USA International Speedway
The USA International Speedway was an oval located near Lakeland, Florida, United States, that opened in 1995. The track was a .75-mile-long concrete paved oval with 14° banked turns. The USAR Hooters Pro Cup Series had a race at the speedway in early March, and the final championship race in mid to late November. There were also several series that tested there, including the ARCA Racing Series, CRA Super Series, and the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. USA International Speedway was closed with the final race on August 2, 2008. In 2010 the track was stripped of its grandstands and control tower. In early 2012 the track was completely demolished, the property now sits as a vacant lot. The site lies next to the Lakeland Motorsports Park, on Florida state road 33 just north of exit 38 on I4.
USA International Speedway started out in 1970 as Lakeland International Raceway, a *tight* little 1/4-mile, semi-banked oval with a BIG 5/8-mile D-shaped high-banked track outside. The 1/4 mile was a weekly track that hosted Late Models, Street Stocks, Mini Stocks, and an occasional Figure 8 race on Friday nights. The 5/8th oval was built with the intention of regular "big" shows, including USAC Sprint cars and Silver Crown cars. It only hosted one USAC show, though, in 1971, and was never run again after a fatal crash in that one event.
In 1977, Lakeland International Speedway hosted Florida Sunfest, a music festival featuring 20 acts, including Jimmy Buffett. It was the largest music festival in Florida history, attracting over 100,000 fans. The event was created and produced by Richard Flanzer, of AtlanticPacific Music.
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Coordinates: 28°09′05″N 81°53′26″W / 28.1515°N 81.8905°W