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Pacific Raceways

Mixed-use road racing facility in Washington, United States

Pacific Raceways

Summary

Mixed-use road racing facility in Washington, United States

FieldValue
namePacific Raceways
locationLake Morton-Berrydale, Washington, near Kent, Washington, United States
address31001 144th Ave SE
coordinates
logo[[Image:Pacific raceways logo.pngframeless]]
image[[File:Pacific Raceways (Kent, Washington) track map.svgclass=skin-invertframelessupright=1.35]]
image_captionLayout of Pacific Raceways (2002–present)
capacity30,000
ownerFiorito family
broke_ground1959
opened1960
former_namesSeattle International Raceways (1969–2001)
Pacific Raceways (1960–1968)
eventsCurrent:
NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series NHRA Northwest Nationals (1975–1980, 1988–2019, 2022–present)
Former:
NASCAR Northwest Series (2003)
MazdaSpeed Miata Cup (2003)
NASCAR Winston West Series (1984–1985)
AMA Superbike Championship (1981–1983, 1985)
Trans-Am Series (1967–1970, 1975, 1977, 1982–1984)
SCCA L&M Championship (1969–1971, 1973)
USAC IndyCar (1969)
United States Road Racing Championship (1963–1968)
miles_firstTrue
layoutFull Circuit (2002–present)
surfaceAsphalt and concrete
length_km3.621
length_mi2.250
turns10
layout2Original Circuit (1960–2001)
surface2Asphalt and concrete
length2_km3.621
length2_mi2.250
turns29
record_time21:15.310
record_driver2GBR Brian Redman
record_car2Lola T330
record_year21973
record_class2F5000
layout3Drag Strip
surface3Asphalt and concrete
length3_km0.402
length3_mi0.25

Pacific Raceways (1960–1968) NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series NHRA Northwest Nationals (1975–1980, 1988–2019, 2022–present) Former: NASCAR Northwest Series (2003) MazdaSpeed Miata Cup (2003) NASCAR Winston West Series (1984–1985) AMA Superbike Championship (1981–1983, 1985) Trans-Am Series (1967–1970, 1975, 1977, 1982–1984) SCCA L&M Championship (1969–1971, 1973) USAC IndyCar (1969) United States Road Racing Championship (1963–1968)

Pacific Raceways is a mixed-use road racing and drag racing facility near Kent, Washington, United States. The race track was constructed in 1959 and opened in 1960. The track was originally named Kent Pacific Raceways, then became known as Seattle International Raceways in 1969. After the landowner regained control of the track in 2002, the name reverted to Pacific Raceways.

A Porsche participating in a June 2005 BMW club track day
Pacific Raceways aerial view

Pacific Raceways features a 2.250 mi road course which is used by the SCCA, Society of Vintage Racing Enthusiasts (SOVREN), and ICSCC for automobile road racing. The Washington Motorcycle Road Racing Association (WMRRA) uses the course for motorcycle road racing. The course has more than 125 ft of elevation change and a naturally wooded back section.

The track hosted two NASCAR Winston West Series between 1984 and 1985, won by Jim Bown and Dale Earnhardt respectively and also hosted a NASCAR Northwest Series race in 2003, won by Jeff Jefferson.

Pacific Raceways hosts a performance driving school which offers several curricula, including sanctioned race licensing courses, performance driving, lapping clinics, and specialty driving instruction.

The facility also features a dragstrip, which hosts the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series Northwest Nationals and regional races, plus a dirt motocross track.

Since 1988, Pacific Raceways has been home to the Northwest Nationals (originally known as the Seafair Nationals) of the NHRA Drag Racing Series.

The track played an important role during the heyday of professional sports car racing in the U.S. during the 1960s. From 1963 through 1968, Pacific Raceways hosted the Pacific Northwest Grand Prix, which was a round of the United States Road Racing Championship. From 1967 through 1970, the venue hosted an annual round of the SCCA Trans-Am Series, including the season finales in 1967 and 1968. The Trans-Am Series returned to the track in 1975, 1977, and 1982 through 1984. The SCCA Continental Championship for Formula 5000 cars visited the track from 1969 through 1971, and again in 1973.

The track hosted a two heat race weekend of the USAC Championship Car series in 1969. The first heat was won by Mario Andretti and the second was won by Al Unser.

Among the other champion drivers who have visited victory lane at Pacific Raceways are Mark Donohue, Brian Redman, David Hobbs, Ronnie Bucknum, Peter Gregg, Tony Adamowicz, Parnelli Jones, Elliott Forbes-Robinson, Pedro Rodriguez, Dave MacDonald, Ken Miles, Jim Hall and Jerry Titus.

Lap records

The fastest official race lap records at Pacific Raceways (formerly known as Seattle International Raceways) are listed as:

CategoryTimeDriverVehicleEventOriginal Course: 3.620 km (1960–2001)
Formula 50001:15.310Brian RedmanLola T3301973 Seattle F5000 round
Group 71:18.300Mark DonohueMcLaren M6A1968 Pacific North West Grand Prix
Sports prototypetitle=USRRC Kent 1966url=https://www.racingsportscars.com/race/Kent-1966-07-31.htmldate=30 July 1966access-date=31 December 2024}}Jerry GrantLola T701966 Pacific North West Grand Prix
Trans-Am Series1:22.890Willy T. RibbsMercury Capri1984 Seattle Trans-Am round
Group 41:26.800Don WesterPorsche 9061966 Pacific North West Grand Prix

Drag strip records

CategoryE.T.SpeedDriverEventRef
Top Fuel3.685Antron Brown2016 Protect The Harvest.com NHRA Northwest Nationals
337.41 mi/hDoug Kalitta2024 NHRA Northwest Nationals
Funny Car3.832Del Worsham2016 Protect The Harvest.com NHRA Northwest Nationals
338.51 mi/hBob Tasca III2024 NHRA Northwest Nationals
Pro Stock6.488Chris McGaha2015 NHRA Northwest Nationals
213.40 mi/hChris McGaha2015 NHRA Northwest Nationals
Pro Stock Motorcycle6.704Jianna Evaristo2024 NHRA Northwest Nationals
203.95 mi/hJianna Evaristo2024 NHRA Northwest Nationals

References

References

  1. "Pacific Raceways Races".
  2. "Pacific Raceways".
  3. Sports Car Club of America. (7 September 1969). "1969 SCCA Trans-Am Season Results".
  4. Susan Wade. "Exit Interview: Seattle's Jim Rockstad". DragRacingOnline.com.
  5. "Drag Strip". Pacific Raceways.
  6. Kelley, Arthur. (9 December 1962). "S.C.C.A. Establishes New Racing Program". [[Boston Globe]].
  7. "Washington's Road Race Tracks".
  8. Jerry Smith. "Pacific Raceways Transforms Itself". PartsAndPeople.com.
  9. NHRA. "NHRA Member Tracks".
  10. NHRA. "NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing 2011 Schedule".
  11. "1988 NHRA Seafair Nationals".
  12. "NHRA MELLOW YELLOW DRAG RACING SERIES SCHEDULE". NHRA.
  13. "Trans-Am - Championships - Racing Sports Cars".
  14. ChampCarStats. "Seattle International Raceway".
  15. "Pacific Raceways - Racing Circuits".
  16. (30 September 1973). "1973 Seattle F5000".
  17. (30 June 1968). "USRRC Kent 1968".
  18. (30 July 1966). "USRRC Kent 1966".
  19. (23 September 1984). "Trans-Am Kent 1984".
  20. (13 July 2025). "NHRA Northwest Nationals".
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This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page.

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