Races of 1908 - 1914:  Los Angeles to Phoenix,” axeladdict.com; “Cactus Derby of 1914 - Hourglass,” motortrend.com; “Cactus Derbies,” truewestmagazine.com; “Arizona State Fairgrounds,” “Phoenix Raceway,” “Wildhorse Pass Motorsports Park,” and “Phoenix Street Circuit,” Wikipedia; “F1 and Indy Car racing history in Phoenix,” journal.classiccars.com; “Legendary Wild Horse raceway closing for good,” eastvalleytribune.com; “Phoenix Street Circuit,” f1.fandom.com; “25 Years Ago, Phoenix Hosted Formula One’s U.S. Grand Prix,” Phoenix News Times, June 4, 2024; plus numerous other online sources.

The Cactus Derby Races

In 1908, to call attention to the "newfangled" autos and the lack of safe roads, the Los Angeles Auto Club organized a race from Los Angeles, California, to Phoenix, Arizona, over a distance of 517 miles.  (At the time, Arizona was still a U.S. Territory, and the population of Phoenix was only around 10,000 people.)  Steam engine autos were pitted against the new gasoline-powered autos.  There was also a debate about the future of automobiles.  Should they be developed for sport racing or for more utilitarian use.

There were no paved roads between Los Angeles and Phoenix at the time.  The race traveled over desert trails, wagon routes, river crossings, and silt beds three feet deep, and when it rained, turned the silt into three-feet-thick mug bogs.  There were two overnight stops scheduled.

Four automobiles entered the 1908 Cactus Derby.  The route was across Southern Arizona, close to the route of Interstate 10 today, with the crossing of the Colorado River set at Ehrenberg.  Since there weren't any service stations, the drivers had to carry their spare parts and gasoline with them.  Each driver was allowed a number two man, who was a mechanic.

They raced against the clock, so each evening, the racing ended, and the cars were impounded under guard in a local horse corral to keep mechanics from making repairs or tampering with a competitor’s race car.

The winner of the race was Colonel F.C. Fehner, whose steamer auto averaged a top speed of 17.6 miles per hour. Another driver finished, but the other two cars had to drop out.  First prize was $2,500.

The “off road” Cactus Derby races continued until 1914, following a variety of unpaved routes, as shown in the map below.  The 1908, 1909, and 1910 races went through Blythe, forded the Colorado River on a ferry at Ehrenberg, then on to Salome and Phoenix.  The 1911 race went south from LA to San Diego, then east to El Centro, looped south through Mexico to Yuma, and on to Phoenix.  The 1912 race followed the 1910 route to Mecca, then split south to Brawley and Yuma, and on to Phoenix.  The 1913 race followed the 1911 route to San Diego and El Centro, then turned north through Brawley to Yuma, and on to Phoenix.  The 1914 race went through Barstow, Needles, Kingman and Ash Fork, then turned south to Prescott, Skull Valley, Wickenburg, and on to Phoenix.  

 

The routes of the Cactus Derbies, 1908-1914.  The 1914 Cactus Derby route is bolded at the top of the map.

The last Cactus Derby race in 1914 was the longest at 700 miles and was particularly memorable.  On November 10^th, 20 drivers in a variety of cars, which included two Chevrolets, an Alco, a Paige, two Metz, a Cadillac, a Ford Kincaid Special, a Simplex, a Maxwell, a Stutz, and several stripped-down stock cars lined up near the Eastlake Park in Los Angeles.  

The drivers included famous racers such as Louis Chevrolet, Nikrent, Ted Baudet, and Bill Bramlett.  Chevrolet sponsored the “Grand Old Man of Racing,” Barney Oldfield, the first man to go over 60 mph on an oval in 1903. 

The 700-mile race route was over El Cajon Pass to Victorville, with the first overnight stop in Needles.  The next day, the race continued to Kingman, Seligman, Ashfork, Jerome, and then over Mingus Mountain and into Prescott for the second overnight stop.  The final race day would end at the finish line in the Phoenix Fairgrounds.

On the first day, the drivers encountered snow, a hail storm, rain, and lots of mud.  Barney Oldfield managed to end the first day with a lead of six minutes.  The next day was no easier as the drivers had to cross the Colorado River on the Santa Fe Railroad bridge on planks that had been laid over the tracks. Barney couldn't get enough power in his Stutz to make the steep climb on Gold Road near Prescott.  Luck was with him when he found miners willing to push his car.  When he crossed the line in Prescott, the citizens who lined the street said Barney was a mud man, covered in mud from head to toe.  He was then in 5^th place.

The next day, Barney became stuck in the sandy New River, but found a team of mules to pull him out. The road to the Phoenix Fairground was lined with fans and a brass band, when he managed a speed of 29 miles per hour to cross the finish line for the win, with a total elapsed driving time of 23 hours.  Seven cars had managed to finish the race.

 

Barney Oldfield and his mechanic race their Stutz-Bearcat in the 1914 Cactus Derby.

 

After 1914 (Arizona became a state in 1912), Arizona became more populated, and more roads were built, but by 1929, Arizona still had only 300 miles of paved roads.

Arizona State Fairgrounds

Arizona State Fairgrounds, in uptown Phoenix, the endpoint of the Cactus Derby races, was created in 1905, when a volunteer organization, the Arizona Territorial Fair Association, purchased the property and first developed it.  In 1909, the grounds were purchased by the Territorial Fair Commission, which became the State Fair Commission after statehood in 1912.

The Arizona State Fairgrounds first held motor racing in 1909.  The track was a one-mile dirt oval that surrounded the main arena. 

The dirt oval track hosted Indy Car National Championship races in 1915 and from 1950 to 1963, with the last three races won by well-known drivers Roger Ward (1963), Bobby Marshman (1962), and Parnelli Jones (1961).

Indy car racing at the Arizona State Fairgrounds dirt track in the1930s.

 

National championship stock car races were held on the Arizona State Fairgrounds oval in 1951, 1955, 1956 and 1960.

During the 1960s some serious accidents occurred because of the higher speeds and the deteriorating dirt track, causing fatalities.  The organizers endured lawsuits after one accident when a car went over the fence injuring 23 people.

The Arizona State Fairgrounds track was replaced by the Phoenix Raceway in 1964.

Part of the track was replaced with the Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum, which was the home for the Phoenix Suns from 1968 to 1992.

Today, the Arizona State Fairgrounds is used yearly to host the Arizona State Fair and the Maricopa County Fair, as well as for other events.

Phoenix Raceway

Phoenix Raceway, formerly Phoenix International Raceway, is today a one-mile, low-banked tri-oval asphalt race track, located in Avondale, Arizona, near west Phoenix.

 

Phoenix Raceway’s one-mile tri-oval track as last modified in 2019.  A tri-oval resembles, a triangle and an oval.  Rather than meeting at sharp, definable angles as the sides of a triangle do, in a tri-oval these angles are instead rounded into smooth curves.   

 

Phoenix Raceway was built in 1964 around the Estrella Mountains, on the outskirts of Avondale.  The hillsides adjacent to the track also offer a unique vantage point to watch races from. "Monument Hill,” located alongside turns, is a favorite among race fans because of the unique view and lower ticket prices. The Raceway was built with the goal of being the western home of Indy Car racing.  

The primary racing since 1964 has been Indy Car racing and stock car racing sponsored by NASCAR (National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing).

Over the years, the track configuration at Phoenix raceway was renovated several times for safety reasons, and to accommodate less frequent racing events such as road racing and midget car racing.  Lights were installed around the track in 2004.

Grandstand capacity changed with these track renovations, with reserved seating peaking at 76,800 in 2006, before settling at 42,000 with renovations in 2019.

The raceway is currently owned and operated by NASCAR.

Indy Car racing had a long history at Phoenix Raceway, with races held at the suburban Phoenix track from 1964 - 2005 and 2016 - 2018.

Rick Mears, Johnny Rutherford, and Bobby Unser hold the record for most career wins at Phoenix with three each, and Mario Andretti won the final race of his career there in 1993.

Indy Cars stopped racing at Phoenix in 2005, citing low attendance, but returned in 2016 for the Desert Diamond West Valley Phoenix Grand Prix.  From 2016 to 2018, it was run as a 250-lap, 255.5-mile, race at night.  Helio Castroneves set a track record with an average speed of 194.905 mph over two qualifying laps in 2017, but once again low attendance led to the end of Indy Cars racing at Phoenix Raceway.  

NASCAR began stock car racing at Phoenix Raceway in 1978.  However, it was not until 1988 when NASCAR's premier series, now the NASCAR Cup Series, began racing at the track.

Pickup truck racing was added in 1995.  The NASCAR Xfinity Series began running at the track in 1999, and NASCAR has held its championship weekend events at Phoenix Raceway annually since 2020.

Start of NASCAR stock car race at Phoenix Raceway in 2022.

  

Wildhorse Pass Motorsports Park

Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park is a 450-acre motorsport racing complex, located in Chandler, Arizona, about 18 miles southeast of downtown Phoenix, Arizona. 

The facility opened in 1983 as Firebird International Raceway and today includes a quarter-mile concrete drag strip; three asphalt road courses of 1.25 miles, 1.6 miles, and 1.1 miles length (used mostly by a racing school); a 0.7-mile off-road dirt track; and a 2.4-mile oval boat-racing lake.  The complex has hosted events ranging from drag and boat racing, to sports car racing, to off-road races, and monster truck shows. 

In 1985, Firebird hosted the NHRA (National Hot Rod Association) FallNationals drag races, the first National NHRA event held at the complex; the annual event has continued since then.  

 

The Arizona Nationals drag races have been held annually at Wild Horse Motorsports Park since 1985.

 

In May 1987, Firebird held its only IMSA GT (International Motor Sports Association Grand Tourer) sports car race, the Arizona 300, over a distance of 300 kilometers (186.411 miles).

In 2013, the land owner, the Gila River Indian Community, changed facility operators and renamed the complex the Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park, after the neighboring tribal casino and Wild Horse Pass Resort, while also receiving an investment of more than $1 million in renovations, including repaving the drag-strip.

In February 22, 2014, Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park hosted the NHRA Arizona National drag races.

In March 2022, it was announced that Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park would close in February 2023, after the HRA Arizona Nationals, due to the widening of Interstate 10.  

The Radford Racing School and the 1.6- mile Radford Racing course will remain open after Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park closes.

Meanwhile, the Gila River Indian Community’s development arm is taking a giant step toward creating a 3,300-acre entertainment-retail-office complex where Interstate 10 Meets Loop 202. The master planned commercial development is offering sites for: entertainment, retail, office and themed attractions. 

Phoenix Street Circuit

For a brief stretch, Phoenix hosted the (Formula One cars) United States Grand Prix on a downtown street circuit.  From 1989 until 1991, the U.S. Grand Prix was held at the 2.36-mile (1989,1990) and 2.31-mile (1991) street circuit in downtown Phoenix - by the Phoenix Civic Plaza, prior to the construction of America West Arena (1992), the current home of the Phoenix Suns, and Chase Field (1998), the home of the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Phoenix Street Circuit used in 1989 and 1990.  The start/finish line is identified by the red arrow at south 5^th Avenue.  Note the 15 turns, identified by numbers. 

 

Shortsighted planning for the 1989 event had the race held on June 4, 1989, with a high temperature of 100.9 degrees Fahrenheit on that Sunday.  Ayrton Senna garnered the pole with a 1:30.710 lap, 1.4 seconds ahead of his teammate Alain Prost who qualified second.

Only six of 26 cars finished the race.  The rest retired early due to mechanical problems and the intense Arizona summer heat.  Attendance was sparse with 31,441 fans in the makeshift bleachers throughout downtown Phoenix.  Prost won the race, almost 40-seconds ahead of Riccardo Patrese, in a Williams-Renault.

In the original course layout, drivers were unhappy with the bumpiness of the streets, and the lack of visual landmarks to gauge their location, having to use sponsor signs and office towers as reference points.

Start of the 1989 Formula One United States Grand Prix.

  

The City of Phoenix had coughed up several million dollars to host this race, but it didn't get the return it was hoping for.

The 1990 U.S. Grand Prix was held earlier in the F1 season, on March 11, when the high temperature was only 84 degrees.  Gerhard Berger qualified first, but Senna won the race, 8.685-seconds ahead of second place finisher, Jean Alesi.  Attendance was lower than the previous U.S. Grand Prix, with an estimated 10,000-15,000 fans in downtown Phoenix, but those who made it there saw Senna win the season opener on his way to his second world championship.

For the 1991 race, because Phoenix had started the construction of a new 19,000 seat arena for the Phoenix Suns after the 1990 race, requiring a footprint of four city blocks, a redesign of the Grand Prix racing course was needed.

Phoenix Street Circuit used in 1991.

Held on March 10, as the opening race of the 1991 F1 season, the downtown Phoenix street circuit was modified and slightly shortened.   Reigning F1 champion Ayrton Senna qualified on the pole for the planned 82-lap race, led every lap, and beat Prost by 16.32-seconds for the win.  Again, reliability was a factor, with only nine cars still running at the end of the race.

Attendance at the 1991 race was again disappointingly low.  How bad was the attendance?  Here's how Sports Illustrated put it:  It was outdrawn - handily - by bird races at the nearby Chandler Ostrich Festival.

Because of low attendance and an overall lack of interest, the 1991 U.S. Grand Prix was the last F1 race in downtown Phoenix.  It was also the end of F1 racing in the United States until the 2000 U.S. Grand Prix at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Today, there are no signs remaining of the Phoenix Street Circuit.  The only actual construction for the circuit, the pit and race central buildings, were used for several years for auto repair shops and office space, before being demolished to make way for a new federal office building, courthouse, and jail.

The semicircular Turns 13, 14, and 15, which ran through a vacant lot, are now the location of a hip hop recording studio and production company.  The diagonal straight, used only in 1991, is now a live theater and a Hard Rock Café.  The interesting hairpin corner before that point was covered by a 50,000-seat baseball stadium.  Light rail transit lines have narrowed both Jefferson and Washington Streets.  Any traces of the track anywhere in downtown have long since been scrubbed away by a new and revitalized downtown Phoenix.

Conclusions

So, today, the only surviving major motorsports track in the Phoenix area is Phoenix Raceway, owned by NASCAR.  Indy car and Formula One racing in Phoenix are dead.  Stock Car racing at Phoenix Raceway appears to be the only major motorsports competition available in the future in Phoenix