Foyt, Allison, Sneva, Wallace & more to help celebrate track’s 50th anniversary
PHOENIX – A number of the greatest drivers to ever turn a lap on the oval at Phoenix International Raceway will return to the Valley of the Sun to help kick off the track’s 50th anniversary season, PIR President Bryan R. Sperber announced today.
Racing legends A.J. Foyt, Bobby Allison, Tom Sneva and Rusty Wallace will all take part in festivities throughout The Profit on CNBC 500 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race weekend. Each of the drivers will make appearances during the race weekend, many of which will take place inside the one-of-a-kind ‘Memory Lane’ exhibit. Fans can follow updates on PhoenixRaceway.com as well as on the track’s Twitter and Facebook feeds for updates to the appearance schedule.
“Our 50th anniversary season is about tradition, history and the great memories that have been made here over the last five decades,” Sperber said. “These men are responsible for some of the greatest moments and memories in our history, and we are thrilled to welcome them back to PIR and to be able to pay tribute to their accomplishments here.”
‘Memory Lane’ will feature cars driven by many of the legendary drivers, including the 1964 roadster that Foyt drove to Victory Lane in the first professional race in PIR’s history and a 1973 Chevelle Grand National driven by Allison. The exhibit will also feature trophies, fire suits and other memorabilia from the track’s 50-year history.
Foyt, a four-time Indianapolis 500 champion, was also a four-time winner at Phoenix. He led every lap in a dominant performance on March 22, 1964 in the first professional race ever held on PIR’s oval and won again in 1965, 1971 and 1975. Foyt was named Co-Driver of the Century by the Associated Press and is a member of the inaugural class of the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America and is a member of the International Motorsports Hall of Fame Class of 2000. He is the only driver to win the Indianapolis 500, the Daytona 500, the 24 Hours of Daytona and the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
Allison is a three-time Daytona 500 champion and captured the 1983 Winston Cup Series championship. He raced in seven of the first eight NASCAR-sanctioned races in Phoenix from 1977-82 and 1984. In those seven races, he only finished outside the top five once and he captured the checkered flag in 1982.
Sneva, the 1983 Indianapolis 500 champion, was a four-time winner at PIR and now calls Scottsdale home. Sneva captured the checkered flag in back-to-back seasons in Phoenix, winning in 1981 and 82. He also won at PIR in 1980 and again in 1984.
1989 Winston Cup Series champion Wallace was in the field for the inaugural Cup race at Phoenix in 1988, starting second and finishing fifth that day. In 19 starts at PIR, Wallace recorded seven top-five finishes and started from the pole three times. He captured his only win at Phoenix in the 1998 Dura Lube/K-Mart 500 after leading 196 of the 257 laps that day.
About Phoenix International Raceway:
Since 1964, Phoenix International Raceway has been the premier motorsports venue in the Southwest. Host to some of the most notable moments in motorsports history, PIR will celebrate its 50th anniversary throughout the entire 2014 season. As the only track in the West to have two NASCAR Sprint Cup Series weekends a year, PIR will help kick off the 2014 NASCAR season with its traditional March date and round out the year with the semifinal race for the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup in November. Season tickets for 2014 are available by visiting PhoenixRaceway.com or calling 866-408-RACE (7223).
