FORT WORTH, Texas (APRIL 11, 2025) – Six years after the blockbuster 1989 movie “Field of Dreams” debuted with the iconic line of “If you build it, he will come,” Speedway Motorsports founder Bruton Smith began the script on the motorsports version with a leading cast of his own.
Rather than a cornfield in Iowa, it was an undeveloped field in Hillwood’s AllianceTexas development in North Fort Worth that delivered on his dream of building a stunning new speedway that would attract millions of racegoers throughout the years.
On this April day, Texas Motor Speedway celebrates the 30th anniversary of the 1995 groundbreaking for the state-of-the-art motorsports facility that would become one of America’slargest sports stadiums with an overall capacity in excess of 200,000.
And the fans didn’t wait until it was built to come.
Thousands of curious people – along with a large media contingent – flocked to the non-descript tract of land for a public groundbreaking event to find out more about Smith’s lavish plans and also see some future NASCAR Hall of Fame drivers. Jeff Gordon joined brothers Terry and Bobby Labonte, born and bred in Corpus, Christi, Texas, and local officials to help celebrate Smith’s vision of growing the sport in a thriving and sprawling metropolis. Eddie Gossage, who Smith handpicked to run the speedway, added his promoter flair to the event’s focal point by having each of the VIP shovels outfitted with a stock-car steering wheel.
Smith recalled the event “being held up for 45 minutes as thousands streamed in to attend. Fans were literally stuffing handfuls of loose dirt from the site into their pockets for a souvenir.”
Construction began in August of that year, with more than 40 mammoth earth-moving machines shaping the 1,450-acre site. Construction ran 24 hours per day with more than 1,200 workers on site daily to complete this massive project in just 18 months. What started out originally as a 1.5-mile oval with seating for 75,000 swelled to 150,000 along with more and more amenities.
In the first three months of construction, TMS received requests for ticket information from 42 states as well as Canada, Mexico and Korea despite not even having scheduled any races yet. An ”Open House” event in February of 1996 attracted more than 26,000 for a tour of the speedway construction site. A second similar event held in August brought in more than 38,000 people to check out the venue’s status and stake their claim on future seats.
Smith’s dream came to fruition in 1997 when Texas Motor Speedway hosted an April 5-6 NASCAR doubleheader. Mark Martin won the then-Busch Series Coca-Cola 300 on that Saturday and the following day Jeff Burton won the then-Winston Cup Series Interstate Batteries 500 before a sold-out crowd that topped 200,000.
Texas Motor Speedway would go on to earn its nickname of “The Great American Speedway.”The venue would host numerous motorsports events ranging from all three of NASCAR’s national series to INDYCAR; stage massive concerts including Countryfest, Rockfest and The Rolling Stones; and become a powerful economic engine for the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex and the state of Texas overall.
Texas Motor Speedway embarks on its 29th season with the May 2-4 WÜRTH 400 presented by LIQUI MOLY NASCAR tripleheader. The SpeedyCash.com 250 on Friday, May 2, will be the 51stCRAFTSMAN Truck Series race held at TMS. The Andy’s Frozen Custard 300 on Saturday, May 3, will be the 48th Xfinity Series event. The WÜRTH 400 presented by LIQUI MOLY will be the 45th Cup Series race contested at “The Great American Speedway.”
Ross Perot, Jr., Chairman of The Perot Companies and Hillwood: “Texas Motor Speedway began with Bruton Smith’s vision to make North Texas a premier destination for motorsports - and that vision has been realized. Today, Texas Motor Speedway stands as a world-class racing facility and a key economic driver for Fort Worth and the region. Congratulations to our neighbor on three decades of success.”
Marcus Smith, President & CEO of Speedway Motorsports and son of Speedway Motorsports founder O. Bruton Smith: “My father, Bruton Smith, had a vision for Texas Motor Speedway to build not only the finest speedway in America, but also one of the premier sports entertainment venues in the entire world. It's hard to believe the groundbreaking was 30 years ago. Decades later, Texas Motor Speedway is still a showplace with fan amenities on par with any venue in the country. My Dad would be proud of what Texas Motor Speedway has become and we're looking forward to the next chapter in track history with the May 4th running of the WÜRTH 400 presented by LIQUI MOLY."
Bobby Labonte, 1995 driver of the No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Chevrolet: “We all went down to Texas by the invitation of Bruton Smith. He had the vision to build the speedway and in Bruton fashion; he wanted to make a big deal out of it. He brought us all down, took us out to dinner, put us up in a place to stay, he even took us shopping to get cowboy boots - he really went all out! … I know when Bruton asked us to go I was excited to be part of it because, for Terry and I with Texas as our home state, it was cool to see that Bruton had a vision to build a race track there. I have a lot of great memories from that day when we shoveled some dirt and even blew up some dirt with dynamite! It is hard to believe that it has been 30 years!”
Jeff Gordon, 1995 driver of the No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet: “Being there for the groundbreaking with Bruton, Terry, Bobby and many others, you could tell Texas Motor Speedway was going to be really special. There were more than 200,000 fans at the first race in 1997, and the energy matched the amazing facility that had been built. Bruton had a vision for a stadium-style showplace, and that’s exactly what TMS became. The modern amenities, fan experience and overall design really set the tone for future tracks. It raised the bar for everyone else and helped take our sport to a different level.”
Terry Labonte, 1995 driver of the No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet: “I knew it was going to be exciting. Of course, Bobby and I are both from Texas, so it was exciting for Bruton to build a facility like that. At the time, I just had the idea that the people in Texas, the race fans in the area there, didn't realize how big of a facility this was going to be, so it was really cool to see it come to completion. It was something everyone was proud of, that's for sure. I can't believe it's been 30 years. … I look at winning at Texas Motor Speedway [1999] as one of my biggest wins in front of my home crowd and I never will forget it. It's the first time I have ever noticed the crowd stand up. I passed Dale Jarrett coming off of Turn 4, coming down the front straightaway, and the whole crowd just stood up … and I saw it! I mean, oh man, whatever dude don't screw up because all these people are going to be mad at you. That was a very exciting win for us, for sure.”
“From that initial turning of the soil in an open field 30 years ago, Texas Motor Speedway has evolved into an important hub for motorsports and entertainment experiences and a successful business partner for Texas-based companies and partners worldwide,” said Texas Motor Speedway Executive Vice President & General Manager Mark Faber. “We look forward to continuing to build upon Bruton Smith’s vision and aspirations with our upcoming NASCAR tripleheader weekend, and continuing to be a major global destination and community partner long into the future.”
Texas Motor Speedway will host a spring NASCAR event for the 29th consecutive year with the May 2-4 WÜRTH 400 presented by LIQUI MOLI tripleheader weekend. The action begins May 2 with the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series SpeedyCash.com 250 (7 p.m. CT, FS1, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Ch. 90), followed by the May 3 NASCAR Xfinity Series Andy’s Frozen Custard 300 (1 p.m. CT, The CW, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Ch. 90), and concluding with the May 4 WÜRTH 400 presented by LIQUI MOLY (2:30 p.m. CT, FS1, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Ch. 90). For tickets or more information, please visit www.texasmotorspeedway.com.
