| Auto Club Speedway | |
| Time: | UTC-8 (UTC-7 DST) |
| Location: | 9300 Cherry Avenue Fontana, California |
| Capacity: | 122,000 (total)[1] |
| Owner: | NASCAR (2019–2023) International Speedway Corporation (1999–2019) |
| Operator: | NASCAR (1999–2023) |
| Construction Cost: | (US$ in dollars) |
| Architect: | Paxton Waters Architecture Penske Motorsports, Inc. |
| Former Names: | California Speedway (November 1995–February 2008) Auto Club Speedway (February 2008–March 2023) |
| Events: | Former: 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) |
| Miles First: | True |
| Layout1: | D-shaped oval (1997–2023) |
| Surface: | Asphalt |
| Length Km: | 3.219 |
| Length Mi: | 2.000 |
| Turns: | 4 |
| Banking: | Turns: 14° Frontstretch: 11° Backstretch: 3° |
| Record Time: | 0:30.900 |
| Record Driver: |  Greg Moore |
| Record Car: | Reynard 97I |
| Record Year: | 1997 |
| Record Class: | CART |
| Layout2: | Interior Road Course (2001–2023) |
| Surface2: | Asphalt |
| Length Km2: | 2.494 |
| Length Mi2: | 1.550 |
| Turns2: | 17 |
| Record Time2: | 0:53.784 |
| Record Driver2: | André Lotterer |
| Record Car2: | Honda NSX-GT |
| Record Year2: | 2004 |
| Record Class2: | Super GT (GT500) |
| Layout3: | Sports Car Course (2001–2023) |
| Surface3: | Asphalt |
| Length Km3: | 4.635 |
| Length Mi3: | 2.800 |
| Turns3: | 18 |
| Record Time3: | 1:29.322 |
| Record Driver3: |  Didier Theys |
| Record Car3: | Dallara SP1 |
| Record Year3: | 2002 |
| Layout4: | Motorcycle Course (2001–2023) |
| Surface4: | Asphalt |
| Length Km4: | 3.798 |
| Length Mi4: | 2.360 |
| Turns4: | 20 |
| Record Time4: | 1:24.287 |
| Record Driver4: |  Benoît Tréluyer |
| Record Car4: | Nissan Fairlady Z (Z33) |
| Record Year4: | 2004 |
| Record Class4: | Super GT (GT500) |
Auto Club Speedway (known as California Speedway before and after the 2008–2023 corporate sponsorship by the Automobile Club of Southern California[2]) was a, 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 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.
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.[3] 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.[4] 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. The 100feet water tower, a landmark of the Kaiser property, was preserved in the center of the track to be used as a scoreboard. 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 of clean soil. Construction of the track was completed in late 1996.
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.
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 of 2023.
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 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".[5] NASCAR ran two weekends of racing annually until the 2011 season, when the track returned to a single annual race weekend.[6]
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.[7]
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.
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.[8] 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.[9]
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.[10] 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 up reaches a capacity of approximately 100,000.[11]
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.
The track was often used for filming television shows, commercials and films. In 2000, portions of Charlie's Angels were filmed at the speedway,[12] and in 2005, portions of were filmed there.[13] In 2007, The Bucket List saw Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman drive a vintage Shelby Mustang and Dodge Challenger around the 2miles speedway.[14] 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.
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.[15] [16]
On April 5, 2002, Ricky Lundgren was killed in a qualifying session for a motorcycle race.[17]
On August 7, 2004, a police officer from San Diego, John Barr, died during an open track event after coming off his motorcycle.[18]
On June 2, 2005, two men died while participating in an event sponsored by the San Diego Chapter of the Ferrari Club of America.[19]
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.[20]
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.[21]
In December 2020, it was announced that the 2021 race weekend had been cancelled due to complications surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic.[22] 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.[23] 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."[24]
In 2023, the track was closed for reconstruction as part of the Next Gen California racing project. Demolition began in October 2023.[25]
The Auto Club speedway was served by a special Metrolink station, opened only on race days.[26]
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 2miles.[27] The IRL timing and scoring also used a length of exactly .[28] CART measured the track as and used this length for timing and scoring between 1997 and 2002.[29]
The closed-course practice and qualifying lap records Arie Luyendyk had set in the run-up to the 1996 Indy 500 at 239.26mi/h and 237.498mi/h respectively were improved by Maurício Gugelmin at the 1997 Marlboro 500. He was clocked at 242.333mi/h and 240.942mi/h respectively, based on a CART-recognized track length of .[30]
After Juan Pablo Montoya had narrowly missed Gugelmin's practice record,[31] Gil de Ferran set a new one-lap qualifying record of 241.428mi/h at the 2000 Marlboro 500, a CART event.[32] As of August 2023, this is the fastest qualifying lap speed ever recorded at an official race meeting.[33]
The 2003 Toyota Indy 400 was the fastest circuit race ever in motorsport history, with an average speed of 207.151mph over, based on an IndyCar-recognized track length of,[34] topping the previous record average of 197.9953NaN3 over 507.25miles the 2002 CART race had produced.[35]
As of March 2018, the fastest official race lap records at Auto Club Speedway (formerly California Speedway) are listed as:
| Category | Time | Driver | Vehicle | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| D-shaped Oval: 3.219 km (1997–2024)[36] | ||||
| 0:30.900[37] | 1997 Marlboro 500 | |||
| 0:32.1208[38] | G-Force GF09A | 2003 Toyota Indy 400 | ||
| 0:37.4702[39] | 2005 California 100 | |||
| 0:38.760[40] | 2017 Auto Club 400 | |||
| 0:40.247[41] | 2018 Roseanne 300 | |||
| Sports Car Road Course: 4.635 km (2001–present) | ||||
| 1:29.322[42] | 2002 Grand American 400 | |||
| 1:31.790 | 2004 Grand American 400 | |||
| 1:33.448 | 2002 Grand American 400 | |||
| 1:33.944[43] | 2003 Grand American 400 | |||
| 1:35.682 | 2002 Grand American 400 | |||
| 1:37.788 | 2002 Grand American 400 | |||
| 1:38.366[44] | 2004 Grand American 400 | |||
| 1:42.065 | 2004 Grand American 400 | |||
| Motorcycle Road Course: 3.798 km (2001–present) | ||||
| 1:24.287[45] [46] | 2004 Fontana All-Stars JGTC round | |||
| Interior Test Circuit: 2.494 km (2001–present) | ||||
| 0:53.784[47] | 2004 Fontana All Stars JGTC round | |||
| 0:57.740 | 2004 Fontana All Stars JGTC round | |||
| Record | Year | Date | Driver | Time | Speed/avg. speed | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NASCAR Cup Series | ||||||
| Qualifying (one lap) | 2018 | March 16 | 38.147 | 188.7443NaN3 | ||
| Race (500 miles) | 1997 | June 27 | 3:13:32 | 155.0123NaN3 | ||
| Race (400 miles)* | 2012 | March 25 | 2:39:06 | 160.1663NaN3
| ||
| Race (400 miles, not rain-shortened) | 2020 | March 1 | 2:37:07 | 152.7533NaN3 | ||
| NASCAR Xfinity Series | ||||||
| Qualifying (one lap) | 2005 | September 3 | 38.722 | 185.9413NaN3 | ||
| Race (300 miles) | 2001 | April 28 | 1:55:25 | 155.9573NaN3 | ||
| NASCAR Camping World Truck Series | ||||||
| Qualifying (one lap) | 2006 | February 24 | 40.228 | 178.983NaN3 | ||
| Race (200 miles) | 2003 | September 20 | 1:22:14 | 145.9263NaN3 | ||
| NASCAR West Series | ||||||
| Qualifying (one lap) | 2001 | April 28 | 39.649 | 181.5933NaN3 | ||
| Race (200 miles) | 2001 | April 28 | 1:28:47 | 152.3163NaN3 | ||
| CART | ||||||
| Qualifying (one lap - 2.029 mi) | 2000 | October 28 | 30.255 | 241.4283NaN3 | ||
| Race (507.25 miles) | 2002 | November 3 | 2:33:42 | 197.9953NaN3 | ||
| INDYCAR | ||||||
| Qualifying (one lap) | 2003 | September 20 | 31.752 | 226.7573NaN3 | ||
| Race (400 miles) | 2003 | September 21 | 1:55:51 | 207.1513NaN3 | ||
| Race (500 miles) | 2014 | August 30 | 2:32:58 | 196.1113NaN3 | ||
| Source:[48] | ||||||
(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 | 5906 | Jimmie Johnson | Most laps led | 990 | Jimmie Johnson | Avg. start* | 9.8 | Austin Dillon | Avg. finish* | 7.6 | Jimmie Johnson |
| Season | Date | Official race name | Winning driver | Car No. | Make | Distance | Avg speed | Margin of victory | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | June 22 | California 500 | Jeff Gordon | 24 | Chevrolet Monte Carlo | 500miles | 155.0123NaN3 | 1.074 sec | |
| 1998 | May 3 | California 500 presented by NAPA | Mark Martin | 6 | Ford Taurus | 500miles | 140.223NaN3 | 1.287 sec | |
| 1999 | May 2 | California 500 presented by NAPA | Jeff Gordon | 24 | Chevrolet Monte Carlo | 500miles | 150.2763NaN3 | 4.492 sec | |
| 2000 | April 30 | NAPA Auto Parts 500 | Jeremy Mayfield | 12 | Ford Taurus | 500miles | 149.3783NaN3 | 0.300 sec | |
| 2001 | April 29 | NAPA Auto Parts 500 | Rusty Wallace | 2 | Ford Taurus | 500miles | 143.1183NaN3 | 0.27 sec | |
| 2002 | April 28 | NAPA Auto Parts 500 | Jimmie Johnson | 48 | Chevrolet Monte Carlo | 500miles | 150.0883NaN3 | 0.620 sec | |
| 2003 | April 27 | Auto Club 500 | Kurt Busch | 97 | Ford Taurus | 500miles | 140.1113NaN3 | 2.294 sec | |
| 2004 | May 2 | Auto Club 500 | Jeff Gordon | 24 | Chevrolet Monte Carlo | 500miles | 137.2683NaN3 | 12.871 sec | |
| September 5 | Pop Secret 500 | Elliott Sadler | 38 | Ford Taurus | 500miles | 128.3243NaN3 | 0.263 sec | ||
| 2005 | February 27 | Auto Club 500 | Greg Biffle | 16 | Ford Taurus | 500miles | 139.6973NaN3 | 0.231 sec | |
| September 4 | Sony HD 500 | Kyle Busch | 5 | Chevrolet Monte Carlo | 508miles * | 136.3563NaN3 | 0.554 sec | ||
| 2006 | February 26 | Auto Club 500 | Matt Kenseth | 17 | Ford Fusion | 502miles * | 147.8523NaN3 | 0.338 sec | |
| September 3 | Sony HD 500 | Kasey Kahne | 9 | Dodge Charger | 500miles | 144.4623NaN3 | 3.427 sec | ||
| 2007 | February 25 | Auto Club 500 | Matt Kenseth | 17 | Ford Fusion | 500miles | 138.4513NaN3 | 0.679 sec | |
| September 2 | Sharp AQUOS 500 | Jimmie Johnson | 48 | Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS | 500miles | 131.5023NaN3 | 1.868 sec | ||
| 2008 | February 25 | Auto Club 500 | Carl Edwards | 99 | Ford Fusion | 500miles | 132.7043NaN3 | UC | |
| August 31 | Pepsi 500 | Jimmie Johnson | 48 | Chevrolet Impala | 500miles | 138.8573NaN3 | 2.076 sec | ||
| 2009 | February 22 | Auto Club 500 | Matt Kenseth | 17 | Ford Fusion | 500miles | 135.8393NaN3 | 1.463 sec | |
| October 11 | Pepsi 500 | Jimmie Johnson | 48 | Chevrolet Impala | 500miles | 143.9083NaN3 | 1.603 sec | ||
| 2010 | February 21 | Auto Club 500 | Jimmie Johnson | 48 | Chevrolet Impala | 500miles | 141.9113NaN3 | 1.523 | |
| October 10 | Pepsi Max 400 | Tony Stewart | 14 | Chevrolet Impala | 400miles | 131.9533NaN3 | 0.466 sec | ||
| 2011 | March 27 | Auto Club 400 | Kevin Harvick | 29 | Chevrolet Impala | 400miles | 150.8493NaN3 | 0.144 sec | |
| 2012 | March 25 | Auto Club 400 | Tony Stewart | 14 | Chevrolet Impala | 258miles ** | 160.1663NaN3 | UC | |
| 2013 | March 24 | Auto Club 400 | Kyle Busch | 18 | Toyota Camry | 400miles | 135.3513NaN3 | UC | |
| 2014 | March 23 | Auto Club 400 | Kyle Busch | 18 | Toyota Camry | 412miles * | 132.9873NaN3 | 0.214 sec | |
| 2015 | March 22 | Auto Club 400 | Brad Keselowski | 2 | Ford Fusion | 418miles * | 140.6623NaN3 | 0.710 sec | |
| 2016 | March 20 | Auto Club 400 | Jimmie Johnson | 48 | Chevrolet SS | 410miles * | 137.2133NaN3 | 0.772 sec | |
| 2017 | March 26 | Auto Club 400 | Kyle Larson | 42 | Chevrolet SS | 404miles * | 136.3593NaN3 | 0.779 sec | |
| 2018 | March 18 | Auto Club 400 | Martin Truex Jr. | 78 | Toyota Camry | 400miles | 147.5263NaN3 | 11.685 sec | |
| 2019 | March 17 | Auto Club 400 | Kyle Busch | 18 | Toyota Camry | 400miles | 143.1133NaN3 | 2.354 sec | |
| 2020 | March 1 | Auto Club 400 | Alex Bowman | 88 | Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE | 400miles | 152.7533NaN3 | 8.904 sec | |
| 2021 | align=center colspan=8 | Cancelled due to the state of California COVID-19 restrictions | |||||||
| 2022 | February 27 | WISE POWER 400 | Kyle Larson | 5 | Chevrolet Camaro | 400miles | 114.2223NaN3 | 0.195 sec | |
| 2023 | February 26 | Pala Casino 400 | Kyle Busch | 8 | Chevrolet Camaro | 400miles | 127.6033NaN3 | 2.998 sec |
* – Race extended due to green-white-checker finish** – Race shortened due to rain
| Season | Date | Race name | Winning driver | Winning team | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CART | ||||||
| 1997 | September 28 | Marlboro 500 | Mark Blundell | PacWest | ||
| 1998 | November 1 | Marlboro 500 Presented by Toyota | Jimmy Vasser | Chip Ganassi Racing | ||
| 1999 | October 31 | Marlboro 500 Presented by Toyota | Adrián Fernández | Patrick Racing | ||
| 2000 | October 30 | Marlboro 500 | Christian Fittipaldi | Newman-Haas Racing | ||
| 2001 | November 14 | The 500 by Toyota | Cristiano da Matta | Newman-Haas Racing | ||
| 2002 | November 3 | The 500 | Jimmy Vasser | Team Rahal | ||
| 2003 | November 9 | King Taco 500 | Canceled due to wildfires in the San Bernardino mountains[49] | |||
| IndyCar Series | ||||||
| 2002 | March 24 | Yamaha Indy 400 | Sam Hornish Jr. | Panther Racing | ||
| 2003 | September 21 | Toyota Indy 400 | Sam Hornish Jr. | Panther Racing | ||
| 2004 | October 3 | Toyota Indy 400 | Adrian Fernández | Aguri-Fernández Racing | ||
| 2005 | October 16 | Toyota Indy 400 | Dario Franchitti | Andretti Green Racing | ||
| align=center colspan=5 | 2006 to 2011, Not held | |||||
| 2012 | September 15 | MAVTV 500 | Ed Carpenter | Ed Carpenter Racing | ||
| 2013 | October 19 | MAVTV 500 | Will Power | Team Penske | ||
| 2014 | August 30 | MAVTV 500 | Tony Kanaan | Chip Ganassi Racing | ||
| 2015 | June 27 | MAVTV 500 | Graham Rahal | Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing | ||