Pikes Peak International Raceway (PPIR) is an semi-inactive racetrack in the Colorado Springs area within the city limits of Fountain, Colorado (but is actually closer to Pueblo, Colorado). The speedway hosted races in several series including the Indy Racing League and two NASCAR series (Busch and Truck) until operations were suspended from August 2005. A wide variety of amateur racing groups use PPIR for racing and training as the circuit is now closed to sanctioned professional auto racing due to the purchase of the track by PPIR LLC from NASCAR/ISC in 2008 after the track was put up for sale in 2006. The sale included a clause that prohibited sanctioned professional auto racing, as well as the need for additional safety upgrades at a cost of $1 million+ for professional racing series that the new ownership had no interest in implementing with the clause in place. On May 19, 2026, it was announced that the 2026 season was the final year for the track, as the property is planned for mixed-use redevelopment.
By October 12, 1997, it was "the fastest 1-mile paved oval anywhere".
History
thumb|Previous logo
Racing in the Pikes Peak Region included 19th century horse tracks (e.g., to the west of Colorado Springs' Palmer House along Fountain Creek by 1882 and to the north by 1903, the "Roswell Racing Park"), and the annual Pikes Peak International Hill Climb started in 1916 on the 1915 Pikes Peak Highway. In 1938, a track was north of the Alexander Aircraft factory and another was to the factory's southeast at the south end of the Nichols Field taxiway. On the Pike's Peak Ocean-to-Occan Highway west of the city was the end of the 1951 Colorado sports car rally (terminus at the Crystola Inn), a 1953 dirt dragstrip "some four miles east of Colorado Springs" was used for "the first statewide drag race", and a stock car track was along Powers Road in the early 1960s.<!--interview of Cold War military officer--> The "last local track" for auto racing east of the city through the late 1970s was the Colorado Springs International Speedway which "had crowds in the 3,000-4,000 range on summer weekends". The Platte Avenue go-kart track closed , the greyhound track closed and is now an off track betting facility, and the Olympic velodrome in Memorial Park is one of the remaining racing venues within the city.
Pikes Peak Meadows
Pikes Peak Meadows was a dirt horse racing track facility opened in 1964 south of Colorado Springs and north of Pueblo, Colorado, with a large, blue, covered grandstand on the west. After its horse racing ended in 1993, C. C. Myers "announced plans in May 1996 to build a major auto racing facility" at Pikes Peak Meadows.
Speedway development
In 1997, "Apollo Real Estate Advisors LP formed a joint venture January 30 with Raceway Associates, a partnership headed by California contractor and developer C.C. Myers Inc, to own and run the 1,300-acre" speedway complex. The asphalt track was constructed below the "normal ground level", C.C. Myers planned "to get a big-time NASCAR race in 1998", and the facility had an open house for the local community on May 31, 1997. The first race's attendance (June 8) was 16,810, the Richard Petty Driving Experience used PPIR from July 2–17, the first IRL Series race on June 28 was televised, and a NASCAR Winston West 500K race was held in July 1997.
International Speedway Corporation
275px|thumb|right|Aerial view of the track
Earlier in 1996, a competing track near Denver in Adams County, Colorado was attempted by Penske Motorsports, Inc. which merged in 1999 with the International Speedway Corporation. In 2002 ISC gained "the right of first refusal should PPIR owners decide to sell their 1,200-acre complex" and in October 2005 for $11 million, "bought out the owners of Pikes Peak International Raceway" (racing operations were suspended and the scoreboard was moved to Texas Motor Speedway.) In 2006, meetings "between attorneys representing [Commerce City, near Denver] and International Speedway Corporation" Pikes Peak International Raceway would host the richest event in SRL Southwest Tour history as announced on April 23, 2013.
PPIR previously held the largest autocross racing series in the Rocky Mountain Region, PPIR Time Attack. The series consisted of 8-10 races per year on varying courses on the infield of the track. Courses ran from 40 seconds to 1 minute 5 seconds with competitors taking five runs to best their times. The series is based on weight to power and drivetrain classes, including front wheel drive, rear wheel drive, all-wheel drive and a XX class for non-conforming cars or non-street-legal cars.
Track closure
On May 19, 2026, it was announced that the 2026 racing season was the final year for the track, as the property is planned for mixed-use redevelopment.
; Former
NASCAR Busch Series
NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|+ Truck Series Race Winners
|-
! Date
! Race Name
!
! Driver
! Team
! Manufacture
|-
| May 16, 1998
| Tempus Resorts 300K
| 16
| Ron Hornaday Jr.
| DEI
| Chevrolet
|-
| May 16, 1999
| NAPA 300K
| 2
| Mike Wallace
| Ultra
| Ford
|-
| May 21, 2000
| Grainger.com 200
| 50
| Greg Biffle
| Roush Racing
| Ford
|-
| May 20, 2001
| Jelly Belly 200
| 18
| Joe Ruttman
| Bobby Hamilton
| Dodge
|-
| May 19, 2002
| Rocky Mountain 200
| 16
| Mike Bliss
| Xpress
| Chevrolet
|}
Indy Racing League
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|+ IRL Race Winners
|-
! Date
! Race Name
! Driver
! Team
! Manufacture
! Engine
|-
| June 29, 1997
| Samsonite 200
| Tony Stewart
| Menard
| G-Force
| Oldsmobile
|-
| August 29, 1998
| Radisson 200
| Kenny Bräck
| Foyt
| Dallara
| Oldsmobile
|-
| August 29, 1999
| Radisson 200
| Greg Ray
| Menard
| Dallara
| Oldsmobile
|-
| June 18, 2000
| Radisson 200
| Eddie Cheever
| Cheever
| Dallara
| Infiniti
|-
| June 17, 2001
| Radisson Indy 200
| Buddy Lazier
| Hemelgarn
| Dallara
| Oldsmobile
|-
| June 16, 2002
| Radisson Indy 225
| Gil de Ferran
| Penske
| Dallara
| Chevrolet
|-
| June 15, 2003
| Honda Indy 225
| Scott Dixon
| Chip Ganassi Racing
| G-Force
| Toyota
|-
| August 22, 2004
| Honda Indy 225
| Dario Franchitti
| Andretti
| Dallara
| Honda
|-
| August 21, 2005
| Honda Indy 225
| Dan Wheldon
| Andretti
| Dallara
| Honda
|}
Lap records
As of September 2015, the fastest official race lap records at Pikes Peak International Raceway are listed as:
{| class="wikitable"
!Category!!Time!!Driver!!Vehicle!!Event
|-
! colspan=5 | Road Course (1997–2026):
|-
| WSC || 0:49.238 || Andrea Montermini || Ferrari 333 SP || 1997 Festival of Road Racing
|-
| Trans-Am || 0:52.575 || Tommy Kendall || Ford Mustang Trans-Am || 1997 Pikes Peak Trans-Am round
|-
| Formula Lites || 0:54.570 || Vinicius Papareli || Crawford FL15 || 2015 Pikes Peak Formula Lites round
|-
| Superbike || 0:54.748 || Eric Bostrom || Ducati 999R || 2004 Pikes Peak AMA Superbike round
|-
| Supersport || 0:55.458 || Jake Zemke || Honda CBR600RR || 2005 Pikes Peak AMA Supersport round
|-
| Ferrari Challenge || 0:58.207 || Chris Cox || Ferrari 360 Challenge || 2000 Pikes Peak Ferrari Challenge North America round
|-
! colspan=5 | D-Shaped Oval (1997–2026): || Tony Kanaan || Dallara IR-03 || 2003 Honda Indy 225
|-
| Indy Lights || 0:23.9174 || Paul Dana || Dallara IPS || 2004 Pikes Peak 100
|-
| Star Mazda || 0:26.187 || Graham Rahal || Star Formula Mazda 'Pro' || 2005 Pikes Peak Star Mazda round
|}