When racing fans left the Auto Club Speedway (ACS) in February 2023 after the Pala Casino 400, they did so with a heavy heart. The 2-mile D-shaped oval that had been serving as a motorsport mecca since 1997 was soon to undergo demolition. NASCAR promised that a newer and better half-mile racing facility would emerge in its place in the near future. But so far, the redevelopment project remains a hazy affair.
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Veteran reporter Bob Pockrass confirmed on X recently that every square inch of the speedway that NASCAR sold is currently undergoing demolition but the upcoming configuration or a timeline is yet to be decided.
Still the same on California Speedway. NASCAR last year sold all but 90 acres so everything they sold is being demolished. They still hope to build a short track there but exact configuration and construction timeline TBD. https://t.co/TgLi9DmId0
— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) January 2, 2024
In 2022, the racing promotion finalized its sale of 433 acres of the roughly 522-acre site. The 90 or so acres that were remaining were to be the home where the proposed half-mile track would be born. The new facility was also to include a premium entertainment and dining center in addition to better seating in the stands.
NASCAR President Steve Phelps said in November 2023, “What the timing of that is, I don’t know. This isn’t the best time to be building based on inflation, the cost of capital, etc. But our intention is to continue to be in the Southern California market.” Despite the weak words, the president affirmed that a short track would be coming up and they had completed finalizing renders of the same.
For now, NASCAR will continue appealing to its many fans in California through the Busch Light Clash in the L.A. Coliseum. It looks like it will be a few years before the ACS pops up on the racing schedule again, but there is no doubt that it will.
Southern California’s racing culture that makes a NASCAR return inevitable
Before the Auto Club Speedway hosted its first NASCAR race in 1997, Southern California had two other massive tracks to its name. The Ontario Motor Speedway and the Riverside International Raceway had both been on the calendar for decades since the frenzy over race cars began in the region after the Second World War.
Courtesy of rapid urbanization in the city, land developers and residents knocked at the front gates of these tracks and they met the same fate of demolition that the ACS currently has.
Ontario Motor Speedway. Ontario, California. Opened in 1970, closed 1980. 2.5m Indianapolis clone. #LostSpeedways pic.twitter.com/FuQEgfc3EN
— Dale Earnhardt Jr. (@DaleJr) April 1, 2021
When Roger Penske and Kaiser Steel Corporation announced in 1994 that they would join hands to construct a new 2-mile race track in the area, NASCAR announced that it would hold a race at the track upon construction completion and the rest is history. The promotion went on to purchase the track from Penske Corporation in 1999.
Though the ACS currently sees a temporary downfall it ought to make a comeback and continue serving its role as a symbol of racing.
