After the Vanport flood, only paved streets and concrete foundations remained. Racing began on those former city streets in 1961 during the Portland Rose Festival, giving rise to the annual Rose Cup. The venue was then known as "West Delta Park." In that early era, the circuit was hazardous: drivers leaving the track could collide with leftover concrete foundations or fall into ponds. By the 1970s, major sanctioning bodies threatened to withdraw support for the Rose Cup due to deteriorating roads and dangerous obstacles, which prompted the city to pave the track.
The first premier event on the paved surface was the 1975 Trans-Am Series, won by John Greenwood driving a Chevrolet Corvette. Greenwood went on to win the 1975 Trans-Am Series Championship.
From 1984, PIR began hosting the PPG Indycar World Series, with Al Unser Jr. taking his first win in a Cosworth-powered March.
Two of the closest finishes in Indy car road course history occurred at Portland. In 1986, Michael Andretti lost fuel pressure on the final turn of the final lap, allowing his father Mario Andretti to catch up and win by 0.070 seconds — at the time the closest finish in Indy car history. In 1997, a three-wide finish saw Mark Blundell beat Gil de Ferran by 0.027 seconds and Raul Boesel by 0.055 seconds, the closest three-car finish in CART series history.
In 1999 and 2000, the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series ran a race at PIR. The 1999 running featured Bill Lester and Bobby Norfleet on the same grid — the first and, as of 2021, only time more than one African-American competed in the same NASCAR top-three division race.
Between late 2007 and early 2008, PIR underwent a significant renovation: the circuit was repaved, Turns 4–7 were widened, the interior fence at Turn 6 was relocated to improve sightlines, Turn 7 was sharpened to reduce speeds before the back straight, and Formula One-style curbing was installed. The track reopened on February 23, 2008.
In September 2018, the Grand Prix of Portland returned to the IndyCar Series after an 11-year hiatus. Will Power set the qualifying record for the modern layout — 0:57.3467 — during the 2018 race. Power and Álex Palou have each won the race twice since its return.
On December 8, 2022, PIR was announced as a replacement for the Brooklyn Street Circuit on the FIA Formula E World Championship calendar. Nick Cassidy won the inaugural Portland ePrix in June 2023; António Félix da Costa won both races in June 2024.
The modern Grand Prix configuration measures 1.967 mi (3.166 km) and features 12 turns, including the "Shelton Chicane" — a hard chicane at the end of the front straight named in honor of Vanport racing legend Monte Shelton. Without the chicane, the layout has nine turns and a length of 1.915 mi (3.082 km).
The unofficial all-time lap record is 0:55.760, set by Wayne Taylor during qualifying for the 1991 G.I. Joe's/Camel Grand Prix in an Intrepid RM-1-Chevrolet on the old circuit layout.
PIR currently hosts the IndyCar Series, NASCAR Xfinity Series, ARCA Menards Series West, FIA Formula E World Championship, SCCA, ICSCC, and OMRRA road racing, as well as SCCA autocross. The grounds include a dragstrip and a motocross track. OBRA (Oregon Bicycle Racing Association) bicycle races are also held on the track and surrounding grounds.
Historical series at PIR include the IMSA GT Championship, American Le Mans Series, Champ Car World Series, Atlantic Championship, AMA Superbike Championship, North American Touring Car Championship, and the Stadium Super Trucks series.
Approximately 40% of races at PIR use leaded gasoline, primarily drag racing events. The track's urban location near the Portsmouth, Kenton, and Piedmont neighborhoods raised concerns about lead exposure. A 2023 investigation noted potential health risks for nearby residents. Testing at PIR indicated that lead concentrations in public areas could not be conclusively attributed to the Raceway alone, given adjacent heavy highway traffic and industrial complexes, and that modern engine efficiency minimizes risks to general attendees. The City of Portland is pursuing carbon-neutral status for the track.
This article is based solely on the supplied corpus. No external sources were consulted; claims that could not be substantiated against the corpus were omitted under the drop-the-claim rule.
Gallery · 4 related images
