checker auto parts 500 history
checker auto parts 500 history
Checker Auto Parts 500 tickets are part of a tradition in the state of Arizona. The city of Avondale, right outside the capital of Phoenix was blessed in the late 1980’s by being included on the NASCAR circuit through the famous Phoenix International Raceway. The one-mile oval was originally developed for open wheeled racing but found its true calling when fans packed the venue to see names like Allison, Elliot and Earnhardt battle it out in the “Valley of the Sun. The track and event have gained so much popularity that the Checker Auto Parts 500 is the second to last race in the Chase for the NEXTEL Cup.
On November 12th PIR will be packed to the brim with some racing’s most dedicated fans all set to see a season-defining and potentially historical race. That late in the season the points race can be decided at any time and as every good fan knows, cheering from the grandstands gives at least a few extra horsepower to a driver’s car. Dale Earnhardt Jr. knew this as his fans propelled the #8 car to back to back wins in 2003 and 2004 in the Checker Auto Parts 500. The Phoenix International Raceway is so well known as a hot spot for racing that NEXTEL Cup events are hailed as some of the most celebrated in the entire state.
One of the draws that sells Checker Auto Parts 500 tickets is the car manufacturer rivalry. Like in any NASCAR event, carmakers have their names, dollars and reputations out in front of the world when this race comes around. That focus is amplified for PIR in November because there in only one more race after Phoenix and the season is over. Every driver with a statistical chance of winning the Cup will be laying it all on the line, hoping they and their crew backed the right horse of a car manufacturer. Historically Ford has had the best of Phoenix winning twelve of the seventeen NASCAR Nextel Cup races run on the track.
Checker Auto Parts 500 tickets may be the definitive representation of where the love the sport of stock car racing is today. The Phoenix International Raceway enjoys the pilgrimage of some of NASCAR’s most die-hard and true believer fans. The running of the second to last race of the season at a venue so well known for already having the high water mark for enthusiasm combines for a sporting event everyone can love and no one should miss.
