History
The speedway opened in July 1966 in the windswept hills west of Tracy and became a fixture of Northern California short-track racing, running NASCAR's western touring series and weekly divisions on its half-mile oval.
In December 1969 it hosted the Altamont Free Concert, where the Rolling Stones headlined and a fan was killed by a Hells Angels member serving as security, an event captured in the film Gimme Shelter. New owners added a road course and figure-8 track in 2006, but racing ended in October 2008 amid opposition from neighbors over noise.
The facility sat idle until 2020, when Zoox began using it for autonomous vehicle testing.
Why it matters: A long-running NASCAR short track that is also tied to one of the most notorious concerts in rock history.
Timeline
- July 22, 1966Track opens[1]
Track opens.
- December 6, 1969Altamont Free Concert[1]
The Rolling Stones headlined a free festival at the speedway; concertgoer Meredith Hunter was killed.
- 2006New owners and road course[1]
Riverside Motorsports Park repaved the facility and added a 1.1-mile road course and figure-8.
- May 2008Fatal 24 Hours of LeMons crash[2]
Driver Court Summerfield died after hitting the wall during the endurance race.
- October 2008
Racing ended after 42 years.
- 2020
Zoox began using the track to test self-driving vehicles.
The site today
| Physical status | Standing, repurposed |
|---|---|
| Current use | Used since 2020 by Zoox as a testing site for autonomous electric vehicles.[1,2] |
| Mapped location | Former venue site |
Street View near the former site · Satellite view (external, current imagery)
Venue facts
| Other names | Altamont Speedway; Altamont Motorsports Park |
|---|---|
| Location | 17001 Midway Road, west of Tracy near the I-205/I-580 junction, Tracy, California[1] |
| Venue type | Speedway |
| Sports | Motorsports |
| Level | NASCAR |
| Opened | July 22, 1966[1] |
| Last used for sports | October 2008[1,2] |
| Physical status | Standing, repurposed |
| Final capacity | 7,500[1] |
| Surface | Asphalt |
| Owner / operator | Riverside Motorsports Park, LLC (from 2006) |
| Closure | Closed in 2008 after 42 years; Hagerty notes court fights over noise in its final period. |
Documented details
- A 2004 MythBusters episode used the track to compare fuel economy with windows down versus air conditioning on.[1]
Sources
- Altamont Raceway Park, Wikipedia. Accessed 2026-10-19Supports: address, capacity, closed, coordinates, current land use, events, opened
- Memories of Altamont's deadly ends, Hagerty. Accessed 2026-10-19Supports: closed, current land use, events
Research confidence
Some facts on this page rely on a single source or are still being corroborated. Treat specific dates and figures with care. Last reviewed 2026-10-19.
See something wrong or missing? Suggest a correction or submit a source.