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60-474: Troconis is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: Eddie Troconis (born 1979), Mexican racing driver Francisco de Paula Andrade Troconis (1840–1915), Venezuelan engineer and journalist [REDACTED] Surname list This page lists people with the surname Troconis . If an internal link intending to refer to a specific person led you to this page, you may wish to change that link by adding

120-499: A NASCAR Cup Series race weekend in the near future. However, under Carroll's tenure, a Cup Series date was not given. After a change in ownership to Bruton Smith in 2008, the track gained a Cup Series date in 2011. However, after a inaugural Cup Series weekend plagued by traffic issues and lackluster revenue throughout the following decade, the facility was dropped from the NASCAR schedule starting in 2021, and has since been turned into

180-557: A global semiconductor shortage , the track was used by the Ford Motor Company to store thousands of pickup trucks waiting for computer chips. Later deals with Amazon were made within the year. By 2022, the only event held at the speedway was an EDM music festival. By 2024, although calls were made to return to the track by numerous personalities, such as NASCAR driver Denny Hamlin and Gallatin County judge Ryan Morris,

240-521: A master's degree in marketing . ( key ) ( Bold  – Pole position awarded by qualifying time. Italics  – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led. ) Kentucky Speedway Kentucky Speedway is an inactive 1.500 mi (2.414 km) tri-oval intermediate speedway in Sparta, Kentucky . It has hosted various major races throughout its existence, including NASCAR and IndyCar races. The track

300-540: A "best-case scenario" for groundbreaking was August 1 of that year. Although Carroll had announced his hopes of hosting Indy Racing League (IRL), Championship Auto Racing Teams (CART), and second-tier NASCAR Busch Series events in the near future, IRL president Tony George stated that the IRL was not looking to host any races at the facility. In contrast, Carroll stated that he thought NASCAR and its president Bill France Jr. had been "very loyal"; he later decided to move

360-597: A Rusty Wallace Racing Experience session. Despite plans to not repave the surface in 2015, problems arose when water leaked from the track surface during a rain delay in July. In response, officials announced in January 2016 a repave and modifications to the track's first two turns; they were changed to have 17 degrees of banking from 14 degrees and were narrowed from 74 feet to 56 feet. The repave drew mixed reactions, with Simendinger opting to add an additional asphalt layer to

420-626: A claim NASCAR denied. After a failed mediation in June, NASCAR asked Bertelsman to throw out the lawsuit on the basis that the "Kentucky Speedway has not come close to showing evidence supporting its allegations of a conspiracy to limit its ability to obtain an elite Nextel Cup Series race" in September; the request was accepted by Bertelsman on January 7, 2008. Kentucky Speedway's lawyer Stan Chesley proceeded to file an appeal four days later. On May 22, 2008, The Cincinnati Enquirer reported that

480-606: A length of 1.48 miles (2.38 km). Kentucky Speedway is located at an intersection between Interstate 71 and Kentucky Route 35 . As of 2019, the facility has a grandstand capacity of 66,000 according to the Lexington Herald-Leader , down from its peak of 106,000 in the 2010s. In total, the facility covers approximately 1,000 acres (400 ha) of land. In April 1997, the owner of horse racing facility Turfway Park , Jerry Carroll, oversaw decreasing attendance and betting at Turfway Park. Concerned about

540-411: A multi-use rental complex. The speedway in its current form is measured at 1.5 miles (2.4 km), with 17 degrees of banking in the first two turns, 14 degrees in the last two turns, 10 degrees on the track's frontstretch, and four degrees on the track's backstretch. Varying sanctioning bodies have disputed the length of the track; NASCAR 's official measurement is at 1.5 miles, while IndyCar used

600-435: A press conference had been scheduled with Speedway Motorsports ' (SMI) Bruton Smith regarding a potential partnership with the track or its selling. The purchase of the facility was confirmed by Smith that day for $ 78.3 million, with SMI buying the track for $ 15 million and assuming the rest in debt. With Smith purchasing the track, he aimed to add approximately 50,000 seats, additional bathrooms, increased parking space, and

660-500: A renovated garage area upon confirmation of a Cup Series date. Smith later stated that he hoped that he could negotiate a Cup Series race for the facility in 2009; NASCAR later dispelled the comment, with a NASCAR spokesman stating that "we don't see any possibility of there being a Sprint Cup Series race in Kentucky in 2009." Although Smith sought to end the appeal, Carroll refused to budge, stating that "We are very, very adamant to

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720-457: Is owned by Speedway Motorsports, LLC (SMI) and is currently used as a storage and parking lot for various companies. The speedway has a grandstand capacity of 66,000 as of 2020. In the 1990s, then- Turfway Park owner Jerry Carroll sought to seek new profitable ventures after Turfway Park's decline, deciding to build a modern auto racing facility. Construction started in July 1998 and opened nearly two years later, with an ultimate goal of securing

780-679: The Indy Lights , Formula Three , and Formula Vee Series. He is a two-time Mexican Formula Three International champion (winning titles in 1999 and 2002) and a Rookie of the Year Award winner in the Formula Vee Series (1995) and Indy Lights de las Americas (2000). Troconis also competed in the NASCAR Toyota Series and Desafío Corona Series. Troconis attempted one Busch Series race in 2006 driving

840-557: The United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit in July 30; on December 11, the court upheld Bertelsman's ruling in favor of NASCAR. A week later, Carroll officially dropped his lawsuit against NASCAR and ISC, allowing the facility to begin the eligibility process to obtain a Cup Series date. However, 11 days after, Duchossois sued Carroll, claiming that the appeal could not be dropped until at least 75% of

900-506: The Kentucky and Ohio towers that contained 19,000 seats each, were being built to increase grandstand capacity to 106,000. In the months heading into the Cup Series race, Smith stated concerns of potential traffic issues, stating in the Lexington Herald-Leader , "Getting the people in here and out is going to be a tall order for us... It’s going to take a lot of hard work and planning to get that done." He later added that Interstate 71

960-568: The No. 23 for Keith Coleman Racing at Watkins Glen , but failed to qualify. His first crew chief job was in 2012 when he crew chiefed the No. 13 Jennifer Jo Cobb Racing team in the Nationwide Series . When Cobb decided to focus on her Truck Series operation that year, the team did not attempt any races for many months and he joined Eddie Sharp Racing as Justin Lofton 's engineer on

1020-468: The No. 27 of Ben Rhodes . He and Rhodes did qualify for the playoffs and they won the race at Las Vegas that year. Their race-winning truck from that race was nicknamed "marshmellow", as it was one of the trucks that was burned in ThorSport's shop fire in 2015 but rebuilt afterward. The two remained together in 2018, and they won another race at Kentucky , Rhodes' home track, which qualified them for

1080-533: The No. 6 truck and starting at Talladega in October, he replaced Daniel Bormann as the team's crew chief. The following year, he was only crew chief for the team in the season-opener at Daytona before being replaced by Cody Sauls. When Sharp's team closed down after the 2013 season, Troconis moved over to Kyle Busch Motorsports as an engineer, and was promoted to crew chief of their No. 54 truck, driven by Christopher Bell , Gray Gaulding , and Matt Tifft , towards

1140-402: The appeal process, adding that he thought that Smith's plea to end the appeal was "NASCAR's way of trying a force a settlement." Smith later claimed that as long as the lawsuit occurred, NASCAR would not consider giving the facility a Cup Series date. By June, Smith conceded most hopes of hosting a Cup Series race in 2010, instead hoping to obtain one in 2011. Arguments for the appeal started in

1200-507: The case to be heard in Florida, where both companies were headquartered, instead of Kentucky; the proposal was dismissed by United States district judge William Bertelsman , eventually ordering a one-year period of discovery for both parties set to end on February 1, 2007. Seen as a risky endeavor due to the possibility of the removal of its Busch Series date, by 2006, with the exception of its Busch Series race, all major series races at

1260-400: The end of the 2015 season when Shannon Rursch left the team. KBM shut down the No. 54 truck in 2016, and Troconis went to ThorSport Racing to crew chief Cameron Hayley and the No. 13 truck. After all of their drivers except for Matt Crafton had winless seasons and missed the playoffs in 2016, ThorSport shook up their crew chief lineup the following year and Troconis moved from the No. 13 to

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1320-419: The end of the race, approximately 20,000 fans were turned away from entering. Different reasons were given on the cause of the traffic jam; Smith again blamed Interstate 71 and its lack of lanes, while Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear blamed a shortage of parking spaces; at the time, the facility had 33,000 parking spaces. To alleviate the problem, SMI announced to spend $ 11 million worth of renovations, including

1380-645: The fact that we think we have a good lawsuit... What matters is the even playing field." The purchase was officially finalized on December 31; soon after, general manager Mark Cassis resigned from his position as the track's general manager. In February, SMI sought to acquire a tax break covering portions of renovation costs was proposed in February in the Kentucky General Assembly ; it was approved by Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear four months later. By April, Mark Simendinger replaced Cassis as

1440-401: The first ever NASCAR Cup Series race ran at the facility, with Kyle Busch winning the event. Like the track's first ever race, the race was mired by heavy traffic jams. Reports of "total gridlock" stack-ups leaving fans waiting for six hours were reported, with traffic being reported in cities as far as Carrollton . By 9:30 PM EST , fans were being turned away; according to Bruton Smith, by

1500-554: The first ever event at the facility in front of a crowd of 36,210. A near sell-out crowd for the Truck Series race despite the race being delayed a day by heavy rain occurred on the 17th and 18th, with Greg Biffle winning. However, the rain caused several dirt parking lots to be closed due to their condition, leading some spectators to be turned away. The closing sparked a traffic jam as long as 14 miles (23 km) on Interstate 71 according to The Cincinnati Post . To remedy

1560-418: The first month, track officials had been selling permanent personal seating licenses, with around 1,500 being sold by November. By the end of the year, the demand of luxury suites had risen to a point where the original 23 suites planned to be built had rose to "at least 50". Under the advice of track advisor and Kentucky native Darrell Waltrip , the track's banking was changed to have 14 degrees of banking in

1620-473: The future of Turfway Park, Carroll sought new profitable ventures. After visiting a race at the newly built Texas Motor Speedway , he decided to launch a study to determine on whether building a NASCAR-style superspeedway in Northern Kentucky was feasible. According to The Cincinnati Enquirer , the study was slated to last 3−4 months. A press conference was later called on January 8, 1998. In

1680-537: The general manager of the facility. That same month, the first phase of a planned $ 75 million in renovations begun in April, focusing on new access roads and increased camping spots. Aggressive, renewed calls for all original investors of the facility to end the appeal by Smith came in May. In response to Smith's calls, Richard Duchossois, one of the original investors, stated that all five investors were agreed in continuing

1740-400: The groundbreaking date earlier to July 1. A final date for groundbreaking was set for July 18, with groundbreaking ceremonies occurring at Turfway Park for "convenience of the public"; actual work was scheduled to begin on the facility on August 1. By the time groundbreaking occurred, the budget for the project rose to $ 152 million, with the track being formally named Kentucky Speedway. Within

1800-553: The incident. Troconis was reinstated before the 2022 season after the charges were dropped by a prosecutor in February. He returned as crew chief of the Young's Motorsports No. 02 truck, now driven by Jesse Little and Kaz Grala . On March 24, 2022, NASCAR indefinitely suspended Troconis again after he was re-arrested on March 18 as a result of his assault charge being re-instated by a grand jury in Alabama. Steven Dawson has served as

1860-542: The interim crew chief for the No. 02 truck since Troconis' suspension started. On December 7, 2022, Troconis was convicted of second-degree assault in relation to the incident. Troconis is the husband of Truck Series driver Jennifer Jo Cobb . Troconis was the crew chief for Cobb and her race team in the Xfinity Series in 2012 . They married in 2015. They had been separated at the time of Troconis' assault on Hughes, who had reportedly been dating Cobb. Troconis

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1920-508: The next year when actor and aspiring IndyCar driver Jason Priestley crashed during a test session at approximately 180 miles per hour (290 km/h), severely injuring him. Speedway officials first applied for a Cup Series race for the 2002 season; however, NASCAR rejected because they felt that including the facility "would not further its expansion goals." Despite plans to host the Cup Series by 2003, no races were also announced in 2003 and 2004. By June 2005, Carroll, growing frustrated at

1980-651: The organization would not return to Kentucky Speedway for their 2021 season in any capacity. In a Cincinnati Enquirer analysis piece by Jason Hoffman, the decision was due to the track "succumb[ing] to its inability to bring in enough revenue for its parent company." In response to the news, Simendinger stated that the facility would "evolve into a multi-use rental complex... we have the potential to host special events, commercial television production, music festivals, other racing series and stand-alone RV rallies and camping events." In December of that year, Simendinger resigned from his position, leaving SMI. In May 2021, amidst

2040-430: The person's given name (s) to the link. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Troconis&oldid=1212006697 " Category : Surnames Hidden categories: Articles with short description Short description is different from Wikidata All set index articles Monitored short pages Eddie Troconis Prior to driving and crew chiefing in NASCAR, Troconis drove in

2100-511: The playoffs for the second straight year. Also that year, Troconis was suspended for one race at Dover due to Rhodes' truck failing post-race inspection at the Daytona race earlier in the year and losing the appeal to the penalty. He was also fined $ 5,000. Bud Haefele served as the interim crew chief for the team in Troconis' absence. In 2019 , Troconis left ThorSport after three years with

2160-496: The press conference, Carroll announced his intents to build a 1,000-acre, 60,000-seat, 1.5-mile (2.4 km) track in Gallatin County, Kentucky , at the cost of $ 132 million. The project was supported by Carroll and four other business partners. Plans were made to open the facility in the fall of 1999 and for it to start hosting events by 2000, with hopes that the facility could eventually expand to 180,000 seats. The track

2220-557: The problem, track officials put down approximately 50,000 tons of gravel in the facility's parking lots and added an emergency parking lot that held 10,000 cars. In August, after openings were made in the NASCAR Busch Series schedule, Kentucky Speedway was awarded an annual Busch Series race starting in 2001, with Kevin Harvick winning the track's first Busch race on June 16, 2001. The facility saw its first major injury

2280-479: The purchase of 219 acres (89 ha) of land and the construction of a new pedestrian walkway. An exit ramp of Interstate 71 and parts of Kentucky Route 35 were also widened. The renovations proved to be a success; according to multiple outlets, no major traffic jams were reported. By 2014, the track's surface gained a reputation for a rough and bumpy surface. Although the surface received positive reactions along with pleas from several NASCAR drivers to not repave

2340-498: The season. On October 6, NASCAR indefinitely suspended Troconis for violation of Section 12.8.1.c in the rulebook, which relates to behavioral conduct. On December 21, an arrest warrant was issued to Troconis on felony second degree assault charges. He turned himself in to the Talladega County Sheriff's Deputies Office on January 5, 2022 and is facing between one and ten years in jail if convicted. Through this, it

2400-571: The second-tier NASCAR Xfinity Series since 2000 and 2001, respectively. From 2012 to 2017, a second annual Xfinity Series race was awarded to the facility; it was taken away in 2018, but later was reinstated as a one-off in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic . From 2011 to 2020, the facility held the Quaker State 400 , an annual 400 mi (640 km) NASCAR Cup Series event that was held in either late June or July. The first iteration

2460-488: The series would not be returning to the track in 2012. Kentucky Speedway has held numerous music festivals. In July 2000, the facility held its first concert as part of Metallica 's Summer Sanitarium Tour , with approximately 50,000 fans attending. A year later, the facility held a stop of the traveling Warped Tour . From 2003 to 2004, the Meijer Country Stampede was held at the track. In May 2015,

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2520-586: The team's No. 02 in the Truck Series, which for the majority of the season was driven by Kris Wright . He would also be the crew chief of the team's No. 02 car in the ARCA Menards Series and ARCA Menards Series East whenever Connor Mosack was the driver of the car. In addition, Troconis was one of a rotation of crew chiefs for DGM Racing in the Xfinity Series in 2021, crew chiefing their Nos. 90 and No. 92 cars in select races throughout

2580-737: The team, going to AM Racing as the crew chief for the No. 22 truck driven by Austin Wayne Self . Towards the end of the 2020 Truck Series season , Troconis would leave AM Racing for Sam Hunt Racing , a part-time team in the NASCAR Xfinity Series , to crew chief Mason Diaz in the team's No. 26 Toyota Supra . Ryan Salomon would replace Troconis at AM Racing for the last four races of the season. In 2021, Sam Hunt Racing replaced Troconis with former Jeremy Clements Racing crew chief Andrew Abbott, leaving Troconis looking for work. He joined Young's Motorsports as crew chief of for

2640-431: The track after complaints were made; it was completed by the end of the month. By the start of the track's inaugural race weekend, the facility held a grandstand capacity of 65,989, around 23,000 parking spots, 104 infield garage spots, and two Outback Steakhouse restaurants, receiving praise from numerous NASCAR officials and drivers. Kentucky Speedway opened as scheduled on June 16, 2000, with Billy Bigley winning

2700-457: The track oversaw steep attendance declines. In April 2007, Kentucky Speedway amended their lawsuit, no longer demanding a Cup Series race; instead, they called for the France family , owner of both NASCAR and ISC, to give up ownership of one of either of the two companies. Kentucky Speedway officials also stated that NASCAR and ISC had pressured numerous owners of other tracks to sell to them only;

2760-503: The track was "as smooth as a baby’s bottom." On November 4, a third-tier NASCAR Truck Series was announced for June 17, 2000; the initial seating capacity was also increased to 70,000 fans. The Truck Series event was later accompanied by a NASCAR Slim Jim All Pro Series event to christen the track the day before the Truck Series race. Further tests by Greg Ray in an IndyCar were also made in November. That same month, Mark Cassis

2820-448: The track was viewed as dilapidated, needing major renovations and government subsidies, with the state of Kentucky not willing to contribute. Kentucky Lantern writer Tim Sullivan stated that "the state appears conspicuously short of the political will and financial muscle necessary to underwrite that undertaking... Kentucky lags so far behind that it risks being lapped." The facility held the third-tier NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series and

2880-569: The track's lack of a Cup Series race, stating that he would seek out more aggressive tactics to gain one, including the possibility of an antitrust lawsuit . On July 13, a lawsuit was officially filed against NASCAR and the International Speedway Corporation (ISC), with the speedway seeking out "more than $ 400 million in damages" and a Cup Series race. After proceedings began in December, NASCAR and ISC argued for

2940-411: The track's ownership agreed to it. The Sixth Circuit Appeals Court denied Duchossois' request for a rehearing in February, and although a trial date was scheduled for May 7, the two came to a settlement by April 30, formally ending the six-year lawsuit. After showing some initial doubt, Smith submitted an official bid for a Cup Series date for 2011 in the beginning of July. A "major" press conference

3000-448: The track's surface because it "did not meet specifications". Within the next three years, the facility decreased grandstand capacity twice; one in 2017 that removed 20,000 seats to decrease capacity to 86,000, and one in 2019 that decreased capacity to 69,000. By 2020, according to Mark Story of the Lexington Herald-Leader , capacity was down to "some 66,000". On September 29, 2020, NASCAR officially confirmed to The Athletic that

3060-431: The track, track officials opted to grind down a patch of track in the track's fourth turn after complaints of a dip that was "beyond the level of tolerance". Attendance also saw a major decrease over a three-year period, fueling speculation of the move of the facility's Cup Series date to another SMI-owned track. That same year, the track oversaw its first automobile-related fatality when Stephen Cox crashed his car during

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3120-581: The track. In June, the track announced its first scheduled races, with an Automobile Racing Club of America (ARCA) race scheduled for sometime in June 2000. By July, an IRL date was rumored to be "highly probable" according to the Courier Journal ; the decision was confirmed two months later, with a 300 miles (480 km) race being scheduled in August 2000. In October, the first testing runs were made by ARCA driver Bill Baird , who stated that

3180-478: The turns and 12 degrees of banking on the track's straightaways. In February 1999, the track was formally annexed into the town of Sparta, Kentucky . That same month, Carroll sold his ownership of Turfway Park, stating that the decline of the facility had left him "frustrated and somewhat burned out", wanting to focus on Kentucky Speedway's construction. In the following months, Cintas , the Ford Motor Company , and Budweiser agreed to become corporate sponsors for

3240-403: Was "the worst interstate highway that I have ever driven on in my life... That highway should have been rebuilt five years ago because it's so antiquated and falling apart." By the start of the race weekend, approximately $ 70 million of renovations were made, including the move of the track's pit road 200 feet closer to the frontstretch and the addition of 3,000 campsite spots. On July 9, 2011,

3300-530: Was announced in the midst of a surge in popularity of stock car racing , with many modern, newly built track proposals aiming to gain a coveted NASCAR Cup Series race weekend being made. Carroll stated his hopes that NASCAR would award the facility a Cup Series date by 2003, beginning the process by moving a NASCAR Truck Series date from the Louisville Motor Speedway , a track Carroll had bought. By February 1998, Carroll announced that

3360-435: Was announced later that month to take place on August 10; The Charlotte Observer reported that the press conference was to announce a new Cup Series date at the facility. On August 10, a Cup Series date was officially confirmed, with Smith planning to invest $ 90–100 million towards 50,000 additional seats, additional bathrooms and elevators, and the rezoning for 200 more acres of camping. By November, new spectator towers,

3420-451: Was appointed as the general manager of the track. By the start of 2000, Kentucky Speedway officials stated that 70% of the track was complete. Further news of potential NASCAR races were made in February; although the chances of a Cup race were "not very good" according to NASCAR CEO Mike Helton , the facility was considered ready for a second-tier Busch Series race. In May, after a Truck Series test session, track developers opted to repave

3480-467: Was held on July 9, 2011. Since 2021, all three top NASCAR series have ceased racing at the facility. From 2000 to 2011, IndyCar held the Kentucky Indy 300 , an annual 300 mi (480 km) IndyCar Series event. The first iteration was held on August 27, 2000, with Buddy Lazier winning the event. The event ran continuously until 2011, when IndyCar announced in December of that year that

3540-488: Was instrumental in helping KBM driver Daniel Suárez learn more English when he first came to drive for the team in 2015 . Troconis happened to be the engineer for KBM's No. 51 truck that year, which is the truck Suárez drove in his part-time schedule with KBM. The two Mexicans working together came in handy, and Suárez sharpened his English-speaking skills as the season went on with Troconis' help. Troconis earned degrees in mechanical engineering , business management , and

3600-401: Was revealed that Troconis had been suspended because he was involved in a fight with spotter Clayton Hughes during the race weekend at Talladega in October. According to the sheriff's office, Troconis sucker punched him in the neck which led him to fall to the ground, where Troconis then kicked him in the back multiple times. Hughes had to undergo several surgeries and was unable to walk after

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