Former NASCAR and IndyCar venue Pikes Peak International Raceway in Colorado has announced it will officially close its doors at season’s end in a recent post to social media.
Pikes Peak International Raceway opened in 1997, and while it has not hosted a NASCAR race in nearly 20 years, the one-mile oval has survived as a hub for local motorsports enthusiasts.
Through events like drag racing and track days, which integrated the use of the track’s infield road course, PPIR found a second life after the loss of NASCAR and IndyCar race dates.
Unfortunately, this second life for the track will now come to an end, as its operational staff shared on Facebook Tuesday evening that the track will officially cease operations later this year.
While they did not announce a set date for the end of operations, it was noted that the site of PPIR, which is just south of Colorado Springs, Colorado, will shift to a “mixed-use redevelopment.”
This news was sad for many fans in the online NASCAR community who had long hoped for the track to see some form of revival, perhaps as the only track in Colorado on the NASCAR schedule.
With its closure, the dreams of a revival for PPIR may be dead, but that doesn’t mean the track did not make an impact during its lifetime.
Over the years, specifically from its opening in 1997 to 2005, the track hosted five NASCAR-sanctioned series, and, for that entire time, hosted the NTT IndyCar Series.
In hosting the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series from 1998 to 2005, PPIR served as the only track in the state of Colorado to host NASCAR’s second-highest series, and is one of just two tracks to have hosted the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series in the state as well.
The other track to do so, Colorado National Speedway, is still operational and sits just north of Denver.
Stay close to the on-track action this weekend and every weekend by following our Race Weekend Dashboard for everything you need to know before, during, and after the race. Share your thoughts by joining the discussion on Discord or X, and follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube for further updates.
