Auto Club Speedway

Auto Club Speedway
D-shaped oval (1997–2023)
Location9300 Cherry Avenue
Fontana, California
Time zoneUTC-8 (UTC-7 DST)
Capacity122,000 (total)[1]
OwnerNASCAR (2019–2023)
International Speedway Corporation (1999–2019)
OperatorNASCAR (1999–2023)
Broke groundNovember 22, 1995 (1995-11-22)
OpenedJune 20, 1997 (1997-06-20)
ClosedFebruary 27, 2023 (2023-02-27)
Construction costUS$100 million
(US$151 million in 2023 dollars[2])
ArchitectPaxton Waters Architecture
Penske Motorsports, Inc.
Former namesCalifornia Speedway (November 1995–February 2008)
Auto Club Speedway (February 2008–March 2023)
Major eventsFormer:
NASCAR Cup Series
Pala Casino 400 (1997–2020, 2022–2023)
Pepsi Max 400 (2004–2010)
NASCAR Xfinity Series
Production Alliance Group 300 (1997–2020, 2022–2023)
NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series
San Bernardino County 200 (1997–2009)
IndyCar Series
MAVTV 500 (1997–2005, 2012–2015)
AMA Superbike Championship (2002–2010)
Rolex Sports Car Series (2002–2005)
Websiteautoclubspeedway.com
D-shaped oval (1997–2023)
SurfaceAsphalt
Length2.000 miles (3.219 km)
Turns4
BankingTurns: 14°
Frontstretch: 11°
Backstretch: 3°
Race lap record0:30.900 (380.431 km/h (236.389 mph)) (Canada Greg Moore, Reynard 97I, 1997, CART)
Interior Road Course (2001–2023)
SurfaceAsphalt
Length1.550 miles (2.494 km)
Turns17
Race lap record0:53.784 (Germany André Lotterer, Honda NSX-GT, 2004, Super GT (GT500))
Sports Car Course (2001–2023)
SurfaceAsphalt
Length2.800 miles (4.635 km)
Turns18
Race lap record1:29.322 (Belgium Didier Theys, Dallara SP1, 2002, LMP900)
Motorcycle Course (2001–2023)
SurfaceAsphalt
Length2.360 miles (3.798 km)
Turns20
Race lap record1:24.287 (France Benoît Tréluyer, Nissan Fairlady Z (Z33), 2004, Super GT (GT500))

Auto Club Speedway (known as California Speedway before and after 2008–2023 corporate sponsorship from Auto Club[3]) was a 2.000 mi (3.219 km), 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 47 mi (76 km) 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 freeways 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 grand 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.

  1. ^ "Auto Club Speedway Track News, Records & Links". jayski.com. Retrieved March 5, 2016.
  2. ^ 1634–1699: McCusker, J. J. (1997). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States: Addenda et Corrigenda (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1700–1799: McCusker, J. J. (1992). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1800–present: Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. "Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–". Retrieved February 29, 2024.
  3. ^ "California Speedway to change name UPDATE". jayski.com. Archived from the original on January 2, 2010. Retrieved September 13, 2010.

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