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Auto Club Speedway of Southern California
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| Fontana |
| Location |
9300 Cherry Avenue, Fontana, California 92335 |
| Capacity |
91,200 (NASCAR) |
| Owner |
International Speedway Corporation |
| Operator |
International Speedway Corporation |
| Broke ground |
1995 |
| Opened |
1997 |
| Construction Cost |
$100 million USD |
| Architect |
Paxton Waters Architecture
Penske Motorsports, Inc. |
| Former Names |
California Speedway (1997-2008) |
| Major Events |
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
Auto Club 500, Pepsi 500
NASCAR Nationwide Series
Stater Brothers 300, Camping World 300 presented by RVs.com
NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series
San Bernardino County 200
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| D-shaped oval |
| Surface |
asphalt |
| Circuit Length |
2 mi (3.23 km) |
| Banking |
Turns - 14 degrees
Frontstretch - 11 degrees
Backstretch - 3 degrees |
| Lap Record |
241.426 miles per hour (Gil de Ferran, Penske Racing, October 28, 2000, CART) |
|
| Infield Road Course |
| Surface |
asphalt |
|
| Drag strip 1/4 mile |
| Surface |
asphalt |
The Auto Club Speedway of Southern California (formerly California Speedway) [1] is a two-mile, low-banked, D-shaped oval superspeedway in Fontana, California, similar to its "sister track" Michigan International Speedway.
[edit] History
The track is located on the site of the former Kaiser Steel mill[2]. It is a relatively new race track, opening in early 1997, and has additional configurations and facilities to accommodate "road" races, motorcycle races, vehicle testing, and drag races (Auto Club Dragway). The racetrack is near the former locations of Ontario Motor Speedway and Riverside International Raceway. After Riverside's closure in 1988, Southern California did not host a NASCAR race until California Speedway was opened. In addition to NASCAR, the raceway has also hosted open-wheel events from both CART and the Indy Racing League.
Like many modern oval tracks, Auto Club Speedway also features an infield road-course, which has been used by the Grand American Road Racing Association (GARRA) and by the Japanese Grand Touring Car Championship, with the JGTC race being unique as a night race. The GARRA Rolex Sports Car Series no longer races at Auto Club Speedway. The NASCAR West Series held its first race on the infield course, won by Jason Bowles.
Aerial view of Auto Club Speedway
During the 1999 CART race, Canadian driver Greg Moore was killed in a crash along the backstretch of the track. It was determined that after sliding along the infield grass, Moore's car hit the edge of oncoming pavement, which caused the car to flip into a concrete retaining wall. This incident resulted in a major overhaul of the track, including the paving of the infield grass on the backstretch in time for the 2000 NASCAR event.
On October 28, 2000 during CART qualifying, Gil de Ferran set the track record for fastest lap at 241.426 mph (388.537 km/h).
On September 21, 2003 during an IRL race, Sam Hornish, Jr. set the track record for fastest average speed during a race at 207.151 mph (333.377 km/h).
In 2005, 20 year old Kyle Busch earned his first ever NASCAR Sprint Cup Series win at Auto Club Speedway. He is to date the youngest driver to win a race in the Sprint Cup Series.
The facility is often used for television shows and commercials, and for major films. In 2000, portions of Charlie's Angels were filmed at the speedway and in 2004, portions of Herbie: Fully Loaded were filmed there.
On February 21, 2008, the Automobile Club of Southern California became the title sponsor of the raceway, renaming the official name Auto Club Speedway of Southern California. The naming rights deal will last for ten years and is worth an estimated $50 to $75 million. In addition to naming rights, the ACSC will also have used for the facility for road tests for Westways Magazine and other consumer tests. The money will be used for capital improvements.[3]
See also: List of NASCAR race tracks
[edit] Track timeline
- November 1, 1993: Initial discussions among Penske Speedways Inc. and Kaiser Ventures Inc. begin about making a speedway in California. The California Speedway is approximately 45 miles (72 km) east of Los Angeles, CA.
- April 20, 1994: Official announcement is made to the public about making a 2.5-mile (4.0 km) NASCAR track in California.
- July 18, 1994: CART signs on to officially run races at California Speedway in a multi-year deal.
- November 22, 1995: Initial construction for the 2.0-mile (3.2 km) speedway begins.
- June 20, 1997: Official opening of California Speedway.
- October 31, 1999: Greg Moore, racing in CART's Marlboro 500, is killed when his car spun off of the second turn and is tipped cockpit first into a concrete barrier on the inside of the track at a high rate of speed.
- February 9, 2001: A proposal is sent to San Bernardino County to build a quarter-mile drag strip at California Speedway for the NHRA to use.
- June 19, 2001: An official announcement is made that the California Dragway will be made, along with the plans of a road course integrated into the 2.0-mile (3.2 km) speedway.
- April 24, 2003: An announcement is made that lights will be installed in the raceway sometime during 2004.
- September 5, 2004: The first race under the lights is run at California Speedway, a NASCAR NEXTEL Cup series (now Sprint Cup Series) race won by Elliott Sadler.
- October 16, 2005: Dario Franchitti wins last IRL race held at California Speedway. Dario will be inducted to the California Speedway Walk of Fame at Gate 14, which honors the winners of Champ Car and IRL at the track, during the 2008 Auto Club 500 weekend.
- February 21, 2008: A deal is made with the Automobile Club of Southern California to change the track's name from California Speedway to Auto Club Speedway of Southern California.
[edit] Current races
[edit] NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Stats
[edit] NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Records
As of 02/25/08
[edit] NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Race Winners
- - Race extended due to Green-White-Checker Finish
[edit] Records
- NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Qualifying: Kyle Busch, 38.248 sec. (188.245 mph), 2005
- NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Race (500 miles): Jeff Gordon, 3 hrs. 13 min. 32 sec. (155.012 mph), June 22, 1997
- Most NASCAR Sprint Cup Series victories: Jeff Gordon (3) and Matt Kenseth (2).
- NASCAR Nationwide Series Qualifying: Tony Stewart, 38.722 sec. (185.941 mph), 2005
- NASCAR Nationwide Series Race (300 miles): Hank Parker, Jr., 1 hr. 55 min. 25 sec. (155.957 mph), April 28, 2001
- NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Qualifying: David Reutimann, 40.228 sec. (178.980 mph), 2006
- NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Race (200 miles): Ted Musgrave, 1 hr. 22 min. 14 sec. (145.926 mph), September 20, 2003
- CART Qualifying (one lap): Gil de Ferran, 241.426 mph (388.537 km/h), October 28, 2000.
- CART Race (500 miles): Jimmy Vasser, 197.995 mph (318.642 km/h), November 3, 2002.
- Indy Racing League Qualifying (one lap): Helio Castroneves, 226.757 mph (364.930 km/h), September 20, 2003.
- IRL Race (400 miles): Sam Hornish, Jr., 207.151 mph (333.377 km/h), September 21, 2003.
[edit] References
[edit] External links
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Current NASCAR Nationwide Series racetracks |
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Atlanta, Bristol, Brooklyn, Michigan, Charlotte, Darlington, Daytona, Dover, Fontana, California, Fort Worth, Indianapolis (ORP), Joliet, Illinois, Kansas City, Las Vegas, Loudon, Madison, Illinois, Memphis, Mexico City, Miami, Milwaukee, Montreal, Nashville, Phoenix, Richmond, Sparta, Kentucky, Talladega, Watkins Glen
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Current NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series racetracks |
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Atlanta, Bristol, Michigan, Charlotte, Daytona, Dover, Fontana, Texas, ORP, Kansas, Las Vegas, Loudon, Madison, Illinois, Mansfield, Martinsville, Memphis, Miami, Milwaukee, Nashville, Phoenix, Talladega, Kentucky
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Tracks of IROC |
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| Ovals |
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| Road Courses |
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D1 Grand Prix course |
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| Current Course (2008) |
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D1SL Course
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Bihoku Highland · Nikkō · Sekia Hills
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Past Course
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