17 replies to this topic

[mariner]

The dragstrip at Fontana has closed permanently - apparently it was the last one operating still in CA.

 

https://www.dragzine...es-permanently/

 

Sad that the State which has given us so much automotive culture and was the birthplace of drag racing has no strips.  That is  40 million people and no chance to see drag racing any more.

 

There is one at the Las Vegas raceway but it is a 300 mile journey from LA.

[Doug Nye]

Good heavens above!  Whatever next...?  We have definitely seen the very best of the age of the competition automobile...  But at least it still remains worth remembering, and in terms of the human spirit - self-destructive though we might be/might have been - still celebrating.   

 

DCN

[Rupertlt1]

What about Sonoma Raceway? Has that gone?

Can we list dragstrips — Pomona, Irwindale, Lions, OCIR, Fremont, Famoso (Bakersfield) etc etc — status?

 

https://dragstriplist.com/california

 

RGDS RLT 

Edited by Rupertlt1, 19 December 2021 - 14:06.

[Risil]

Pomona is still going, right?

 

Edit: the article Mariner links to says Famoso, Irwindale and Barona are still open.

[mariner]

Oops sorry! 

 

I got so excited  by the pics I didn't read to the bottom. 

 

The only full 1/4 mile strip still open in SOUTHERN California seems to be Famoso.

 

Here is a list which seems to be comprehensive

 

https://californiaca...PavedDragStrips

 

Some on the list are  road courses only and some are 1/8 mile BTW

 

It's nice to see the Perris dirt track is still open as it is very close to the LA conurbation. I went a few years ago and was amused to see the SUV of choice in the parking lot was a Porsche Cayenne - could only happen in southern California

Edited by mariner, 19 December 2021 - 14:04.

[d j fox]

Don’t forget California acts like it’s, dare I say, sometimes another planet....

[Jim Thurman]

Despite all the politicized claims to the contrary, there are still plenty of raceways open in California. California might not rank #1 in oval tracks any longer, but last check it was still #3, well ahead of many places considered "racing hotbeds." Yet, going by the internet, one can often find ill-informed rants over inaccurate reports.

 

Here's a better list of current or recent California racing facilities:

http://speedwaysonli...tate=california

 

Motorsports in general are dying out, everywhere around the U.S., due to lack of interest and lack of available space in areas increasingly developed. That is not unique to California, or even Southern California. Anyone who thinks otherwise is simply whistling past the graveyard.

 

MODS: Can you change the headline to reflect accuracy? (Auto Club Dragway closes would be most accurate). That Auto Club Speedway plans on selling off much of the property for redevelopment, makes this unsurprising.

Edited by Jim Thurman, 19 December 2021 - 18:43.

[mariner]

When average house prices are such extreme multiples of wages in California it is hard to ever argue against freeing up more building land from existing sites so racetracks with their large acreage are a sitting duck.

 

Even without the noise and traffic issues the "moral rightness" argument is so strong for politics 

 

It's not just racetracks . In the UK most circuits are surviving fine , only Rockingham as closed recently but that was in bad trouble anyway. What have closed are Airports. Panshangar at Welwyn home to Lotus service and the Chapman/Clark light planes has gone. Ironically one of its investors was supposed to be Grant Shapps the UK Transport minister!

 

Cambridge airport, an important commercial operation, is closing due to its huge potential for housing near Cambridge It's traffic is moving to Duxford, home of the fabulous Air Museum.

 

Of course much land gets re-purposed  over time between purposes. IIRC one or two Socal racetracks became shopping Malls , now a very obsolete business with the Internet and Amazon. Maybe some Malls built in the wrong place will one day be drag strips !!

[john aston]

We are very lucky  in the UK . Despite the good old day rose tints there's still an immense amount of live motorsport to enjoy-and in my book the only motorsport really worth watching  is live - the rest is just watching telly . Thinking about it , over the few years , I've attended events at eleven different race circuits , three speed hill climb venues, two dragstrips and three Autograss circuits - and most within a drive of 30 minutes to 2/3  hours . Use 'em or lose 'e.m   

[Jim Thurman]

Unfortunately, building massive amounts of new housing only creates a temporary bubble at best before going rates return, and simply paves over open space and space for recreational uses. Yet, there is a collective near-hysteria to build more and more and more, both upward and outward, using the buzzwords "affordable housing" (it never stays that way) and "homelessness" without analzying those situations. One politician has even proposed a change to a land use requirement that public land be set aside for recreational purposes, so housing can replace golf courses, among other things.

 

It's simply developer driven greed fueled by opportunism. Their last good chance to pave over everything. They'll have their large mansions on acreage and country estates in gated communities while everyone else suffers a degraded quality of life, suffering from heat and minus open space and recreational options. And no one seems to have any idea where the water will come from for all these people, but yeah, let's build out.

 

That all of this comes at a time when the state had its first population decline and has been going through yet another severe drought is even more odd.

[Jim Thurman]

 

Of course much land gets re-purposed  over time between purposes. IIRC one or two Socal racetracks became shopping Malls , now a very obsolete business with the Internet and Amazon. Maybe some Malls built in the wrong place will one day be drag strips !!

 

One end of Riverside International Raceway became a mall. Despite misreports otherwise, Ontario Motor Speedway did not. The Ontario Mills Mall is across the street to the east of the OMS property.

 

Declining malls are already being eyed for space for more housing! Every space is. I'm wondering when they propose digging up cemeteries. EDIT: I should add digging up cemeteries again, because its happened before.

Edited by Jim Thurman, 20 December 2021 - 23:23.

[mariner]

If you wnat to protect dragstrips here 's one you can buy as Christmas present to yourself but it is in the rural Midwest of the USA.

 

https://www.dragzine...its-the-market/

 

They e ention supply chain issues which is ironic as Englishtown NJ , one of the great dragstrips in NHARA history, was closed down to become parking lot for new car storage so presumably is now rather empty!

[RonPohl]

Not only is the drag strip at AAA Speedway gone, NASCAR (who are the track owners) have announced that the 2 mile oval will be rebuilt as a 1/2  oval.  This will abolish the road course inside the existing track where I have enjoyed watching many vintage races. With the exception of Long Beach GP ( which is really one heck of a party ) spectators simply do not support motor sports in Southern California. While there are still many grass roots racers in California, over all the culture here is very hostile to our sport. 

[john aston]

If anybody wants to enjoy a seasonal smile, may I recommend some down time with the good 'ol boys and gals in the South East Gassers on YouTube ? It may b e2021 but in SEGA world it is forever 1967 , or earlier , from the cars  to the kinky boots and miniskirts. Hell yeah .  

[Jim Thurman]

Despite beliefs otherwise, California isn't any more "hostile" to our sport than any other state and it isn't political or "culture." I can't think of a state (or country) that hasn't had the same issues. On the rare occasion, there are some communities that are generally supportive of racing, but they are exceptions.

 

The loss of the dragstrip and road course at Auto Club is also unexpected considering NASCAR owns the track and isn't much in the drag racing or road racing business. Vintage races will still go on at Willow Springs and Buttonwillow, the only change being making the same extra miles drive that was done between 1989 and 1995, between Riverside's closure and Buttonwillow's opening.

 

As far as Long Beach, and many other street races, many are there for the party and probably couldn't tell you much about the race, much like crowds at The Kentucky Derby or even at the Indy 500 in the infamous "Snake Pit." They probably couldn't tell you who was leading if their life depended on it. Again, not just a California thing. Boxing and horse racing used to be huge sports, but interest has declined dramatically in them as well.

 

Southern California still has a few ovals, drag strips and road courses. Again, that's down to development and dwindling interest than any other perceived issues. And, again, this isn't unique to California, or Southern California, it's happening across the U.S. There aren't any fewer tracks close to Los Angeles as there are to New York. For example, NASCAR has removed large swaths of seating from their tracks all around the country and many short tracks have closed. 

[RonPohl]

Good points Jim, and I have no intent to be political.  But my central point is that despite the huge population of Southern California we seem to be unable to support a major track for professional racing.  I went to the last Indy car race at Fontana, and there were 3000 people there.  Yes, tracks still exist (and are thriving ) for club racing, supported by many grass roots racers.

[Jim Thurman]

Running an Indycar race at Fontana in June was also a recipe for failure. I expected as much.

 

For whatever reason(s), and I think there are likely many, the So Cal racing fans that remain don't seem to be interested in doing even more driving to get to Fontana for the product available there. I'm not very impressed with the PR department at Auto Club Speedway. One would hardly have known the Indycar race was even taking place unless you were already an Indycar fan. They don't seem to be very good at promotion outside of NASCAR, and I'm not even so sure about that.

 

Supporting major tracks is a problem all over the country, as evidenced by the NASCAR tracks drastically reducing seating capacities. This is a trend. More will come. Obviously, a road course can run more forms of racing, and keep busy with club racing, track days, schools and the like, which makes large ovals even more difficult to operate due to their natural limitations. Especially if they aren't well run or promoted, and they don't take advantage of hosting more events of more varied nature.

[mariner]

To give some more positive news here is an article showing there are stlil 423 active drag strips in the USA.

 

https://www.dragzine...rips-there-are/