Track Details: Turns: 18-20° Straights: 4° Distance: 1.500 miles, Shape: Oval Last updated: 3/27/11 BY THE NUMBERS SCHEDULE PAST RESULTS Magnum Cup Series Race Record Ruger 156.485 mph 11/20/2005 Magnum Cup Series Qual Record Andrew Mendes 187.448 mph (28.808s) 11/23/2009 Sportsman Cup Series Race Record Duck 146.365 mph 11/19/2008 Sportsman Cup Series Qual Record Andrew Mendes 181.385 mph 11/14/2007 Diamond Series Race Record Sean J. 137.058 mph 11/09/2006 Diamond Series Qual Record Sidewall 172.475 mph (31.309s) 06/24/2010 2011 Race Schedule Magnum Cup Series Ford 400 11/28/2011 Sportsman Cup Series Ford 300 11/16/2011 Diamond Series Ford 350 06/30/2011 2011 - Magnum 11/28 2011 - Sportsman 11/16 2011 - Diamond 6/30 2010 - Magnum 11/22 2010 - Sportsman 11/17 2010 - Diamond 7/24 2009 - Magnum 11/23 2009 - Sportsman 11/18 2008 - Magnum 11/24 2008 - Sportsman 11/19       TRACK HISTORY The speedway was constructed, with the efforts of promoter Ralph Sanchez, as part of a plan to help Homestead rebound after the devastation caused by Hurricane Andrew. Groundbreaking began August 24, 1993, less than a year after the hurricane. It opened in November 1995 with a NASCAR Busch Series race. In the spring of 1996, the CART series held its first race there. The facility is considered by some to be one of the most beautiful in the country. Though located southwest of Miami, the track reflects the art deco district of downtown Miami with its liberal use of colors such as aqua, purple and silver, among other colors. However, the racing at Homestead was initially not considered very good. The track opened as a four-turn, rectangular-oval, based on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway's layout. The sharp, flat turns and aprons made passing difficult and lowered overall speed. The geometry also created unfavorably severe crash angles. In 1996, track management attempted to correct the problems by widening the aprons of the turns by as much as 24 feet. In the summer of 1997, an $8.2 million reconfiguration project changed the turns from a quad-oval to a traditional, continuous turn oval. In 2003, the track was reconfigured once again. The turns were changed from mostly flat to steep variable banking. Shortly afterwards, lights were installed to allow night racing for the first time. The renovations were praised by fans, and the track has produced a number of close finishes, including 2005's last-lap battle between Greg Biffle and Mark Martin. On March 26, 2006 however, Indy Racing League driver Paul Dana suffered fatal injuries in the warm-up session before the season-opening round of the championship. He was involved in a high-speed collision, with Ed Carpenter at over 215 mph. His death is the first in the Indy Racing League since Tony Renna died at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in October 2003, and only the 3rd ever since the series started.