History
Roger Penske announced the speedway in 1994 for the site of the shuttered Kaiser Steel mill, and the track opened as California Speedway in June 1997 at a cost of about $100 million. It became the Southern California stop for NASCAR's top series and for CART and later IndyCar, and it took the Auto Club name in 2008.
The wide, fast oval produced some of the quickest racing anywhere: the 2003 Indy race averaged more than 207 mph, a record for a circuit race. It also saw tragedy, when CART driver Greg Moore died in the 1999 season finale. A second annual NASCAR date added in 2004 drew poorly and was dropped after 2010.
NASCAR closed the track after the February 2023 Cup race, planning to rebuild it as a half-mile short track. Demolition began that autumn, but most of the property was sold for logistics development and the short-track plan was put on hold in 2025.
Why it matters: It was the major West Coast superspeedway of the NASCAR and Indy car circuits for a quarter century.
Timeline
- April 20, 1994Track announced[1]
Roger Penske and Kaiser Steel announced a speedway on the abandoned steel mill site.
- November 22, 1995Construction begins[1]
Work began with demolition of the Kaiser Steel mill.
- June 20, 1997Official opening[1]
The track was dedicated with a ribbon-cutting ceremony.
- 1999Death of Greg Moore[1]
Greg Moore was killed in a crash during the CART Marlboro 500.
- 2008Renamed Auto Club Speedway[1]
The Automobile Club of Southern California became title sponsor.
- June 27, 2015Last IndyCar race[1]
Graham Rahal won the MAVTV 500, the final open-wheel race at the track.
- February 26, 2023Last NASCAR Cup race[1]
Kyle Busch won the Pala Casino 400.
- October 2023Demolition begins[1]
Teardown of the speedway began after the closure.
- May 2025Warehouses replace turns[2]
The Drive reported warehouses on the former Turns 1–2 area and NASCAR's short-track plan stalled.
The site today
| Physical status | Partially demolished[1,2] |
|---|---|
| Current use | Most of the 522-acre property (433 acres by 2025) was sold for warehouses and an industrial park; two large warehouses stand where Turns 1 and 2 and nearby parking lots were.[1,2] |
| Mapped location | Former venue site |
Street View near the former site · Satellite view (external, current imagery)
Venue facts
| Other names | California Speedway (1995–2008) |
|---|---|
| Location | 9300 Cherry Avenue, Fontana (unincorporated San Bernardino County), on the former Kaiser Steel mill site, Fontana, California[1] |
| Venue type | Speedway |
| Sports | Motorsports |
| Level | NASCAR, CART, IndyCar |
| Opened | June 20, 1997[1] |
| Last used for sports | February 27, 2023[1,2] |
| Demolished | October 2023[1,2] |
| Physical status | Partially demolished |
| Final capacity | 68,000[1] |
| Capacity notes | Wikipedia gives a total capacity of 122,000; the main grandstand seated 68,000 after a 2014 reduction. |
| Construction cost | US$100 million[1] |
| Surface | Asphalt |
| Owner / operator | Penske-built; owned by International Speedway Corporation (1999–2019), then NASCAR (2019–2023) |
| Closure | Closed by NASCAR for a planned conversion to a short track; most of the land was then sold for industrial development and the rebuild stalled. |
Documented details
Sources
- Auto Club Speedway, Wikipedia. Accessed 2026-10-19Supports: address, capacity, closed, construction cost, coordinates, current land use, demolished, events, opened
- A Warehouse Complex Is Erasing NASCAR's Auto Club Speedway Turn by Turn, The Drive. Accessed 2026-10-19Supports: closed, current land use, demolished
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.
Where sources disagree (2)
- Wikipedia gives the first Cup race date as both June 22 and June 27, 1997.
- Closing date: Wikipedia infobox says 2023-02-27; the last race was 2023-02-26.
See something wrong or missing? Suggest a correction or submit a source.