After just three years, ISM Raceway is no more. On Friday, the Arizona track announced it has ended its naming rights partnership with ISM Connect and will revert to its previous name Phoenix Raceway.
The track formed the agreement with ISM Connect in 2017 as part of its major renovation project; in addition to a new start/finish line and other amenities, the course was renamed ISM Raceway starting in 2018. ISM Connect (Ingenuity Sun Media) provides video boards and related media, including screens at race tracks; Maurice Gallagher Jr., who owns the NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series team GMS Racing, is also involved in the company.
Phoenix Raceway is a relatively new name for the Avondale-based circuit; much of its history from opening in 1964 to 2015 was under the identity of Phoenix International Raceway. In November 2015, the track was briefly renamed Jeff Gordon Raceway in honour of the retiring four-time NASCAR Cup Series champion.
Phoenix Raceway is scheduled to host the Cup Series championship race (and its feeder Xfinity and Truck Series) in 2020 for the first time. Previously, the track was the penultimate round of the NASCAR playoffs, with Denny Hamlin winning the final race under the ISM Raceway name to clinch a spot in the Championship Four.
