Flashback: Phoenix Raceway’s changes through the years

Sixty years ago this month, Phoenix Raceway's 1-mile oval held its first major motorsports weekend. A.J. Foyt dashed to victory in the U.S. Auto Club Governor's Cup race, leading wire-to-wire in the 100-mile event. The facility in nearby Avondale, Arizona has undergone plenty of changes in its history to its current-day stature as a speed destination in the Southwestern U.S. Take a trip through Phoenix Raceway's progression through the years.

First, a rewind. Racing in Arizona had two significant tracks that hosted NASCAR events before Phoenix Raceway was built -- the Arizona State Fairgrounds in Phoenix and the Tucson Rodeo Grounds. Here, the field lines up for an AAA Big Car event on the dirt at the former in 1951.

Local politics, plus the new venue's pavement and isolation from the city neighborhoods, drew promoters from the fairgrounds to the new raceway in Avondale, where an ownership group headed by Richard Hogue had grand plans.

An aerial view of Phoenix Raceway's construction -- with the neighboring Estrella Mountain range as a backdrop -- in 1963. The venue was built with the capability to host multiple forms of motorsports, with the mile oval, a 2.5-mile road course and a drag strip on the raceway grounds. The price tag was estimated at $500,000 (nearly $5.2 million in today's money).

Opening as Phoenix International Raceway, the track hosted two events for U.S. Auto Club Indianapolis-style cars in its first season in 1964. This scene comes from the November 22 running of the Bobby Ball Memorial race, won by Lloyd Ruby.

Note the minimal guard rail in front of the covered grandstands on the main straightaway. The Arizona Republic reported in its coverage of the inaugural season that the track was not fully enclosed, saying that "most other mile tracks are surrounded by grandstands, fences, walls and buildings, where the PIR circle has two grandstands and then the open Arizona desert.

NASCAR began visiting Phoenix Raceway with its Winston West (now ARCA Menards Series West) tour in 1977, with the Cup Series arriving in 1988. In those days, the only pedestrian access point into the infield when cars were on track was a bridge over what was then Turn 4. A tunnel for foot and vehicle traffic was built in the same turn in 2003. (The inflatable animal in the photo was part of a promotion by a local radio station.)

A view of the main grandstand and old press box at Phoenix International Raceway in the 1990 season. A crowd of 12,450 watched the first USAC IndyCar race there in 1964, but seating grew to a 30,000 capacity for NASCAR's big-league arrival.

A spectator watches from a hillside perch at Phoenix International Raceway during the 2000 season. The view shows how grass (now paved over) used to border the infield apron, and how the outside wall at the far end of the track was not enclosed. Gaps in the wall were used for safety vehicles and other traffic when the track was closed to competition.

IMSA and other sports-car events took place on the Phoenix Raceway road course, which incorporated infield turns with portions of the oval track. The final version of that configuration measured 1.51 miles.

When the track made improvements that included the Turn 4 tunnel in 2003, officials also widened the racing surface by 12 feet near the dogleg area. That move also fully enclosed the track with retaining wall for the first time in its history. Here, the field rumbles through what was then Turns 1 and 2.

Phoenix Raceway also made renovations in time for springtime events in 2005, adding a permanent lighting system and expanding to two race weekends each year. Kurt Busch won the Cup Series' first night race there that April.

Fans watch Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s No. 8 Chevrolet head out to the track during the 2007 season from what was a popular vantage point -- the old Goodyear crossover bridge in the infield. Almost a decade later, the infield would be reimagined with improved facilities, a new garage area and other fan-friendly amenities.

Track officials added SAFER (Steel And Foam Energy Reduction) barrier to the raceway in two phases -- a partial installation for the 2004 season and full coverage of the outside walls in 2015. Those barriers covered some of Phoenix Raceway's original brick walls from its 1964 opening.

The 1-mile track's dogleg section formerly was framed by grass, preventing the shortcut tactic that's a part of current-day racing at Phoenix Raceway. That section was still grass-lined for springtime events in 2011, but that was about to change.

Jeff Gordon used an excavator in a ceremonial groundbreaking on the frontstretch of Phoenix Raceway at the end of the February 27, 2011 race, setting the stage for a repaving project.

Cup Series teams broke in Phoenix Raceway's new surface, complete with a revised pit road with concrete stalls, during testing on October 4, 2011. Among the other changes were a wider frontstretch (52 to 62 feet), a wider dogleg with a tighter turn radius and the introduction of variable banking.

One of the track's most ambitious projects came several years later, as construction began for a massive new grandstands to encircle the track's western side, adding 45,000 seats and 54 suites. The renovation was announced in 2017 and also included the construction of an infield fan zone, a new pedestrian tunnel and other amenities.

The $178 million renovation also included a significant competition element, relocating the start/finish line to what was once Turn 2. The move allowed spectators in those sections to see restarts and the fanning-out of the field in the dogleg area, with the benefit of shade from the afternoon sun for a wide swath of seats. The first race with the new layout was Nov. 11, 2018, won by Kyle Busch.

The track's November spot as the next-to-last race on the NASCAR calendar moved one week later in 2020, establishing Phoenix Raceway as the host for championship weekend for NASCAR's three national series. Chase Elliott became the first Cup Series champion to be crowned in a Phoenix finale that year.