You might know it for the roar of an engine on a race weekend. But Portland International Raceway has always been more than a racetrack—and it’s been part of North Portland since 1961, established on the vacant remains of the old Vanport city, older than most of the blocks around it.
We’re Friends of PIR: a volunteer-driven group of neighbors, families, racers, runners, cyclists, students, and local-business supporters who think this place is one of North Portland’s quiet treasures—and worth caring about for the next sixty years.
We love it not just for what happens on the track, but for everything around it. The free OMSI science camps that put local 4th and 5th-graders in the driver’s seat of real physics and engineering. The cyclists who ride the track and surrounding areas. The families at Winter Wonderland. The open space along the Columbia Slough. The swap meets, festivals, and the local businesses that all of it helps support. PIR is a park for everyone, whether or not you’ve ever watched a lap.
Where we stand
We believe that a great community asset and good neighbors belong together. That conviction shapes how we engage:
- We support open, representative understanding. Questions about sound, air quality, and community impact deserve real answers drawn from objective methods that hear from the whole neighborhood. Decisions that affect everyone should be informed by everyone.
- We believe every neighbor’s voice counts. The best community processes hear from people who are concerned and people who are content alike. We encourage broad, honest participation in civic conversations about PIR.
- We engage in good faith. We work through open, legitimate channels, and we’re committed to collaborating with neighbors, the City, and community partners toward solutions that serve North Portland.
- We’re committed to PIR being a responsible neighbor. Valuing PIR doesn’t mean dismissing concerns. It means caring enough to help PIR continue to earn its place in the community for years to come.
Be part of it
Whether you’re a lifelong racing fan, a participant through one of the many non-racing groups that use the park, an occasional park visitor, or simply someone who cares about North Portland’s future, there’s room for you here. Join Friends of PIR. It’s free.
— Friends of PIR
