Since its opening in 1960, Pacific Raceways has played a key part in motorsports history in the Pacific Northwest. Just south of Seattle in Kent, Washington, the 320-acre facility caters to both drag racing participants with a 0.25-mile racing strip and to track car and motorcycle event participants with a 2.25-mile, 10-turn road course. In recent years, the track has built on its long history with the development of the Pacific Motorsports Park and Innovation Center, an onsite racing and automotive technology center designed to complement the track facilities and benefit business and technology sectors in the region.

History of Pacific Raceways

The history of Pacific Raceways is closely tied to that of the Fiorito family, beginning in 1958 with Dan Fiorito, Sr. The owner of a construction company, Fiorito became involved with a local plan to create a safe facility for racing, away from public roadways. Fiorito, his brother Joe and a team of workers spent the summer of 1959 paving a track and drag strip in the woods south of Kent that would become the family’s Kent Pacific Raceways.

From its opening in 1960, the 2.25-mile road course was called a true driver’s track, beginning the lap with a large radius curve that led to a 110-foot downhill change in elevation and switchback hairpins before climbing back up in elevation as it wound through a wooded back section to rejoin the drag strip. Spectators and event organizers also took note, and the track quickly became a favorite.

Notable races over the next decade included the annual Pacific Northwest Grand Prix, a part of the US Road Racing Championship Series, the 1967 and 1968 season finales of the SCCA Trans-Am Series, and the SCCA Formula 5000 Continental Championship in 1969. Changes came in the 1970s with upgrades to the pit facilities and track safety improvements.

The track’s next chapter came in 1976, when the owners offered the facility to new management on a 25-year lease. Professional road and drag racing events continued, while the facility was renamed Seattle International Raceway. After 1985, professional event organizers sought out other venues and the track became a home for local and regional amateur club racing.

After the expiration of the Seattle International Raceway lease in 2002, the Fiorito family resumed control and restored the Pacific Raceways name. Investments brought the road course up to then-current SCCA standards, created a new finish line along the previous pit lane and widened the back of the track through turns 7, 8 and 9. Current motorsports events include annual SOVREN Vintage Racing and PR Invitational events, ProFormance Racing School courses and numerous car club events. The drag strip was repaved and updated in 2004 and continues to host NHRA national events.

Looking for a new direction in 2014, the Fioritos considered selling the facility, but instead settled on a plan to work with regional business, technology and government leaders to incorporate an automotive and design technology campus. The Pacific Motorsports Park and Innovation Center will include five 40,000-square-foot buildings, with the construction and leasing of several phase-one buildings already completed. The facility aims to be a partnership model for automobile racing, a high-tech workforce, skilled labor and a multipurpose track capable of serving as a year-round testing ground for innovation.

Fun Facts About Pacific Raceways

  • Thanks to the region’s usually mild winters, the Pacific Raceways road course is operational for 12 months of the year, every year.
  • Numerous car clubs race and hold other events at the track, including clubs for Alfa Romeo, Audi, BMW, Corvette, Mustang and Porsche.
  • Pacific Raceways is home to the ProFormance Racing School, one of the country’s top driving schools, providing nearly 100 annual track days of instruction in both HPDE and competitive racing.
  • During the winter months, Pacific Raceways offers their facilities for use by area law enforcement agencies to safely practice pursuit driving.
  • At Pacific Raceways you can track your car on the same course as legends like Dan Gurney, Ken Miles, Parnelli Jones, Phil Hill, Mark Donohue, Carroll Shelby, Mario Andretti, Al Unser and Dale Earnhardt, Sr. raced on.

Events at Pacific Raceways are always exciting. Find a complete schedule of upcoming events at Pacific Raceways. And as always, make sure you and your car are protected during track day events with insurance from Lockton Motorsports. Find the policy that fits your needs and explore more track resources.