Michigan International Speedway News

Updated: 2010

Wednesday, June 9, 2010

Adam Sandler, Kevin James to serve as grand marshals at MIS: Adam Sandler and Kevin James, stars of Columbia Pictures' "Grown Ups," in theaters June 25, will serve as grand marshals for the Heluva Good! Sour Cream Dips 400 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Michigan International Speedway on Jume 13th. Sandler and James know how to say the most famous words in motorsports with passion and enthusiasm. Each have given arguably the two most amazing commands in the NASCAR history  James in 2007 at Daytona International Speedway and Sandler at MIS in June 2006. Sprint Cup Series tickets for the Heluva Good! Sour Cream Dips 400 on June 13 and CARFAX 400 on August 15 are as low as $25. Visit MISpeedway.com or call the MIS ticket hotline at 800-354-1010 today to take advantage of great pricing for 2010 events at MIS.(MIS)

Friday, January 29, 2010

Sabates apologizes for comment: The fans have spoken; and so has Felix Sabates. The part-owner of NASCAR’s Earnhardt Ganassi Racing, who outraged many race fans and Michigan residents this week for suggesting Michigan International Speedway be cut from NASCAR’s Sprint Cup schedule because of the state’s economy, has issued an apology. “In an attempt at humor I made some comments about the city of Detroit and the people of Michigan that were in poor taste and that I sincerely apologize for,” Sabates said. “I have worked directly or indirectly with the auto industry for over 40 years as both an auto dealer and a NASCAR owner and it was never my intention to put down the auto industry, its workers, the city of Detroit or the state of Michigan. I have such respect for all of them. Speedway President Roger Curtis accepted the apology Friday, calling Sabates’ original comments, made at last week’s NASCAR media tour in Charlotte, N.C., a rally cry from the speedway’s loyal fan base who continually support the racetrack through tough economic times.(MIS PR)

Friday, Aug. 14, 2009

MIS building new suites for 2010 season: Immediately after the races are over Sunday, another kind high-speed action will begin at Michigan International Speedway. "As soon as the checkered flag falls, we'll be swarming like bees," MIS President Roger Curtis said Thursday. A team will descend on the infield suites and clear out everything they can before the suites are demolished later in the week. The speedway is spending $17 million on new suites and a media center to replace the current facilities, which were built in the early 1980s. The project is expected to be completed in May, just weeks before the June 2010 race weekend. "They're sweating bullets," Curtis said. (Jackson Citizen Patriot)

Thursday, Aug. 13, 2009

MIS officials expect two Cup dates in 2010: Can the state hold on to its sporting gems, like NASCAR racing at Michigan International Speedway, as the economy struggles to rebound? The word Tuesday from the Irish Hills suggests NASCAR will roar into the giant Brooklyn-based track in 2010 and beyond for its traditional two summer dates. As MIS prepares to host this weekend's CARFAX 400 Sprint Cup race, track president Roger Curtis said he was confident it would be business as usual on the 2-mile high-banked oval next year. "We are talking to NASCAR about the 2010 schedule, and I believe we're in great shape," Curtis said. "They are tweaking a few things, but I believe we're very close, very safe." (Detroit Free Press)

Monday, June 15, 2009

Could Michigan lose Cup date to Kansas? The two-mile track located about an hour west of Detroit is smack in the middle of one of the hardest hit economic areas of the country. Attendance at Sunday's Lifelock 400 may have been the smallest NASCAR Sprint Cup race crowd at MIS in the last ten years and the outlook for August's return isn;t very encouraging. Now there is great speculation that one of the two NASCAR weekends could also be lost as parent company ISC looks to add a second race at Kansas Speedway or build a new track in the Pacific Northwest or the Denver area. With the prospects of adding another race to the already over-stuffed Sprint Cup schedule non-existent, a date would have to shift from an existing property. (Sportsline.com)

Thursday, June 11, 2009

Lions head coach Jim Schwartz to serve as Honorary Starter: Detroit Lions Head Coach Jim Schwartz will wave the green flag as Honorary Starter for Sunday’s LifeLock 400 at Michigan International Speedway. Schwartz, who will begin his first season as the Lions’ head coach this fall, not only loves football, but shares a love of NASCAR, as well. “I’m a big NASCAR fan,” he said. “So to be involved with the race, in the shadow of Detroit, The Motor City, is an absolute thrill. I’ve always been impressed with the incredible loyalty of NASCAR fans. They stick with their teams and drivers thru thick and thin. They have the same type of passion and loyalty Lions’ fans have for our football team.” The honorary starter duties include waving the green flag to start the race. Schwartz will also receive a pace car ride from NASCAR’s official pace car driver Brett Bodine and attend the NASCAR Sprint Cup drivers’ meeting with members of the Detroit Lions football team. Grand Marshal Kid Rock will give the command at 2:07pm on Sunday, starting the LifeLock 400, followed by Schwartz, who will wave the green flag at 2:16pm. Great seats are available by calling 800-354-1010 or logging onto MISpeedway.com. Michigan International Speedway.(MIS PR)

Saturday, April 18, 2009

MIS plans multi-million dollar upgrades : Michigan International Speedway plans a $17 million renovation of its terrace suites and media center. Demolition and construction will begin after the Sprint Cup race in mid-August, and officials say that the track will be ready for the 2010 season. The plan calls for 30 corporate suites on the second floor, including movable walls so the size of suites can be adjusted. The first floor will house a media, technology and meeting center and rooms for press conferences and team meetings. The project also calls for modifying pit road and the fire lane and moving the fueling station. (Winston-Salem Journal)

Tuesday, June 17, 2008

F1's Jarno Trulli attends MIS NASCAR race: Formula One Toyota driver Jarno Trulli snuck into Michigan International Speedway on Sunday without the fan crush he's accustomed to when he races in Europe. "A few people asked me for autographs when I first arrived but it basically cooled down," Trulli said. "In Italy or France, you would basically be surrounded." Trulli, an Italian, competed in the Canadian Grand Prix in Montreal this month, where he finished sixth, and decided to stick around and pay a surprise visit to former F1 drivers Juan Pablo Montoya (Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates) and Scott Speed (Bill Davis Racing), who are running in NASCAR. "They were the first two people I visited with," Trulli said. "They were surprised to see me." Trulli, eighth in F1 points, said he watches NASCAR on television, but Sunday's was the first stock car race he'd attended. Would he take a crack at ovals if given a chance? "Maybe one day -- a test or something," said Trulli, who began his F1 career with Minardi in 1997. "I like the U.S. and having another (racing) experience would be good." Though Trulli has never raced a stock car, he drove at Lowe's Motor Speedway in Charlotte, N.C., in 1994. (Detroit Free Press)

Monday, June 16, 2008

Attendance down at Michigan: Crowd numbers are not released by [MIS] speedway officials, but media estimates put the crowd at about 125,000 -- 35,000 under what is considered to be a capacity crowd at the track.Speedway. Seating capacity is 132,000, but that doesn't count the infield fans, competitors, crew members, officials and volunteers that contribute on race day. The main grandstand on the front stretch was full Sunday, but the smaller grandstands between Turns 1 and 2 had thousands of empty spots. The grandstands between Turns 3 and 4 were only partially filled. The smaller crowd is likely the effect of a poor Michigan economy and high gas prices. MIS president Roger Curtis was happy with the turnout. "I was very pleased with the attendance," Curtis said. "The fans' enthusiasm was tremendous." Curtis said he expects the attendance to be higher when the series returns in August for the 3M Performance 400. (Michigan Live)

Earnhardt not impressed with new scoredboard: The new massive three-sided scoreboard in the middle of the infield lived up to expectations, but at least one person was not a fan of it. "They took the freakin' scoreboard down in Turn 1," Earnhardt said. "I can't read that thing in the middle." Earnhardt referred to the scoreboards while discussing the final laps, when he was trying to keep track of which drivers he was contending with for the lead. The two tall scoreboards on either end of the infield were taken down when the new scoreboard was installed earlier this year. (Michigan Live)