Continental Divide Raceways
LocationCastle Rock, Colorado
Coordinates39°20′0″N 104°53′05″W / 39.33333°N 104.88472°W / 39.33333; -104.88472
Broke ground1958
Opened1959
Closed1983
Road course (1959–1983)[1]
SurfaceAsphalt
Length2.8 miles (4.51 km)
Turns10
Race lap record1:44.700 (United States Al Unser, Colt 70, 1970, USAC IndyCar)
Oval
Length.5 miles (.805 km)
Turns2
Drag strip
Length.8 miles (1.3 km)

Continental Divide Raceways was a race track located in Castle Rock, Colorado, about 30-mile (48 km) south of Denver. Built in 1959, it featured a 2.8-mile (4.5 km) road course, half-mile (.805 km) oval, and 4,200-foot (1,300 m) drag strip. The land was intended to be used for a multi-sport spectator venue, but a racing complex was built after a hill climb was staged on the property.[2] The track saw its most active time in the 1960s, hosting the USAC National Championship, major sports car races, and Trans-Am. On July 30, 1972 Evel Knievel successfully jumped 11 Dodge vehicles on his motorcycle at the track. The track closed in 1979 due to a fatal accident but reopened in 1981, holding a NASCAR Winston West Series stock car race in 1982 before being sold to real estate developers in 1983.[3] There was a motocross track called CDR Tech Track on the property where an AMA Motocross National was held in 1981 and 1982[4]

Lap records

The fastest official race lap records at the Continental Divide Raceways are listed as:

CategoryTimeDriverVehicleDate
Road Course: 4.510 km (1959–1983)[5]
USAC IndyCar1:44.700[6]Al UnserColt 701970 Rocky Mountain 150
Formula 50001:48.700[7]Jerry Hansen
Tony Adamowicz		McLaren M10A
Eagle Mk.5		1969 Castle Rock F5000 round
Sports car racing1:55.500[8]Bud MorleyMcLaren-Elva Mk II1967 Continental Divide SCCA Regional race

Race results

USAC Champ Car "Rocky Mountain 150"

YearDateDriverTeamCar
1968 July 7United States A. J. FoytSheraton-ThompsonCoyote-Ford
1969 July 6United States Gordon JohncockGilmore BroadcastingEagle-Ford
1970 June 28United States Mario AndrettiSTP Oil TreatmentMcNamara-Ford
[9]

Sports car races

YearDateDriver(s)TeamCarChampionship
1960 June 26United States Carroll ShelbyMeister BrauserScarab-ChevroletUSAC Road Racing Championship
July 17United States Bob HolbertPorsche 718 RSKSCCA National Sports Car Championship
1961 July 2United Kingdom Ken MilesCrandall Industries IncorporatedPorsche 718 RSKUSAC Road Racing Championship
1963 August 18United States Augie PabstMeister BrauserScarab-ChevroletUnited States Road Racing Championship
1965 August 15United States Hap SharpChaparral Cars Inc.Chaparral 2A-ChevroletUnited States Road Racing Championship
[10][11]

Trans-Am

YearDateDriverCar
1967 August 27United States Jerry TitusFord Mustang
1968 August 25United States Mark DonohueChevrolet Camaro
[10][11]

References

  1. ↑ "Castle Rock". Retrieved 30 January 2023.
  2. ↑ Galpin, Darren. "Continental Divide Raceway Track Info". The GEL Motorsport Information Page. Archived from the original on 19 March 2012. Retrieved 14 July 2011.
  3. ↑ "Continental Divide Raceways". North American Motorsports Pages. Archived from the original on 8 September 2011. Retrieved 14 July 2011.
  4. ↑ "CDR Tech Track".
  5. ↑ "Continetnal Divide - RacingCircuits.info". Retrieved 30 January 2023.
  6. ↑ "1970 Castle Rock Indycars". Retrieved 30 January 2023.
  7. ↑ "1969 Castle Rock F5000". Retrieved 30 January 2023.
  8. ↑ "SCCA Regional Continental Divide [CSR+ESR+FSR+AP+BP+AS+BS] 1967". Retrieved 30 January 2023.
  9. ↑ "Continental Divide Raceway". Champ Car Stats. Archived from the original on 4 October 2012. Retrieved 13 July 2011.
  10. 1 2 "Continental Divide - List of Races". Racing Sports Cars. Retrieved 14 July 2011.
  11. 1 2 "Continental Divide Raceways". Ultimate Racing History. Retrieved 14 July 2011.
  • Hylton, Pete (2007). Ghost Tracks. Benton, KY: Legacy Ink Publishing. ISBN 978-0-9796976-1-6.


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