The Auto Club Speedway in Fontana was decommissioned from the NASCAR schedule at the end of the 2023 season. The LA Coliseum also played host to the Clash for the final time in 2024. In 2025, there are no race tracks in the southern California region that are a part of the Cup Series schedule. Kyle Larson is not very happy with this outcome.
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The Hendrick Motorsports driver told the press in Daytona last month that he wished the sport would return to the area soon. He reasoned, “I do think it’s very important that we get out to that region. I think there’s some of the best race fans, very passionate race fans, in southern California and on the west coast in general.”
But getting back might not be that simple. There are yet-to-be-confirmed plans for a short track to be constructed where the Auto Club Speedway stands. But there is no promise that it will. The driver noted the same, “They say Fontana is still going to convert. I don’t believe that. I don’t know.”
Irwindale Speedway has been permanently shut down. With the Coliseum out of bounds as well, Larson doesn’t know how a race can be held in southern California again. However, he did stress that he would love to go back and race there. He also expressed confidence that NASCAR must be looking at ways to make it happen.
The status of the proposed half-mile track in Fontana
In 2022, NASCAR finalized the sale of the 433 acres on which the Auto Club Speedway stood. The site was 522 acres, and the promotion retained about 90 acres. The proposal was that a short track would be built on this land. Speaking to the Los Angeles Times recently, NASCAR’s West Region president, Dave Allen, remained committed to the plan.
He said, “The market is extremely important to NASCAR. So we’re not abandoning the market. What we don’t have is a firm timeline yet. There are some things within the sport that need to get sorted before we can make some strategic decisions as it relates to what we’re, what we’re going to build.”
He detailed that the half-mile track is still the route that they’re planning to take. However, it’s not what might exactly happen. NASCAR fans in the southern California region are not very pleased that their home track doesn’t exist any longer. Hopefully, more concrete updates will come from the promotion soon.
