Summit Point Motorsports Park
Encyclopedia
Summit Point Motorsports Park is a road racing
and driver training facility located in Jefferson County
, West Virginia
about two hours west of Washington, D.C.
in the state's Eastern Panhandle.
The first races held there were IMSA International Sedans, later to become The Radial Tire Series, and IMSA Pro Formula Ford. The event was held on Memorial Day, 30/5/1970. The holiday was still celebrated on the 30th back then. Rasey Feezell won in an Alfa Romeo 4 door sedan, whose modifications were very questionable, taking home the grand sum of $200 prize money. Five of the eleven entrants were from Raleigh, NC.
During its early years SCCA held numerous events at the track. Several Regional and National races were run each year. Many racers got their start in the popular SCCA Driver's Schools held there by the DC Region.
Paul Newman
ran several of his early races there in a Bob Sharp-prepared Datsun 510
sedan. He wished to be just another "racer" and did not want to be recognized at racing events as a "superstar", so he and wife Joanne Woodward
kept to themselves and eschewed signing autographs. Few realized they were racing in the company of famous actors. The only outward clue was the plate on his 510's front bumper... "PLN"
Over time the track was host to a number of professional races sanctioned by IMSA
and the SCCA Trans-Am Series
through the late 1980s.
Due to financial problems, the track was closed for a period in the late 1970s. It was subsequently purchased, and reopened, in the early 1980s by 1970 Formula Vee
World Champion Bill Scott.
Racing resumed. In addition to races, the track and its environs became a training ground for various Federal "alphabet soup" agencies and other security organizations.
Two additional road courses, "Jefferson" and "Shenandoah", were constructed on the property in 1996 and 2004, respectively. Jefferson is mostly used for training purposes, Friday-At-The-Track (FATT) events, and various drifting and driving events. Shenandoah is used for similar reasons. To date, the only actually "series" to use the Shenandoah circuit include the Bill Scott Formula Series (run by the FRCCA) and the Woodbridge Kart Club (WKC), which are normally run simultaneously.
An additional course, the Washington Circuit, opened in Spring 2009. It is a "triple skid pad" focused on autocross
and driver training. Since its inception, it has been fitted as a sprint kart track, hosting events by Summit Point Kart and by the Maryland Sprint Divisional Series. SPK runs its own leagues for both juniors and adults. It is also popular for autocross as mentioned, and clubs such as the local BMW club have run their events there.
The original layout did not include the "Carousel", presently denoted Turns 6 and 7. In the original layout, Turn 5 was a ~90 deg. left-hander leading to a 90 deg. right-hander at the entry to what is now denoted Turn 8. Therefore, the original layout had 8 turns (or 9 depending on how you counted them). The "Carousel" wasn't added until sometime after mid-'73.
No longer used for professional auto races, it hosts many WKC, WKA
, SCCA, Audi
, Mazda Drivers, BMWCCA
, NESBA
, and NASA
club races, track day
s, and schools. In addition, motorcycle races are run by CCS and WERA, which also holds national-level 6-hour endurance race.
The Main Circuit is also the annual home of the Jefferson 500 vintage race and The 12 Hours at the Point
endurance race.
The Main Circuit was repaved in the Fall of 2007.
The Jefferson hosts a number of driver training schools, as well as a handful of motorcycle trackdays each year.
The Shenandoah Circuit is a 2.2 miles (3.5 km) road course that first opened in 2004. Widely considered one of the most technical circuits of the recent crop of race courses, the Shenandoah also boasts a smaller scale replica of the Nürburgring-Nordschleife's
famous banked Karussell turn. It's also known as the concrete jungle.
Since opening in late 2004, the Shenandoah has played host to a number of high performance driver education clinics, a handful of road races and a number of motorcycle races. After a number of races and schools, minor changes were made to the track layout in late-2004/early-2005, including the addition of a straight between turns 5 and 7.
Several layouts are used depending on the types of events occurring and the weather conditions, but the course is most often configured as the "Washington Long Course". This is 0.52 mile (0.8368568 km) and 11 turns, including a sweeping 160 degree decreasing radius corner and 3 straights. Full course lighting is also available, allowing for night racing, including 12-hour endurance karting events.
Road racing
Road racing is a general term for most forms of motor racing held on paved, purpose-built race tracks , as opposed to oval tracks and off-road racing...
and driver training facility located in Jefferson County
Summit Point, West Virginia
Summit Point is an unincorporated community in Jefferson County in the U.S. state of West Virginia. It lies along the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad at the intersection of West Virginia Secondary Route 1 and Summit Point Pike. According to the 2000 census, the Summit Point community has a population...
, West Virginia
West Virginia
West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian and Southeastern regions of the United States, bordered by Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Ohio to the northwest, Pennsylvania to the northeast and Maryland to the east...
about two hours west of Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
in the state's Eastern Panhandle.
Current status
Owned and operated by Bill Scott Racing, Inc., Summit Point Motorsports Park features three road racing circuits that are currently used for amateur automobile, kart, and motorcycle racing, high performance driver education and emergency training for local and federal law enforcement, as well as foreign service officers who may be posted to dangerous locales.History
Built in 1969 - 1970, Summit Point Motorsports Park (née "Summit Point Raceway"), opened in 1970 as a professional racing venue.The first races held there were IMSA International Sedans, later to become The Radial Tire Series, and IMSA Pro Formula Ford. The event was held on Memorial Day, 30/5/1970. The holiday was still celebrated on the 30th back then. Rasey Feezell won in an Alfa Romeo 4 door sedan, whose modifications were very questionable, taking home the grand sum of $200 prize money. Five of the eleven entrants were from Raleigh, NC.
During its early years SCCA held numerous events at the track. Several Regional and National races were run each year. Many racers got their start in the popular SCCA Driver's Schools held there by the DC Region.
Paul Newman
Paul Newman
Paul Leonard Newman was an American actor, film director, entrepreneur, humanitarian, professional racing driver and auto racing enthusiast...
ran several of his early races there in a Bob Sharp-prepared Datsun 510
Datsun 510
The Datsun 510 was a series of the Datsun Bluebird sold from 1968 to 1974, and offered outside the U.S. and Canada as the Datsun 1600. According to AutoWeek's G.D...
sedan. He wished to be just another "racer" and did not want to be recognized at racing events as a "superstar", so he and wife Joanne Woodward
Joanne Woodward
Joanne Gignilliat Trimmier Woodward is an American actress, television and theatrical producer, and widow of Paul Newman...
kept to themselves and eschewed signing autographs. Few realized they were racing in the company of famous actors. The only outward clue was the plate on his 510's front bumper... "PLN"
Over time the track was host to a number of professional races sanctioned by IMSA
International Motor Sports Association
The International Motor Sports Association is an American sports car auto racing sanctioning body based in Braselton, Georgia. It was started by John Bishop, a former employee of SCCA , and his wife Peggy in 1969 with help from Bill France, Sr...
and the SCCA Trans-Am Series
Trans-Am Series
The Trans-Am Series is an automobile racing series which was created in 1966 by Sports Car Club of America President John Bishop. Originally known as the Trans-American Sedan Championship it has evolved over time from its original format as a manufacturers championship for modified racing sedans...
through the late 1980s.
Due to financial problems, the track was closed for a period in the late 1970s. It was subsequently purchased, and reopened, in the early 1980s by 1970 Formula Vee
Formula Vee
Formula Vee is a popular open wheel, single seater junior motor racing formula, with relatively low costs in comparison to Formula Ford or Formula BMW....
World Champion Bill Scott.
Racing resumed. In addition to races, the track and its environs became a training ground for various Federal "alphabet soup" agencies and other security organizations.
Two additional road courses, "Jefferson" and "Shenandoah", were constructed on the property in 1996 and 2004, respectively. Jefferson is mostly used for training purposes, Friday-At-The-Track (FATT) events, and various drifting and driving events. Shenandoah is used for similar reasons. To date, the only actually "series" to use the Shenandoah circuit include the Bill Scott Formula Series (run by the FRCCA) and the Woodbridge Kart Club (WKC), which are normally run simultaneously.
An additional course, the Washington Circuit, opened in Spring 2009. It is a "triple skid pad" focused on autocross
Autocross
Autocross is a form of motorsports that emphasizes safe competition and active participation. An autocross is a timed competition where drivers navigate one at a time through a defined course on either sealed or unsealed surfaces...
and driver training. Since its inception, it has been fitted as a sprint kart track, hosting events by Summit Point Kart and by the Maryland Sprint Divisional Series. SPK runs its own leagues for both juniors and adults. It is also popular for autocross as mentioned, and clubs such as the local BMW club have run their events there.
Summit Point Main
Summit Point Main is a 10-turn, 2 miles (3.2 km) road course that features a 2900 feet (883.9 m) main straight. This original circuit opened in 1970.The original layout did not include the "Carousel", presently denoted Turns 6 and 7. In the original layout, Turn 5 was a ~90 deg. left-hander leading to a 90 deg. right-hander at the entry to what is now denoted Turn 8. Therefore, the original layout had 8 turns (or 9 depending on how you counted them). The "Carousel" wasn't added until sometime after mid-'73.
No longer used for professional auto races, it hosts many WKC, WKA
World Karting Association
The World Karting Association, or WKA, is the largest sanctioning body for kart racing racing in North America. The WKA was founded in 1971 and is located directly behind Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina. The WKA is believed to currently have approximately 5,000 members...
, SCCA, Audi
Audi
Audi AG is a German automobile manufacturer, from supermini to crossover SUVs in various body styles and price ranges that are marketed under the Audi brand , positioned as the premium brand within the Volkswagen Group....
, Mazda Drivers, BMWCCA
BMW Car Club of America
The BMW Car Club of America is an U.S.-based organization of enthusiasts and owners of BMW-made automobiles . Organized into five regions and 67 chapters, the club boasts more than 75,000 active members within the United States, making it the largest BMW owner/enthusiast organization in the world...
, NESBA
Northeast Sportbike Association
The Northeast Sportbike Association , of the US, is a non-profit, volunteer-run institution founded in 1996 by sportbike enthusiasts and former racers.- Purpose :...
, and NASA
National Auto Sport Association
The National Auto Sport Association is an American motorsports organization promoting road racing and high-performance driver education....
club races, track day
Track day
A track day is an organised event in which members of the public are allowed to drive or ride around established motor racing circuits, or alternatively on closed or disused airfields...
s, and schools. In addition, motorcycle races are run by CCS and WERA, which also holds national-level 6-hour endurance race.
The Main Circuit is also the annual home of the Jefferson 500 vintage race and The 12 Hours at the Point
The 12 Hours at the Point
The 12 Hours at the Point is an endurance race for sports cars and sedans hosted by the Washington, D.C. Region of the Sports Car Club of America . The initial event was staged in June 1999 at Summit Point Motorsports Park in Summit Point, West Virginia. With the exception of 2006, the race has...
endurance race.
The Main Circuit was repaved in the Fall of 2007.
Jefferson Circuit
The Jefferson Circuit is a seven-turn, 1.12 miles (1.8 km) road course that was designed and built by Bill Scott as a dedicated course for high-performance, accident avoidance and emergency operation driver training. Opened in 1996 or 1997, the Jefferson is a course that demands constant attentiveness and smooth inputs from drivers.The Jefferson hosts a number of driver training schools, as well as a handful of motorcycle trackdays each year.
Shenandoah Circuit
Nürburgring
The Nürburgring is a motorsport complex around the village of Nürburg, Germany. It features a modern Grand Prix race track built in 1984, and a much longer old North loop track which was built in the 1920s around the village and medieval castle of Nürburg in the Eifel mountains. It is located about...
famous banked Karussell turn. It's also known as the concrete jungle.
Since opening in late 2004, the Shenandoah has played host to a number of high performance driver education clinics, a handful of road races and a number of motorcycle races. After a number of races and schools, minor changes were made to the track layout in late-2004/early-2005, including the addition of a straight between turns 5 and 7.
Washington Circuit
The Washington Circuit is Summit Point's newest addition and is home to Summit Point Kart, constructed and opened in 2009. Although used primarily by Summit Point Kart, it is capable of being configured for many uses.Several layouts are used depending on the types of events occurring and the weather conditions, but the course is most often configured as the "Washington Long Course". This is 0.52 mile (0.8368568 km) and 11 turns, including a sweeping 160 degree decreasing radius corner and 3 straights. Full course lighting is also available, allowing for night racing, including 12-hour endurance karting events.