Atlanta Motor Speedway Panorama Blakeway Panoramas  This aerial panorama of Atlanta Motor Speedway was taken by James Blakeway and features the speedway during a scheduled NASCAR NEXTEL Cup race. Situated on 870 acres located 20 miles south of Atlanta, the speedway hosts five NASCAR events each year. The 1.5-mile track hosted its first race on July 31st, 1960, the Dixie 200. Atlanta Motor Speedway was purchased by O. Bruton Smith in 1990 and has seen an infusion of investment that has led to expanded facilities and higher attendance. A tornado touched down in the track area in July 2005, causing extensive damage, but reopened four months later to host the October race.
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Bristol Motor Speedway Panorama Day Blakeway Panoramas  This aerial panoramic photograph of Bristol Motor Speedway was taken by James Blakeway. Bristol Motor Speedway, located in Bristol, Tennessee, held its first race on July 30, 1961, with 22 degree banked turns and seating for 18,000 fans. On land that was originally a dairy farm, the speedway was constructed in 1960 and cost $600,000, which included the price of the 100 acres of land. Today, after many additions to the stands and reconstruction, the speedway holds 160,000 fans and its turns are banked at 36 degrees. The 0.533-mile concrete oval track is known as the World's Fastest Half Mile.
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Bristol Motor Speedway Panorama Night Blakeway Panoramas  This aerial panoramic photograph of Bristol Motor Speedway was taken by Christopher Gjevre. The late summer night race at Bristol Motor Speedway is commonly referred to as the hottest ticket in NASCAR. Demand for tickets far exceeds availability and a full house is always assured. Bristol Motor Speedway is located in Bristol, Tennessee, and held its first race on July 30, 1961, with seating capacity for 18,000 fans. Today, after several expansion projects over the years, the speedway has 160,000 available seats. The concrete oval track, with 36-degree banked turns, is known as the World's Fastest Half Mile.
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Chicagoland Speedway Panorama Blakeway Panoramas  This aerial panorama of Chicagoland Speedway was taken by James Blakeway and features the speedway during a NASCAR weekend. Built adjacent to it's sister track, Route 66 Raceway, Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet, Illinois, is a 1.5-mile D-shaped tri-oval speedway. With the addition of the 75,000-seat, $130 million Speedway, Joliet's world-class motorsports complex formed Illinois' largest sporting facility, occupying over 1,300 acres. The first NASCAR driver to visit Victory Lane at Chicagoland after winning a Busch Series race on July 14, 2001, was Jimmie Johnson.
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California Speedway Panorama Blakeway Panoramas  This aerial panorama of the California Speedway was taken by Christopher Gjevre and features the speedway during a scheduled NASCAR Nextel Cup race. Located on the eastern edge of the Los Angeles metro area, the 2-mile, 565-acre speedway hosted three different races on its opening weekend in 1997. The California Speedway hosts two NASCAR Nextel Cup races annually and has also hosted the IndyCar Series, the ChampCar World Series and various motorcycle series. The water tower on the track's infield is the only remaining structure of the first steel mill west of the Rocky Mountains.
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Daytona International Speedway Panorama Blakeway Panoramas  This aerial panoramic photograph of Daytona International Speedway was taken by Christopher Gjevre. The 480-acre motorsports complex opened in 1959 and hosts 10 major weekends of racing activity featuring everything from NASCAR stock cars to go-karts and superbikes. The most famous event is the annual Daytona 500, the Great American Race. The 2.5-mile long tri-oval track features 31-degree banked turns and grandstands that seat approximately 168,000 fans, not including the infield. Featured in the infield is Lake Lloyd, where waterskiers can be seen carving up the water under the Florida sun on race days.
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Darlington Raceway Panorama Blakeway Panorama  This aerial panorama of Darlington Raceway was taken by Christopher Gjevre during a scheduled NASCAR Nextel Cup race. Built on a piece of land that once produced peanuts and cotton in Darlington, South Carolina, Darlington Raceway is known as the track Too Tough to Tame. From its first race on Labor Day 1950 until today, Darlington Raceway, now an ultra-modern facility, has maintained its feisty charm after more than a half-century of racing. This unique egg-shaped 1.366-mile track is still remembered as the original superspeedway and as one of the pillars of the NASCAR establishment.
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Homestead Miami Speedway Panorama Blakeway Panoramas This aerial panorama of Homestead-Miami Speedway was taken by James Blakeway during the Ford Championship Weekend and the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Championship. Located just outside of Miami, this 1.5-mile oval track started as an idea to help Miami-Dade County recover after Hurricane Andrew devastated the area in 1992. The track opened in 1995, with its inaugural NASCAR NEXTEL cup race on November 14, 1999. The original configuration was a flat oval. Today, after several expansion and renovation projects, the current track has graduated 18 to 20-degree variable banked turns, and unique pastel colors that give it a distinctive South Beach look. Since it opened, the track has doubled its capacity to 70,000 seats.
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Indianapolis Motor Speedway Panorama Blakeway Panoramas  The Indianapolis 500« Mile Race has been one of America's great sporting traditions since 1911. The Indy 500«, which is part of the Indy Racing League« IndyCar« Series, takes place each Memorial Day weekend and is the largest attended single-day sporting event in the world. The Speedway also hosts the annual Allstate« 400 at the Brickyard« NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series race and the United States Grand Prix at Indianapolis«, part of the Formula One World Championship. Aerial panoramic photograph was taken by James Blakeway.
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Infineon Raceway Panorama Blakeway Panoramas  This aerial panoramic photograph of Infineon Raceway was taken by Christopher Gjevre and features the speedway during its annual NASCAR NEXTEL Cup race. Infineon Raceway is located north of the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco and serves as a gateway to the beautiful Sonoma Wine Country. The track hosts several nationally televised events including NASCAR NEXTEL Cup, National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) drag racing, the American Motorcycle Association (AMA) Superbike Tour and the IRL IndyCar Series. Infineon Raceway is a year-round motorsports complex with events scheduled 340 days a year.
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Kansas Speedway Panorama Blakeway Panoramas  This aerial panorama of Kansas Speedway was taken during a NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series race by James Blakeway. Located about 15 miles west of downtown Kansas City, the construction of this 1.5-mile tri-oval track was completed in the spring of 2001 excavating more than 11 million cubic yards of dirt, enough to fill one million dump trucks. Jeff Gordon won the inaugural Winston Cup Series race, which was held on September 29, 2001. The track seats nearly 82,000 spectators in the grandstands, but could eventually expand to 150,000 seats. On a NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series race weekend, Kansas Speedway becomes the fourth-largest city in the state of Kansas.
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Lowe's Motor Speedway Panorama Blakeway Panoramas  This aerial photograph of Lowe's Motor Speedway was taken by James Blakeway during a NASCAR Nextel Cup race. Located in Concord, North Carolina, this 1.5-mile track was built in 1959 on land that was once the site of a working plantation during the Civil War. The first World 600 was run on June 19, 1960. Today, it boasts 167,000 seats and 113 suites, as well as being the first sports facility in America to offer 52 condominiums high above turn one. Lowe's Motor Speedway was also the first track to host night racing with its revolutionary lighting system that uses mirrors to simulate daylight without glare, shadows or obtrusive light poles.
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Las Vegas Motor Speedway Panorama Blakeway Panoramas  This aerial panoramic photograph of Las Vegas Motor Speedway was taken by James Blakeway and features the 1600-acre venue during its annual NASCAR Nextel Cup race. Located a few miles north of Las Vegas, the racing complex includes a 1.5-mile superspeedway, a short track, a dirt track and a drag racing facility. Construction of the $200 million complex began in 1995 with seating capacity for 100,000. By 2006, seating capacity had grown to nearly 150,000. Las Vegas Motor Speedway has the distinction of being the first completely new superspeedway to be built in the southwest region of the United States in more than 20 years.
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Michigan International Speedway Panorama Blakeway Panoramas  This aerial panorama of Michigan International Speedway was taken during a NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series race by James Blakeway. Historic Michigan International Speedway was built in 1967, making it the first 2-mile oval in the United States. Set in the Irish Hills of Michigan and located in the backyard of Detroit, the automotive capital of the world, MIS hosted its inaugural Indycar race on October 13, 1968 and its first NASCAR race on June 15, 1969. Today, MIS has grown into a 1,500-acre facility boasting 137,243 permanent grandstand seats and annually hosting the state's largest single-day sporting events.
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Martinsville Speedway Panorama Blakeway Panoramas  This aerial panorama of the Martinsville Speedway was taken by James Blakeway during a scheduled NASCAR Nextel Cup race. Located on 250 acres in southern Virginia, Martinsville Speedway is long on tradition, although it's the shortest track in the NASCAR Nextel Cup Circuit at just over one-half mile. Robert Red Bryon won the first race at Martinsville in 1947. He also won the first race held at Martinsville of NASCAR's Strictly Stock division in 1949, which is now the NASCAR Nextel Cup Circuit. The track remained a dirt track until 1955 and its layout produces some of the wildest racing on tour with its 12-degree turns and 800-foot flat straights.
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New Hampshire International Speedway Panorama Blakeway Panoramas  This aerial panorama of New Hampshire International Speedway, was taken by James Blakeway during a NASCAR NEXTEL Cup race. The Speedway is the site of the first sporting event in New England to draw over 100,000 guests in a single day and remains New England's largest sports facility in terms of seating capacity. The track officially opened in 1990 with its first NASCAR race, a Busch race, in July of that year. Today, the track hosts two annual NASCAR NEXTEL Cup races including the first race in the Chase for the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup, the SYLVANIA 300. The facility includes a 1.058-mile oval super speedway and a 12-turn 1.6-mile road course.
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Phoenix International Raceway Panorama Blakeway Panoramas  This aerial panorama of Phoenix International Raceway was taken by James Blakeway during a NASCAR Nextel Cup race. Carved out of the foothills of the Estrella Mountains, Phoenix International Raceway opened in 1964 and is home to two NASCAR Nextel Cup events as well as the Grand American Road Racing Series. The NASCAR Nextel Cup Series race came to the Phoenix International Raceway in 1988. The one-mile oval track recently increased the seating capacity in the Bobby Allison Grandstands, giving shade to the lower-level grandstand between turn one and two as well as providing shade for the drivers while the sun sets in the western sky.
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Pocono Raceway Panorama Blakeway Panoramas  This aerial panorama of Pocono Raceway was taken by James Blakeway during a NASCAR Nextel Cup Series race. Racing at the facility began in 1968 on the track, and the first NASCAR Cup race was held in 1974. In 1990, the raceway began a major renovation project that continued for the next ten years, rebuilding it from the ground up. The track's unusual 2.5-mile triangular configuration leads to exciting races with many lead changes due to its long and wide main straight. Pocono boasts of the most fan friendly paddock area that places the fans only 56 feet away from the cars.
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Richmond International Raceway Panorama Blakeway Panoramas  This aerial panorama of Richmond International Raceway, one of the most historic tracks in racing, was taken by James Blakeway during a sold out NASCAR Nextel Cup Series race. Racing at the facility began in 1946 and today, the track hosts two sold out NASCAR Nextel Cup races each season in front of more than 100,000 fans. It is one of the most popular racing facilities among fans, drivers, race officials and the media, as its unique 3/4 mile layout consistently produces some of the most exciting side-by-side racing in the world. Richmond International Raceway is also the only major racing facility to hold all of its events under the lights.
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Texas Motor Speedway Panorama Blakeway Panoramas  This aerial panorama of the Texas Motor Speedway, the second largest sports facility in America, was taken by Christopher Gjevre during a NASCAR Nextel Cup race. Built in 1997, the 1000-acre facility is host to many races including two NASCAR Nextel Cup races, the Busch Series, the Craftsman Truck Series and the IRL Series. Located north of Fort Worth it has over 150,000 seats. The 1.5-mile quad oval track with 24-degree banked corners allows racecars to exceed 200 miles per hour. The two buildings on the right are the Speedway Club in the foreground and the Lone Star Tower above turn two. The Dirt Track is pictured on the backside of the track.
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Talladega Superspeedway Panorama Blakeway Panoramas  This aerial panorama of Talladega Superspeedway was taken during a NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series race by James Blakeway. Located on 3,000 acres of land near Talladega, Alabama, this 2.66-mile tri-oval track made its debut on September 13, 1969, with the 'Bama 400 Grand Touring race. The grandstand's seating capacity is 143,231 and the 212-acre all-reserved infield holds many thousands more. Talladega Superspeedway is the biggest, fastest and most competitive superspeedway in the world. Holding records for the fastest 500-mile stock car race at 188.354 mph and the most lead changes in a race with 75, it is widely known as NASCAR's Most Competitive Track.
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Watkins Glen International Panorama Blakeway Panorama  This aerial panorama of Watkins Glen International was taken during a NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series race by Christopher Gjevre. Law student and racing enthusiast Cameron Argetsinger dreamed up plans to bring European style sports car racing to the village of Watkins Glen. The dream became a reality on October 2, 1948. The Glen hosted its first Formula 1 race in 1961 and first NASCAR Winston Cup Series race in August of 1986. In addition to holding NASCAR and SCCA events, Watkins Glen International also hosts the nation's largest vintage events, the Zippo U.S. Vintage Grand Prix and hosts the open-wheel cars of the IndyCar Series once a year.
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Kasey Kahne-Evernham Motorsports #9 UAW Dodge Avenger Blakeway Panorama This panoramic photograph of the No.9 Dodge was taken by Christopher Gjevre. The No.9 Dodge is driven by Kasey Kahne and owned by Evernham Motorsports. In 1999, Dodge asked Ray Evernham to lead their return to NASCAR NEXTEL Cup racing after a 20-year absence. Within two short years, Evernham Motorsports helped bring the storied manufacturer back into a sport they had once dominated. For the 2004 season, Kasey Kahne replaced Bill Elliott in Evernham's No.9 Dodge and recorded five second-place finishes in quest of the Raybestos Rookie of the Year award. In 2005 Kahne recorded his first NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series victory and in 2006 led the series with six wins.
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Denny Hamlin -Joe Gibbs Racing #11 FedEx Chevrolet Blakeway Panorama This panoramic photograph of the No.11 FedEx Chevrolet, driven by Denny Hamlin and owned by Joe Gibbs Racing, was taken by Christopher Gjevre. Hamlin began racing go-karts at the early age of seven. In his 2006 rookie NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series racing season, Hamlin finished third; the best points finish by a rookie in NASCAR's modern era, was the first rookie to qualify for the Chase for the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup and was crowned 2006 Raybestos Rookie of the Year. That season brought two wins for Hamlin, both at Pocono Raceway. Joe Gibbs Racing expanded to three NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series teams when FedEx became a primary sponsor of the No.11 car in 2005.
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Tony Stewart-Joe Gibbs Racing #20 Home Depot Chevrolet Blakeway Panorama This panoramic photograph of the No.20 Chevrolet was taken by Christopher Gjevre. The Home Depot Chevrolet is driven by Tony Stewart and owned by Joe Gibbs Racing. Tony earned NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series championships in 2002 and 2005. He was the first and only driver to have won championships in stock cars, Indy cars and open-wheel Midget, Sprint and Silver Crown cars. He joined only 14 other drivers who have won multiple NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series titles. Joe Gibbs Racing was formally founded in 1992 by the three-time Super Bowl championship winning coach of the Washington Redskins and Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee Joe Gibbs.
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Jeff Gordon-Hendrick Motorsports #24 DuPont Chevrolet Blakeway Panorama
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Jimmie Johnson-Hendrick Motorsports #48 Lowe's Chevrolet Blakeway Panorama This panoramic photograph of the No.48 Lowe's Chevrolet was taken by Christopher Gjevre. The No.48 Lowe's Chevrolet is driven by Jimmie Johnson and owned by Hendrick Motorsports. Jimmie started his racing career on a 50cc motorcycle at the age of five. In 1997, he began pavement racing in an American Speed Association car. Jimmie competed in his first NASCAR Busch Series race in 1998 and NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series race in 2001. In his 2002 rookie campaign, Jimmie won three times and was the first rookie to lead the point standings. Hendrick Motorsports fields four full-time NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series teams and one full-time NASCAR Busch team.
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