Auto Club Speedway
Template:Short description Template:Good article Template:Use mdy dates Template:Infobox motorsport venue
Auto Club Speedway (known as California Speedway before and after the 2008–2023 corporate sponsorship by the Automobile Club of Southern California<ref name="sponsor">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>) is a defunct Template:Convert, D-shaped oval superspeedway in unincorporated San Bernardino County, California, near Fontana. It hosted National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) racing annually from 1997 until 2023. It was also previously used for open wheel racing events. The racetrack was located Template:Convert east of Los Angeles and was near the former locations of Ontario Motor Speedway and Riverside International Raceway. The track was last owned and operated by NASCAR. The speedway was served by the nearby Interstates 10 and 15 as well as a Metrolink station located behind the backstretch.
Construction of the track, on the site of the former Kaiser Steel Mill, began in 1995 and was completed in late 1996. The speedway's main grandstand had a capacity of 68,000. Additionally it featured 28 skyboxes and had a total capacity of 122,000. In 2006, a fanzone was added behind the main grandstand. Lights were added to the speedway in 2004 with the addition of a second annual NASCAR weekend. From 2011 to 2023, the track hosted only one NASCAR weekend each year.
A 500-mile American open-wheel car race was held under Championship Auto Racing Teams sanctioning from 1997 to 2002. The current IndyCar sanctioning body ran a 400-mile race from 2002 to 2005 and a 500-mile race from 2012 to 2015, which was usually the season finale. Its last IndyCar race was the 2015 MAVTV 500.
In 2023, the track was closed for reconstruction as part of the Next Gen California project and demolition started in October 2023. In late November of 2024 however, NASCAR president Steve Phelps would say in an interview on SiriusXM NASCAR radio that doubts of rebuilding Auto Club Speedway into a short track were at an all-time high due to high construction costs as well as NASCAR having other priorities higher on their list with Fontana being at the bottom of that priority list.
Track historyEdit
Early history and constructionEdit
On April 20, 1994, Roger Penske and Kaiser Steel announced the construction of a racetrack on the site of the abandoned Kaiser Steel Mill in Fontana, California. A day after the announcement, Championship Auto Racing Teams (CART) announced it would hold an annual race at the speedway. Three months later NASCAR president Bill France Jr. agreed to sanction NASCAR Cup Series races at the speedway upon completion, marking the first time NASCAR made a commitment to run a race at a track that had yet to be built.<ref name="Dates">Template:Cite news</ref> Community meetings were held to discuss issues related to the construction of the track and the local effects of events held. The local community largely supported construction of the speedway citing potentially increased land values and rejuvenation of the community. In April 1995, after having toured the sister track Michigan International Speedway, the San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved the project.<ref name="latimes">Template:Cite news</ref> The California Environmental Protection Agency gave Penske permission to begin construction after Kaiser agreed to pay US$6 million to remove hazardous waste from the site. Construction on the site began on November 22, 1995, with the demolition of the Kaiser Steel Mill.<ref name="Dates" /> The Template:Convert water tower, a landmark of the Kaiser property, was preserved in the center of the track to be used as a scoreboard. Template:Convert of contaminated dirt was removed and transported to a toxic waste landfill. To prevent remaining impurities from rising to the surface, a cap of non-porous polyethylene was put down and covered with Template:Convert of clean soil.<ref name="latimes" /> Construction of the track was completed in late 1996.<ref name="Dates" />
On January 10, 1997, Marlboro Team Penske's driver Paul Tracy became the first driver to test on the new speedway. NASCAR held its first open test session on at the track from May 5–7. The official opening and ribbon cutting ceremony was held on June 20, 1997, with the first race, a NASCAR West Series race, being held the next day.<ref name="Dates" />
Auto Club SpeedwayEdit
The track was named the California Speedway from the time it was built through February 21, 2008, when the Automobile Club of Southern California purchased the naming rights in a 10-year deal; thus the track became Auto Club Speedway and has remained as of 2023, as the deal was renewed. The sponsorship was discontinued after March 2023.
Expansion and additionsEdit
With early success following the opening of the track, the speedway began to expand reserved grandstand seating along the front stretch with an additional 15,777 seats. In May 1999, an additional 28 skyboxes were added to the top of the main grandstand. In 2001 the Auto Club Dragway, a Template:Cvt dragstrip, was built outside of the backstretch of the main speedway. That same year, the infield of the speedway was reconfigured to hold a multipurpose road course. On April 24, 2003, The San Bernardino County Planning Commission approved the changing of the speedway's conditional use permit to allow the installation of lights around the track. Later that year NASCAR announced a second annual NASCAR Cup Series race at the track for the 2004 season, with the second race being run "under the lights".<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> NASCAR ran two weekends of racing annually until the 2011 season, when the track returned to a single annual race weekend.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
In 2006, the speedway's midway, located behind the main grandstand, was overhauled. The new midway, called the "Discover IE FanZone", included the addition of Apex (a Wolfgang Puck restaurant), additional shade and lounge areas, a retail store and an entertainment stage.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
In March 2014, the Las Vegas-based company Exotics Racing expanded to California by opening a new 1.2 mile road course at the Auto Club Speedway.
ConfigurationsEdit
- Auto Club Speedway (formerly California Speedway) - Speedway.svg
Speedway oval
- Auto Club Speedway (formerly California Speedway) - Sports Car.svg
Sports car course
- Auto Club Speedway (formerly California Speedway) - Motorcycles.svg
Motorcycle course
- Auto Club Speedway (formerly California Speedway) - Interior Circuit.svg
Interior test circuit
- FONTANA2021.jpg
Overview of facility looking south
Attendance problemsEdit
Upon the addition of a second NASCAR weekend at the track in 2004, attendance at the races dropped off dramatically, by as much as 20,000. With such a large attendance swing, drivers and media began to doubt if the track deserved two dates, even if the track was near Los Angeles, the nation's second-largest media market.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Weather also became a concern with either extremely hot days or with rain threatening the races. All of this factored into NASCAR's decision to remove a second race from the track with the realignment of the 2011 NASCAR schedule. Former track owner Roger Penske said the track may be located in a one-race market. Track president Gillian Zucker cited bad weather windows and fans having other entertainment options as reasons for the attendance decline.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Effective in the 2014 racing season, the grandstand capacity was reduced from 92,000 to 68,000. This was accomplished by removing approximately 12,000 seats near turn 1 and installing a hospitality area and a digital display showing speeds along the straightaway.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In addition, seats were further reduced as a result of modifying average seat width from 18 inches to 23 inches. The capacity quoted does not include luxury boxes and infield seating, which when added reaches a capacity of approximately 100,000.<ref>Auto Club Speedway wins its race long before Kyle Busch did in Auto Club 400</ref>
Name changeEdit
On February 21, 2008, the Automobile Club of Southern California (ACSC) became the title sponsor of the raceway, making Auto Club Speedway the track's official name. The naming rights deal was for ten years and is worth an estimated $50 to $75 million. In addition to naming rights, the ACSC was to have use of the facility for road tests for Westways magazine and other consumer tests. The money was used for capital improvements to the track.<ref name="sponsor" />
In popular cultureEdit
The track was often used for filming television shows, commercials and films. In 2000, portions of Charlie's Angels were filmed at the speedway,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> and in 2005, portions of Herbie: Fully Loaded were filmed there.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In 2007, The Bucket List saw Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman drive a vintage Shelby Mustang and Dodge Challenger around the Template:Convert speedway.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The track was used as Daytona International Speedway in the 2019 film Ford v Ferrari.
A parody of the track was used in the 2006 Disney/Pixar animated film Cars in the end of the film. It is the venue for the Piston Cup tiebreaker race between the movie's main character Lightning McQueen (voiced by Owen Wilson), retiring veteran Strip "The King" Weathers (voiced by Richard Petty) and perennial runner-up Chick Hicks (voiced by Michael Keaton). The race is held at the Los Angeles International Speedway, which is a conglomeration of the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, the Arroyo Seco in Pasadena where the Rose Bowl is located, as well as the Auto Club Speedway.
FatalitiesEdit
During the 1999 Marlboro 500 CART race, Canadian driver Greg Moore died in a crash along the backstretch of the track. It was determined that after sliding along the infield grass, Moore's car hit the edge of oncoming pavement, which caused the car to flip into a concrete retaining wall. The incident prompted the track owners, ISC, to pave the backstretch of both Auto Club Speedway and its sister track Michigan International Speedway in an attempt to prevent a similar accident. Shortly after the crash, CART mandated the use of a head-and-neck restraint system on all ovals. The rule eventually became mandatory on all tracks.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
On April 5, 2002, Ricky Lundgren was killed in a qualifying session for a motorcycle race.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
On August 7, 2004, a police officer from San Diego, John Barr, died during an open track event after coming off his motorcycle.<ref>San Diego Policeman Dies In Crash During Track Ride Day At California Speedway</ref>
On June 2, 2005, two men died while participating in an event sponsored by the San Diego Chapter of the Ferrari Club of America.<ref>SignOnSanDiego.com > Sports - Two San Diego County men killed in Fontana speedway crash</ref>
On October 15, 2010, a 24-year-old woman died while participating in a driving school at the track. The woman was driving a replica Indycar as part of the Mario Andretti Racing Experience when she lost control and hit the inside wall of the track.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Planned reconstructionEdit
On September 8, 2020, it was revealed that documents for the reconstruction of the facility as a half-mile high banked oval had been filed with San Bernardino County. As first reported by The Insider, the new short track layout would feature long straightaways like Martinsville Speedway and high banked turns like those featured at Bristol Motor Speedway. According to the published preliminary site plan, the new layout would fit inside the footprint of the current layout's trioval, and utilize much of the existing infrastructure such as the garages (which would be outside the new track), main grandstand and pit road suites (which would overlook the relocated backstretch). The work was scheduled to start after the 2021 Auto Club 400, and to be completed in time for the 2022 season.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
In December 2020, it was announced that the 2021 race weekend had been cancelled due to complications surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> On February 27, 2022, Auto Club Speedway president Dave Allen announced on Sirius XM NASCAR Radio that plans to convert the speedway had been put on hold.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> With the Busch Light Clash now being held at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum beginning in 2022, there was now no official commitment from NASCAR to follow through with plans to convert the speedway. In early 2023, following the Busch Light Clash at The Coliseum, NASCAR chief operating officer Steve O'Donnell made mention that NASCAR was, "evaluating the market as a whole and what's the best place for us to race within the totality of 2024 and beyond."<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
In 2023, the track was closed for reconstruction as part of the Next Gen California racing project. Demolition began in October 2023.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
TransportationEdit
The Auto Club speedway was served by a special Metrolink station, opened only on race days.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Racing eventsEdit
Former racesEdit
- All Japan Grand Touring Car Championship (2004, exhibition race)
- Champ Car
- Marlboro 500 (1997–2002)
- IndyCar Series
- MAVTV 500 (2002–2005, 2012–2015)
- IROC (1997–1998, 2002)
- NASCAR Camping World Truck Series
- San Bernardino County 200 (1997–2009)
- NASCAR Cup Series
- Pala Casino 400 (1997–2020, 2022–2023)
- Pepsi Max 400 (2004–2010)
- NASCAR West Series (1997–2006)
- NASCAR Xfinity Series
- Production Alliance Group 300 (1997–2020, 2022–2023)
- Rolex Sports Car Series
- Grand American 400 (2002–2005)
Other eventsEdit
- Red, White and Cruise — A July 4 festival consisting of a car show, various family-friendly entertainment and a fireworks show.
- Epicenter 2010 at the speedway's midway
- Cardenas Festival — The annual Cardenas Festival is held in the parking lot. This is a festival where all the companies that sell food at the Cardenas supermarket chain give out free samples of new or upcoming food. There are also performances from many artists.
- Hard (music festival) was held in 2016, 2018, and 2019 in the midway and parking lot of the speedway.
Track length of paved ovalEdit
The original track length was disputed by CART and NASCAR that ran at Auto Club Speedway. The NASCAR timing and scoring previously used a length of exactly Template:Convert.<ref>Auto Club Speedway at NASCAR.com</ref> The IRL timing and scoring also used a length of exactly Template:Cvt.<ref>2015 IndyCar race result at Indycar homepage.</ref> CART measured the track as Template:Cvt and used this length for timing and scoring between 1997 and 2002.<ref>The 500 Presented by Toyota result on champcarstats.com</ref>
Track recordsEdit
The closed-course practice and qualifying lap records Arie Luyendyk had set in the run-up to the 1996 Indy 500 at Template:Convert and Template:Convert respectively were improved by Maurício Gugelmin at the 1997 Marlboro 500. He was clocked at Template:Convert and Template:Convert respectively, based on a CART-recognized track length of Template:Cvt.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
After Juan Pablo Montoya had narrowly missed Gugelmin's practice record,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Gil de Ferran set a new one-lap qualifying record of Template:Convert at the 2000 Marlboro 500, a CART event.<ref name=LVS>Template:Cite news</ref> As of August 2023, this is the fastest qualifying lap speed ever recorded at an official race meeting.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
The 2003 Toyota Indy 400 was the fastest circuit race ever in motorsport history, with an average speed of Template:Convert over Template:Cvt, based on an IndyCar-recognized track length of Template:Cvt,<ref name=CT>Template:Cite news</ref> topping the previous record average of Template:Convert over Template:Convert the 2002 CART race had produced.<ref name=CHT>Template:Cite news</ref>
Race lap recordsEdit
The fastest official race lap records at Auto Club Speedway (formerly California Speedway) are listed as:
| Category | Time | Driver | Vehicle | Event | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| D-shaped Oval: 3.219 km (1997–2024)<ref name='california_msportmagazine'>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref> | ||||
| CART | citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref> || Greg Moore || Reynard 97I || 1997 Marlboro 500 | |||
| IndyCar | citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref> || Scott Dixon || G-Force GF09A|| 2003 Toyota Indy 400 | |||
| Indy Lights | citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref> || Jeff Simmons || Dallara IPS || 2005 California 100 | |||
| NASCAR Cup | citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref> || Kyle Larson || Chevrolet SS || 2017 Auto Club 400 | |||
| NASCAR Xfinity | citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref> || Joey Logano || Ford Mustang || 2018 Roseanne 300 | |||
| Sports Car Road Course: 4.635 km (2001–present) | |||||
| LMP900 | citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref> || Didier Theys || Dallara SP1 || 2002 Grand American 400 | |||
| DP | citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref> || Max Angelelli || Riley MkXI || 2004 Grand American 400 | |||
| LMP675 | 1:33.448<ref name='2002_grandam_california' /> | Terry Borcheller | Lola B2K/40 | 2002 Grand American 400 | |
| GTS | citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref> || Boris Said || Ford Mustang || 2003 Grand American 400 | |||
| GT1 (GTS) | 1:35.682<ref name='2002_grandam_california' /> | Chris Bingham | Saleen S7-R | 2002 Grand American 400 | |
| American GT | 1:37.788<ref name='2002_grandam_california' /> | Andrew Richards | Chevrolet Corvette | 2002 Grand American 400 | |
| GT | 1:38.366<ref name='2004_grandam_california' /> | Tommy Milner | BMW M3 (E46) | 2004 Grand American 400 | |
| SGS | 1:42.065<ref name='2004_grandam_california' /> | Randy Pobst | Porsche 911 (996) GT3 Cup | 2004 Grand American 400 | |
| Motorcycle Road Course: 3.798 km (2001–present) | |||||
| Super GT (GT500) | citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |
CitationClass=web
}}</ref> || Benoît Tréluyer || Nissan Fairlady Z (Z33) || 2004 Fontana All-Stars JGTC round | ||
| Interior Test Circuit: 2.494 km (2001–present) | |||||
| Super GT (GT500) | citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref> || André Lotterer || Honda NSX-GT || 2004 Fontana All Stars JGTC round | |||
| Super GT (GT300) | 0:57.740<ref name='allstar_jgtc_fontana_2004' /> | Shinichi Takagi | ASL Garaiya | 2004 Fontana All Stars JGTC round | |
| Record | Year | Date | Driver | Time | Speed/avg. speed | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NASCAR Cup Series | |||||||
| Qualifying (one lap) | 2018 | March 16 | Kevin Harvick | 38.147 | Template:Convert | ||
| Race (500 miles) | 1997 | June 27 | Jeff Gordon | 3:13:32 | Template:Convert | ||
| Race (400 miles)* | 2012 | March 25 | Tony Stewart | 2:39:06 | Template:Convert
| ||
| Race (400 miles, not rain-shortened) | 2020 | March 1 | Alex Bowman | 2:37:07 | Template:Convert | ||
| NASCAR Xfinity Series | |||||||
| Qualifying (one lap) | 2005 | September 3 | Tony Stewart | 38.722 | Template:Convert | ||
| Race (300 miles) | 2001 | April 28 | Hank Parker Jr. | 1:55:25 | Template:Convert | ||
| NASCAR Camping World Truck Series | |||||||
| Qualifying (one lap) | 2006 | February 24 | David Reutimann | 40.228 | Template:Convert | ||
| Race (200 miles) | 2003 | September 20 | Ted Musgrave | 1:22:14 | Template:Convert | ||
| NASCAR West Series | |||||||
| Qualifying (one lap) | 2001 | April 28 | Mark Reed | 39.649 | Template:Convert | ||
| Race (200 miles) | 2001 | April 28 | Brendan Gaughan | 1:28:47 | Template:Convert | ||
| CART | |||||||
| Qualifying (one lap - 2.029 mi) | 2000 | October 28 | Gil de Ferran | 30.255 | Template:Convert<ref name=LVS /> | ||
| Race (507.25 miles) | 2002 | November 3 | Jimmy Vasser | 2:33:42 | Template:Convert<ref name=CHT /> | ||
| INDYCAR | |||||||
| Qualifying (one lap) | 2003 | September 20 | Hélio Castroneves | 31.752 | Template:Convert | ||
| Race (400 miles) | 2003 | September 21 | Sam Hornish Jr. | 1:55:51 | Template:Convert<ref name=CT /> | ||
| Race (500 miles) | 2014 | August 30 | Tony Kanaan | 2:32:58 | Template:Convert | ||
| Source:<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref> | ||||||
NASCAR Cup Series statsEdit
(As of 3/1/20)
| Most wins | 6 | Jimmie Johnson |
| Most top 5s | 13 | Jimmie Johnson |
| Most top 10s | 18 | Jimmie Johnson |
| Starts | 27 | Kurt Busch, Kevin Harvick (tie) |
| Poles | 4 | Kurt Busch |
| Most laps completed | 5,906 | Jimmie Johnson |
| Most laps led | 990 | Jimmie Johnson |
| Avg. start* | 9.8 | Austin Dillon |
| Avg. finish* | 7.6 | Jimmie Johnson |
* from minimum 5 starts
NASCAR Cup Series race winnersEdit
* – Race extended due to green-white-checker finish ** – Race shortened due to rain
Open wheel race winnersEdit
ReferencesEdit
External linksEdit
- Official Auto Club Speedway website
- Template:Racing-Reference track
- RacingCircuits.info: Map and circuit history
- Auto Club Speedway Page on NASCAR.com
- Jayski's Auto Club Speedway Page — current and past California Speedway News.
- Trackpedia guide to driving this track
- Auto Club Speedway Page on Ballparks by Munsey & Suppes