Lime Rock Park

History

The 1.530 mi Lime Rock track was originally conceived of in 1956 by Jim Vaill, who, along with John Fitch and Cornell Aeronautical Laboratory, built the track utilizing state-of-the-art road and highway safety principles of the time. The first race, a mix of G-Production class and an MG class, was held on April 28, 1957. The winner of the G-Production was Ted Sprigg in an Alfa Romeo Giulietta. The winner of the MG class was Charles Callanan in an MG TC.

In 1959, Lime Rock was the site of a notable upset, when Rodger Ward won a Formula Libre race driving an Offenhauser-engined midget car, usually used on oval tracks. Ward used an advantageous power-to-weight ratio and his dirt-track cornering abilities to defeat several highly regarded sports cars and drivers for the victory. The year, the track also hosted the Little Le Mans race, won by Charles Callanan and Roger Penske in a Fiat Abarth. In 2008, the track was re-paved and two new corner complexes were added.

The track has a loyal following, though it did face some resistance from the local community shortly after it opened. In 1959, the Lime Rock Protective Association, with support from the nearby Trinity Episcopal Church, took the park to Litchfield Superior Court in an effort to ban Sunday racing. The court issued a permanent injunction against Sunday racing, and its decision was upheld by the Connecticut Supreme Court. While restrictive, the carefully crafted injunction was also enabling. It preserved the track's right to conduct unmuffled sports car racing on Fridays and Saturdays, plus testing on Tuesdays and other operating benefits. The injunction stands to this day.

The track has featured many well-known racers including Paul Newman, who supported his own Newman-Haas team with Bob Sharp, Mario Andretti, Stirling Moss, Dan Gurney, Sam Posey, and Mark Donohue. Other racers have included Parnelli Jones, Joey Logano, Austin Dillon, Simon Pagenaud, Alexander Rossi, and Tom Cruise. Posey and Newman have sections of the circuit named for them.

The Rolex Sports Car Series, American Le Mans Series and IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship have used a configuration which included the chicane at turn five and West Bend.

Track

The track is a natural terrain road course, constructed over hilly terrain in the Berkshire Mountains, part of the greater Appalachian mountain range. The famous Appalachian Trail hiking route passes by the circuit on the ridge lines visible from the track a half mile to the east. The venue is somewhat unique in that it features no grandstands or bleacher seating, instead inviting fans to bring chairs and blankets and enjoy the racing from its grassy hillside areas under the shade of trees. While the venue is relatively compact, the relatively short track is renowned for its spectator experience, offering fans an up close view and close quarters racing.

For years the track was listed as being 1.530 mi in length—the story goes that right after it was built, somebody used the odometer in a Chevrolet to measure the track length—and 1.53 was taken as gospel. Following the 2008 reconstruction (see below), Lime Rock's operations people measured all four possible configurations, and as it turns out, each was 1.500 mi long, plus or minus a few hundred feet. The IMSA Weathertech Sportscar Championship gives the distance of the track as 1.474 mi. The "classic" configuration is seven turns, while the three optional layouts are eight, nine and ten turns, respectively.

Events

; Current

• May: Trans-Am Series Trans Am Memorial Day Classic, Sportscar Vintage Racing Association Lime Rock SpeedTour
• July: NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series LiUNA! 150, ARCA Menards Series Lime Rock Park 100, USF Juniors, ChampCar Endurance Series, National Auto Sport Association
• September: Lime Rock Historic Festival

; Former

• American Le Mans Series
  • Northeast Grand Prix (2004–2013)
• Atlantic Championship Series (1978, 1980, 1985–1992, 2009)
• Barber Pro Series (1986–2002)
• Can-Am (1983–1985)
• F1600 Championship Series (2011–2013)
• F2000 Championship Series (2009–2013)
• Ferrari Challenge North America (1994–2001, 2003–2005, 2011–2013, 2016)
• Formula BMW Americas (2004, 2006–2009)
• Global MX-5 Cup (2003–2006, 2011)
• IMSA GT Championship (1972–1998)
  • Northeast Grand Prix (1958–1964, 1986–1992)
• IMSA SportsCar Championship
  • Northeast Grand Prix (2015–2019, 2021–2023)
• IMSA VP Racing SportsCar Challenge (2023)
• International Race of Champions (2024)
• Lamborghini Super Trofeo North America (2013)
• Michelin Pilot Challenge (2006–2019, 2021–2023)
• NASCAR K&N Pro Series East (1993–2010)
• NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour (2010–2011)
• North American Touring Car Championship (1996)
• Pirelli World Challenge
  • Lime Rock Park Grand Prix (1992–1993, 1995–2005, 2007–2008, 2013, 2016–2018)
• Radical Cup North America (2025)
• Rolex Sports Car Series
  • Lime Rock Grand Prix (2000–2001, 2006–2008, 2010–2013)
• SCCA L&M Continental 5000 Championship (1968–1972)
• SCCA National Sports Car Championship (1958–1964)
• Star Mazda Championship (2004)
• United States Road Racing Championship
  • Lime Rock Grand Prix (1999)

Lap records

The fastest unofficial all-time track record set during a race weekend is 0:43.112 seconds, set by P. J. Jones in a Toyota Eagle MkIII, during qualifying for the 1993 Toyota Trucks Lime Rock Grand Prix. As of October 2025, the fastest official race lap records at Lime Rock Park are listed as:

Gallery

File:LimeRockParkConnecticut1.JPG|Lime Rock Park, Connecticut File:LimeRockParkConnecticut2.JPG|Lime Rock Park, Connecticut File:LimeRockParkConnecticut3.JPG|Lime Rock Park, Connecticut File:Limerock2005.jpg|View from the Sam Posey Straight spectator area during an American Le mans Series event File:The lefthander.jpg|GT3 cars battle through "The Left Hander", turn 3, headed up towards Paul Newman Straight during an IMSA event at Lime Rock Park

Notes

References

References

1. {{NRISref
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7. Crudele, John. (January 18, 2011). "Newman's own will not enough to find a way". New York Post.
8. Racer Staff. (January 24, 2019). "Bertil Roos set for Lime Rock Park return". racer.com.
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10. Lime Rock Park. (September 3, 2022). "Paul Newman Straight revealed during Lime Rock Park Historic Festival".
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21. (31 May 2010). "2010 Lime Rock Grand-Am".
22. (31 May 1982). "Lime Rock 1 Hour 1982".
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27. (17 September 2011). "2011 F2000 Championship Series - Lime Rock Park - Race 2 Result".
28. (26 May 2025). "Trans Am Championship Presented by Pirelli - Lime Rock Park May 24th - 26th, 2025 - Round 5 - Official Race Results".
29. (28 September 1991). "Lime Rock [GT] 1991".
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31. (25 May 1992). "2 h Lime Rock 1992".
32. (7 July 2012). "American Le Mans Series Lime Rock 2012".
33. (31 May 2004). "2004 Formula BMW USA Lime Rock (Race 2)".
34. (18 October 2025). "2025 Radical Cup North America - Lime Rock Park - Race 2 Provisional Results (40 Minutes)".
35. (22 July 2023). "2023 FCP Euro Northeast Grand Prix Presented by Liqui Moly - IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship - Lime Rock - Race Official Results (2 Hours 40 Minutes)". [[IMSA.
36. (25 May 1998). "Lime Rock IMSA GT 1998".
37. (25 May 1981). "Lime Rock 200 Miles 1981".
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39. (17 September 2011). "2011 F1600 Championship Series - Lime Rock Park - Race 2 Result".
40. (5 September 1988). "Lime Rock [GTU] 1988".
41. (30 May 1995). "Lime Rock 1 Hour IMSA GT 1994".
42. (30 May 1977). "Lime Rock 100 Miles 1977".
43. (20 July 2022). "2022 Lime Rock Park 120 - Race - Official Results (2 Hours)". [[IMSA.
44. (26 May 2018). "Pirelli World Challenge Touring Car 2018 » Lime Rock Park Round 6 Results".
45. (29 May 1995). "1 h Lime Rock [GT] 1995".
46. (29 May 2000). "2000 Barber Dodge Pro Series: Lime Rock, Round 4 - Race Results".
47. (28 June 2025). "NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Race Number 15 - Race Results for the LIUNA 150 - Saturday, June 28, 2025 - Lime Rock Park - Lakeville, CT - 1.478 - Mile Paved - Total Race Length - 100 Laps - 147.8 Miles".
48. (28 June 2025). "2025 Lime Rock Park 100".
49. (31 May 1976). "Lime Rock 100 Miles 1976".
50. (9 July 2011). "2 h 45 min Lime Rock 2011".
51. (27 May 1996). "NATCC 1996 » Lime Rock Park Round 1 Results".
52. (31 May 1999). "Lime Rock USRRC 1999".
53. (29 May 2000). "USRRC Lime Rock GT Race 2000".
54. (29 September 1990). "Lime Rock IMSA GTO 1990".
55. (18 October 2025). "2025 Ford Mustang Cup - Parnelli Cup - Round 5 - Parnelli Cup Race Provisional Results (40 Minutes +1 lap)".
56. (29 May 2007). "Lime Rock: Touring Car race report".
57. (27 June 1999). "1999 Ferrari F355 Challenge Race Results".
58. (29 May 1995). "IMSA Supercar Lime Rock 1995".