Welcome

Welcome to PPMS! We hope you enjoy your night of family entertainment. Here are some things you might want to know if you’re visiting for the first time.

We’ll sell you the whole seat but you’ll only need the edge! Dirt’s Monster Half Mile, Affordable Family Fun, gates open at 5PM warm-ups at 6PM, and Racing at 7 PM Saturday nights.

TMT Transportation Action Events are only $16 for adults, $15 for seniors, $10 for students (16-13), $5 for Children (12-6), and Kids aged 5 and under are always FREE. We offer Free Parking at all of our events.

First-Time Visitors: Things to Know

Win Free Tickets

We give away free tickets frequently during race season! Like & Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to be the first to know about new contests.

Upon Arrival

Parking

All spectators park FREE at Pittsburgh Pennsylvania Motor Speedway events in the large, mostly flat grass field outside our facility. Please Note: Leased events on speedway grounds may choose to charge for parking. PPMS DOES NOT collect any monetary value from those events. Light tailgating and casual gatherings before and after events are generally allowed, but we reserve the right to ask you to disperse if issues arise.

We strongly recommend rolling up your windows completely and closing convertible tops before races start. Motorcycle riders should bring a kickstand pad and may wish to bring a cover.

Seating

All of our seating is wooden, open, bleacher-style grandstands. You may wish to bring a towel, blanket, or seat cushion for comfort. Patrons may choose to utilize our drive-in parking area by turn one. This comes at an additional cost to your admission ticket(s) and space is limited.

Accessibility

Much of our facility can be accessed by people with mobility impairments. The first row of our main grandstands is accessible by ramp. Wheelchair users or persons unable to climb stairs may also choose to sit in front of the grandstands or in our lawn chair seating area near Turn 1. In some cases, persons with disabilities may also be allowed to park their cars in this area. Our restrooms, concession stand, gift shop, and Ed’s Pub are all located at ground level. Most walkways consist of hard dirt, thinly layered pea gravel, grass, or a mixture of these elements.

For persons sensitive to loud noises, we strongly recommend wearing earplugs or safety ear muffs. Ear plugs are available for sale at our gift shop.

Please do not hesitate to contact us with any questions or requests for additional accommodations.

Rain Check Policy

If heat races are not completed, your ticket stub will be honored at face value for the remainder of the season. No cash refunds. If all heat races are completed, no rain checks will be issued. Any remaining feature events will be rescheduled for future dates.

Race Night

A typical race night follows this schedule:

  • 5:00 PM – Gates open
  • 6:00 PM – Hot laps (testing and tuning for drivers)
  • 6:58 PM – National anthem
  • 7:00 PM – Racing starts
  • 11:00 PM – Racing ends (approximate)

Qualifying (or “heat”) races are held at the beginning of the night and include between 5 and 10 drivers each. Drivers are assigned a random, computer-generated number to determine their starting position, and their finishing position helps determine their starting position in their division’s feature race.

Feature races are the main events and feature all of the cars from each division. Winners of these races win both prize money and points. The driver with the most points in each division at the end of the race season is declared the Division Champion. You can see the current point standings here.

Food and Drink

We encourage you to arrive before races begin to find a good seat and get dinner and a drink at our food court and Ed’s Pub (more info below).

Food Courts and Bars

Enjoy dinner during the races! The Checkered Flag Food Court has a variety of amusement-park-style food. Local pub-priced adult beverages are available at Ed’s Pub at PPMS. Stop by our gift shop for racing novelties and apparel for all ages. The Food Court, Pub, gift shop, and restrooms are located in the main building beneath the grandstands.

An additional food court for drivers is located in the pits.

Cooler and Carry-In Policy

Coolers must be no larger than 14″ and contain no glass. No alcoholic beverages may be brought into the speedway. Unopened non-alcoholic beverages and small snacks are the only food and drink that may be carried in. For example, an unopened bottle of water and a granola bar or two would be allowed, but a cheeseburger, fries, and soft drink in a cup would not be allowed. Your cooler and bags will be searched at the gate.

Due to space restrictions, no coolers are permitted at the Pittsburgher

Technology

Free Wi-Fi

Enjoy free Wi-Fi connectivity throughout the track, sponsored by Zufall Communications, Crosstalk Solutions, and Cambium Networks:

Live Audio and Scoring

Throughout the night, you’ll hear the races narrated by our announcer, Tyler Harris. Bring a radio and some soundproof earbuds to listen throughout the night on 92.5 FM. Listen carefully for door prizes and giveaways!

Ever wonder how fast our cars go? During race nights, we stream live lap times, scoring data, and trackside audio at PPMS Live so you can see the same data our race control staff sees.

Information for Broadcasters

Additional information pertaining to TV/radio/streaming broadcasters is available here.

Race Divisions

Rohrich Automotive RUSH Late Model Dirt Series: The headlining division on a weekly basis at Pittsburgh features standard Late Model cars utilizing the popular sealed Chevrolet Performance 604 crate engine with spec Hoosier Tires on Sunoco 110 or RUSH 91 gas.  This was RUSH’s original division that debuted in 2007 and now has over 400 cars in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic. Their average speed is about 110 miles per hour at Pittsburgh.

RUSH Sportsman Modifieds: These Northeast-style center steer open wheel Modifieds have exploded in the western Pa. and eastern Ohio region in recent years due to it’s affordability featuring the sealed Chevrolet Performance 602 crate engine on spec Hoosier Tires, sealed/spec $140 Bilstein Shocks and powered by RUSH 91 gas.

RUSH Sprint Cars: The newest RUSH division features the most cost-contained package off all.  These traditional, non-wing Sprint Cars debuted in 2018 featuring the sealed Chevrolet Performance 602 crate engine from Pace Performance on spec Hoosier Tires, sealed/spec $140 Bilstein Shocks and powered by RUSH Visual Methanol.

Falconi’s Moon Township Automotive 410 Sprint Cars: These lightweight 1400-pound open wheel winged machines with their 410 cubic inch fuel injected engines that run on methanol produce over 900 horsepower with speeds of over 150 miles per hour

PPMS PENN OHIO Pro Stocks: These cars are similar to 1970s-era late models. They have a stock frame, but have different combinations of engine, weight, spoiler, and tires. Drivers can use a crate engine or build their own. Their average speed is about 100 miles per hour.

Hobby Stocks: Designed to be an easy way for anyone to start racing, hobby stocks are entry-level cars which are essentially street cars with safety equipment added. Most have 350 V8 Chevy engines. They weigh 3200 pounds.

All Ways Safe Young Guns: Young Guns are four-cylinder, front wheel drive cars which are modified for safety only. It is designed as an entry-level class for teenagers starting at 13 years old. It is a trophy division. For our drivers’ safety, it is also a strictly no-contact division.

Crawford Auto Repair Four Cylinders: These are the most inexpensive and easily accessible dirt race cars around. Practically any four-cylinder front wheel drive car can enter, provided it meets the safety standards.

Visiting Divisions

We’re also joined occasionally by visiting series like the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series, BOSS Sprints, FAST on Dirt Sprint Cars, Economods, and more. See our schedule for details.

Flags

green Race is starting or restarting.
yellowAn accident or debris on the track makes driving conditions dangerous. Drivers slow down and follow behind the pace car until the track has been cleared.
redA dangerous situation has occurred and drivers must come to a complete stop immediately until the issue has been resolved.
blue-yellowThis flag alerts a driver at the back of the line that he is about to be “lapped” by a car at the front of the line and he must yield to that car.
blackThis flag alerts a driver that he must get off the track and go to the pits immediately. He did something wrong or his car isn’t fit to be on the track.
green  white
(crossed)		The race is halfway over.
white checkered
(parallel)		 Two laps to go.
white  One lap to go.
checkered The race has ended.

Descriptions adapted from http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/what-the-nascar-race-flags-mean.html

Track Specs and History

  • Opening year: 1979
  • Track type: .625 mile Semi-banked oval
  • Surface: Clay
  • Seating capacity: 10,000

Pittsburgh’s Pennsylvania Motor Speedway was originally built in 1948 as Heidelberg Raceway in Scott Township. The Heidelberg Raceway was the home of the Pittsburgher 250 and closed in 1973 as metro-Pittsburgh surrounded the area. Most of the facilities were relocated to build PPMS in 1979. Ten years later, Miley Motorsports took over, and the Pittsburgher returned as the Pittsburgher 100. In June of 2023, Blair Cress Jr. purchased the speedway and the property on which it stands.

Like the Race Guide? Think something’s missing? Let us know on Twitter at @PAMotorSpeedway or email us! We want to make race nights as fun and friendly as possible for first time visitors and hardcore fans alike.