PORTLAND — NASCAR fans have been clamoring for a Northwest race for quite some time.
Coming in June, they will have one.
The NASCAR Xfinity Series will hold its lone stand-alone event June 4, 2022, at Portland International Raceway’s road course, marking the first event for a NASCAR national series there in more than two decades.
The Camping World Trucks raced there twice from 1999-2000, and the Oregon circuit has hosted regional stock-car series under both the NASCAR and ARCA umbrellas.
The agreement, announced Wednesday, marks an extension of NASCAR’s partnership with Green Savoree Racing Promotions, which operates the Portland track, Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course and street circuits for IndyCar events in Toronto and St. Petersburg, Fla. Portland’s Xfinity Series date is being realigned away from Mid-Ohio, which transitions into a Truck Series host track in 2022.
Ticket prices have not yet been determined.
“The Pacific Northwest is a region of the country where we haven’t had a presence for quite some time, and as we continue to take steps to grow the sport, bringing the NASCAR Xfinity Series to Portland is an ideal and exciting next step,” said Ben Kennedy, NASCAR senior vice president of strategy and innovation. “Not only does this move give us the opportunity to reach new fans, but it also adds another new and unique road course to the schedule.”
The Xfinity Series also announced it will have a 33-race schedule next season.
The Cup Series visited the half-mile Portland Speedway seven times from 1956-57, and ran a 1957 event at the Kitsap County Airport in Bremerton.
Several prominent NASCAR drivers have emerged from the area, including Washington natives Greg Biffle, Derrike Cope, Kasey Kahne and Chad Little, plus Hall of Fame nominee Hershel McGriff, who hails from Oregon.
NASCAR.com pointed out that revisiting the Northwest was a priority for Kennedy, who said his team also explored other potential venues in the Portland and Seattle vicinities.
Kennedy said NASCAR officials plan to use the 1.964-mile, 12-turn configuration that includes a chicane intended to scrub speed on the main straightaway shortly after the start-finish line.
ARCA West and IndyCar have used that layout in their events this year, and Kennedy said he was able to test out both versions in laps of his own.
“I think ultimately we ended up with that configuration, both from a speed perspective as well as just a racing product perspective,” Kennedy told NASCAR.com. “I think that chicane, in particular, is one of the most unique aspects of that track.”
As for a future NASCAR Cup race in Portland, or the Northwest in general, Kennedy said: “We’re taking it as-is for now. I think it’ll be good to get up there with the Xfinity Series, see how it does.”
The event has a projected total estimated economic impact of nearly $15 million.
