History
Run by local Lions Clubs on harbor land amid oil tanks and rail yards, the quarter-mile strip opened in 1955 and became one of Southern California's best-known drag racing venues, appearing in television shows such as The Munsters and Adam-12.
The Harbor Department issued a 30-day notice in November 1972, citing the need for storage space amid noise complaints, and the last races were held on December 2, 1972 before about 21,000 fans. The site sat vacant for years before being developed as a container facility; a Lions Drag Strip museum opened nearby in 2019.
Why it matters: A landmark of the Southern California hot-rod era and early organized drag racing.
Timeline
The site today
| Physical status | Site redeveloped |
|---|---|
| Current use | Port of Los Angeles container facility developed by the Harbor Department.[1] |
| Mapped location | Former venue site |
Street View near the former site · Satellite view (external, current imagery)
Venue facts
| Other names | Lions Dragstrip |
|---|---|
| Location | 223rd Street and Alameda Street, Wilmington, next to Long Beach, Los Angeles (Wilmington), California[1,2] |
| Venue type | Racetrack |
| Sports | Motorsports |
| Level | AHRA |
| Opened | 1955[1,2] |
| Last used for sports | December 2, 1972[1,2] |
| Physical status | Site redeveloped |
| Owner / operator | Operated by Lions Clubs; land owned by the Los Angeles Harbor Department |
| Closure | The Los Angeles Harbor Department ended the lease to reclaim the land. |
Documented details
- A Lions Drag Strip Museum opened in June 2019 beside the Lions Automobilia Foundation museum.[1]
Sources
- Lions Drag Strip, Wikipedia. Accessed 2026-10-19Supports: address, closed, coordinates, current land use, events, opened
- Lions Dragstrip remembered, Signal Tribune. Accessed 2026-10-19Supports: address, closed, opened
Research confidence
Key facts on this page (opening, closing, status and location) are each supported by sources, with key dates corroborated by at least two independent sources. Last reviewed 2026-10-19.
Where sources disagree (1)
- Signal Tribune cites an 'official' October 1955 opening but found the strip in use by December 1954.
See something wrong or missing? Suggest a correction or submit a source.