History
Designed by racers Ken Miles and Dick Van Laanen and built on the Paramount movie ranch, the twisting 2-mile course with a bridge and underpass opened in August 1956. It hosted sports car races and USAC stock car events.
The December 1957 meet saw two drivers killed and another seriously hurt, and insurers stopped covering races there. The National Park Service now manages the ranch, where a bridge and scraps of track remain; the 2018 Woolsey Fire destroyed most ranch buildings.
Why it matters: A short-lived but well-known Southern California sports car circuit of the 1950s.
Timeline
- August 18, 1956
Sam Hanks won a USAC 250-mile stock car race on opening weekend.
- December 7, 1957
George Sherrerd and Jim Firestone were killed and Hugh Woods badly injured.
The site today
| Physical status | Status unknown |
|---|---|
| Current use | Paramount Ranch historic site, managed by the National Park Service in the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area.[1,2] |
| Surviving remnants | A bridge from the course survives (closed to vehicles); fragments of deteriorated asphalt remain.[1,2] |
| Mapped location | Former venue site |
Street View near the former site · Satellite view (external, current imagery)
Venue facts
| Location | Paramount Ranch, Santa Monica Mountains, Agoura Hills, California |
|---|---|
| Venue type | Racetrack |
| Sports | Motorsports |
| Level | USAC, SCCA |
| Opened | August 18, 1956[1,2] |
| Last used for sports | December 8, 1957[1,2] |
| Physical status | Status unknown |
| Architect | Ken Miles and Dick Van Laanen (design)[2] |
| Surface | Asphalt |
| Closure | Fatal crashes in December 1957; insurers stopped covering races. |
Sources
- Paramount Ranch Racetrack, Wikipedia. Accessed 2026-10-19Supports: closed, coordinates, current land use, events, opened, remnants
- Paramount Ranch, Racing Circuits. Accessed 2026-10-19Supports: architect, closed, current land use, opened, remnants
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.
See something wrong or missing? Suggest a correction or submit a source.