ISM Raceway renovations: control tower demolished, construction hits homestretch

Laura Gómez | The Republic | azcentral.com

It's the end of an era for the Valley's racetrack. The control tower that for decades sat high above the grandstands and in front of the checkered line was demolished Wednesday, cuing in the homestretch for the ISM Raceway's $178 million overhaul.

Donning a hard hat and a bright green vest, ISM Raceway President Bryan Sperber called the 130-foot-high tower "the last vestige of the old Phoenix International Raceway."

Construction crews will now work around the clock to have the renovations ready for NASCAR fans this November.

Sperber said the new and improved venue in will be "a sparkling, beautiful, state-of-the-art motorsports facility."

The Avondale racetrack changed its name this year from Phoenix International Raceway to ISM Raceway.

Old PIR control tower demolished at ISM Raceway Bryan Sperber, ISM Raceway president, speaks before the old PIR control tower is demolished on May 30, 2018.

The recently demolished control tower will be replaced by a race operations structure at the suite level, raceway spokesman Greg Fresquez said.

Since the IndyCar April races, the Foyt, Bryan and Petty grandstands were disassembled and the 150-foot-tall score tower in the infield was demolished, clearing the way for the project's most challenging phase — the infield redesign.

The space will be transformed into an interactive experience where fans can access garages and see teams, cars and drivers prepare for the race from up close.

Petty Grandstand. ✔️

Media Center. ✔️

Next on the list: The ISM Raceway Scoring Tower. 🎥



Cue the dramatic music + enjoy! pic.twitter.com/h7mUVn7ROH — ISM Raceway (@ISMRaceway) April 23, 2018

A new pedestrian tunnel will take fans from the midway area behind the grandstands to the infield. And the start/finish line will be moved to a wide stretch just before what's now known as the dogleg.

MORE: NASCAR fans say they're being priced out by Phoenix raceway changes

The raceway, built in 1964, is owned and operated by International Speedway Corp., which owns or operates 13 speedways nationwide, including Daytona International Speedway in Florida and Talladega Superspeedway in Alabama.

The next races, the Can-Am 500 NASCAR Semi-Final weekend, will be from Nov. 9-11.

Here are other highlights from the renovations:

All grandstand seats will have armrests and cup holders.

Remodeled suites.

Four new escalators and nine new elevators.

A reconfigured pit road.

Facilitywide Wi-Fi.

Victory lane access.

No more infield camping.

No more unreserved camping.

Reach the reporter at 602-444-3805 or laura.gomez@arizonarepublic.com. Follow her on Twitter: @Laura_GomezRod.

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