History
Ontario Motor Speedway was conceived as a West Coast counterpart to Indianapolis, with a rectangular 2.5-mile oval, infield road courses and a dragstrip. Its first California 500 in September 1970 drew a crowd reported at more than 180,000.
Over its single decade the track staged USAC and later CART Indy-car racing, NASCAR Cup events, NHRA drag racing including the World Finals, IMSA and motorcycle racing, and a 1971 Formula One-Formula A race. It also hosted the large California Jam rock concerts of 1974 and 1978.
The operation never escaped its construction debts and early management problems and became known as a financial white elephant. In 1980 Chevron Land Company bought the property; racing ended that November and the closure was announced in December.
Chevron demolished the speedway in 1981. The land became the Ontario Center, which now holds Ontario Mills, offices, hotels, homes and Toyota Arena.
Why it matters: A short-lived but ambitious attempt to give Southern California an Indianapolis-scale speedway, and a cautionary tale about speedway finance.
Timeline
- September 24, 1968
Ground was broken for a speedway modeled on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
- August 9, 1970
A media pro-am race won by Mario Andretti and Dick Smothers was the first event; the public was first admitted on August 22 for California 500 practice.
- September 6, 1970
Jim McElreath won the inaugural USAC California 500 before a reported crowd of more than 180,000.
- March 28, 1971Questor Grand Prix[1]
Mario Andretti won a non-championship race that matched Formula One and Formula A cars on the road course.
- April 6, 1974California Jam[1]
The speedway hosted the California Jam rock festival, followed by California Jam II on March 18, 1978.
- November 15, 1980
Benny Parsons won the Los Angeles Times 500, the final NASCAR Cup race at the track; the 1980 NHRA World Finals was also among the last events.
- December 16, 1980
Ownership passed to Chevron Land Company, which shut the speedway down.
- 1981
Chevron demolished the speedway; Wikipedia says the work was nearly complete by early January 1982.
The site today
| Physical status | Site redeveloped[1,2] |
|---|---|
| Current use | Ontario Center mixed-use district: Ontario Mills mall, hotels, offices, housing, a school, a park and Toyota Arena[1,2,3] |
| Surviving remnants | The track's last remaining sign was kept at Ontario Mills; the dragstrip timing tower was moved to the Pomona dragstrip (Auto Club Raceway at Pomona). Street names such as Ferrari Lane recall the track.[1,2] |
| Mapped location | Former venue parcel |
Street View near the former site · Satellite view (external, current imagery)
Venue facts
| Location | 3901 East G Street, Ontario, California 91761, Ontario, California[1] |
|---|---|
| Venue type | Speedway |
| Sports | Motorsports |
| Level | USAC, CART, NASCAR, NHRA, Formula One (non-championship) |
| Opened | August 9, 1970[1,2] |
| Last used for sports | December 16, 1980[1,2] |
| Demolished | 1981–1982[1,2] |
| Physical status | Site redeveloped |
| Original capacity | 85,000[1] |
| Capacity notes | 85,000 permanent seats, expandable to about 140,000 with temporary grandstands. The 1970 California 500 drew a reported 180,233. |
| Construction cost | $30,000,000 (per 1971 statement cited by Wikipedia)[1] |
| Surface | Asphalt 2.5-mile oval, infield road courses and dragstrip |
| Owner / operator | Ontario Motor Speedway Corporation (non-profit owner) with successive operating companies, 1970-1980; sold to Chevron Land Company in 1980[1] |
| Closure | Chronic financial losses; the property was sold to Chevron Land Company for redevelopment. |
Documented details
Sources
- Ontario Motor Speedway, Wikipedia. Accessed 2026-10-19Supports: address, capacity, closed, construction cost, coordinates, current land use, demolished, events, opened, owner operator, remnants
- Ontario Motor Speedway, NHRA. Accessed 2026-10-19Supports: closed, current land use, demolished, events, opened, remnants
- Toyota Arena, Wikipedia. Accessed 2026-10-19Supports: current land use
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 (3)
- Last event: Wikipedia treats the November 15, 1980 NASCAR race as the final race; NHRA says the track closed just after the 1980 NHRA World Finals. The final event of any kind is not pinned down.
- Demolition: NHRA says demolished in 1981; Wikipedia says demolition began 1981 and finished in 1982.
- Wikipedia's lap-record table lists the oval as operating 1970-1981, against 1970-1980 elsewhere in the article.
See something wrong or missing? Suggest a correction or submit a source.