Auto Club Speedway

The Auto Club Speedway of Southern California (formerly California Speedway) is a two-mile, low-banked, D-shaped oval superspeedway in Fontana, California, similar to its "sister track" Michigan International Speedway.

Configurations

History

Construction and location

The track is located on the site of the former Kaiser Steel mill. 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.

Notable events

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 . This was also a world speed record for the fastest lap of a closed course.

On September 21, 2003 during an IRL race, Sam Hornish, Jr. set the track record for fastest average speed during a race at .

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.

Name change

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 use of the facility for road tests for Westways Magazine and other consumer tests. The money will be used for capital improvements.

Usage in television shows, commercials and major film

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.

Track timeline

1990s

• 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 east of Los Angeles, CA.
• April 20, 1994: Official announcement is made to the public about making a NASCAR track in California.
• July 18, 1994: CART signs on to officially run races at California Speedway in a multi-year deal.
• April 26, 1995: San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors approves for construction of the track.
• November 22, 1995: Initial construction for the speedway begins.
• May 30, 1996: NASCAR, ABC, and ESPN team up to sign a multi-year deal to televise the California race live.
• January 10, 1997: CART Team Penske driver Paul Tracy is the first person to drive on California Speedway.
• March 24, 1997: Jay Sauter and Dave Marcis are the first to drive stock cars on the pavement of California Speedway, testing for IROC.
• May 5, 1997: First Winston Cup Series (now Sprint Cup Series) Test session for California Speedway.
• June 20, 1997: Official opening of California Speedway.
• June 21, 1997: The very first race at California Speedway, the Auto Club 200, a Winston West Series race, is won by Ken Schrader. The first IROC race is also ran and won by Mark Martin.
• June 22, 1997: The first Winston Cup series race at California Speedway, the California 500, is won by Jeff Gordon.
• September 27, 1997: Mauricio Gugelmin sets CART world speed record at California, with a speed of .
• September 28, 1997: Mark Blundell wins the first CART race at California Speedway.
• October 18, 1997: The first NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series event at California Speedway is won by Mike Bliss.
• October 19, 1997: The first NASCAR Busch Series (now Nationwide Series) event at California is won by Todd Bodine.
• 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.

2000s

• October 28, 2000: Gil de Ferran, during a closed track session, tops Mauricio Gugelmin's track record with a blazing .
• 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 speedway.
• September 8, 2001: The first weekend for the street-legal Friday night at California Dragway is run.
• October 4, 2001: An announcement with the Rolex Sports Car Series is made for a several year agreement to race at the new road course integrated into California Speedway.
• November 21, 2001: An announcement is made to let the AMA Chevy Trucks U.S Superbike Championship to run the road course at California Speedway for rounds 2 and 3.
• February 6, 2002: IRL runs a pre-season test session on the road course section of the track.
• March 23, 2002: Didier Theys and Fredy Leinhard Jr. win the first Rolex Sports Car Series event at California Speedway.
• March 24, 2002: Sam Hornish Jr. wins the first IRL race at California Speedway by 0.0281 seconds over Jaques Lazier.
• April 6, 2002: Anthony Gobert wins the first AMA Chevy Trucks U.S. Superbike Championship at California Speedway.
• November 3, 2002: Last CART race at California Speedway is won by Jimmy Vasser.
• 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.
• April 12-April 14, 2007: The Shell Eco-marathon returns to the United States with the Eco-marathon Americas at the California Speedway.
• 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.
• August 30, 2008: Kyle Busch becomes the first driver to ring the "Mobell" which is a new tradition, after he dominated the field to lead 144 of 150 laps in the Camping World RV Service 300 presented by Coleman.

Current races

• NASCAR Sprint Cup Series: Auto Club 500, Pepsi 500
• NASCAR Nationwide Series: Stater Bros. 300, Camping World 300
• NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series: San Bernardino County 200
• Shell Eco-marathon Americas

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series statistics

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Records

(As of 02/25/08)

Most wins	3	Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson
Most Top 5s	8	Jeff Gordon
Most Top 10s	9	Matt Kenseth
Starts	16	5 drivers
Poles	3	Kurt Busch
Laps led	525	Jeff Gordon
Avg. start*	8.6	Kasey Kahne
Avg. finish	6.4	Jimmie Johnson

* from minimum 5 starts.

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Race Winners

• - Race extended due to Green-White-Checker Finish

Season	Date	Official Race Name	Winning Driver	Car #	Sponsor	Make	Distance	Avg Speed	Margin of Victory
1997	June 22	California 500	Jeff Gordon	24	DuPont	Chevrolet Monte Carlo	500 mi		1.074 sec
1998	May 3	California 500 presented by NAPA	Mark Martin	6	Valvoline	Ford Taurus	500 mi		1.287 sec
1999	May 2	California 500 presented by NAPA	Jeff Gordon	24	DuPont	Chevrolet Monte Carlo	500 mi		4.492 sec
2000	April 30	NAPA Auto Parts 500	Jeremy Mayfield	12	Mobil 1	Ford Taurus	500 mi		0.300 sec
2001	April 29	NAPA Auto Parts 500	Rusty Wallace	2	Miller Lite	Ford Taurus	500 mi		0.27 sec
2002	April 28	NAPA Auto Parts 500	Jimmie Johnson	48	Lowes	Chevrolet Monte Carlo	500 mi		0.620 sec
2003	April 27	Auto Club 500	Kurt Busch	97	Rubbermaid	Ford Taurus	500 mi		2.294 sec
2004	May 2	Auto Club 500	Jeff Gordon	24	DuPont	Chevrolet Monte Carlo	500 mi		12.871 sec
2004	September 5	Pop Secret 500	Elliott Sadler	38	M&Ms	Ford Taurus	500 mi		0.263 sec
2005	February 27	Auto Club 500	Greg Biffle	16	Post-It/National Guard	Ford Taurus	500 mi		0.231 sec
2005	September 4	Sony HD 500	Kyle Busch	5	Kelloggs	Chevrolet Monte Carlo	508 mi *		0.554 sec
2006	February 26	Auto Club 500	Matt Kenseth	17	DeWalt	Ford Fusion	502 mi *		0.338 sec
2006	September 3	Sony HD 500	Kasey Kahne	9	Dodge Dealers/UAW	Dodge Charger	500 mi		3.427 sec
2007	February 25	Auto Club 500	Matt Kenseth	17	DeWalt/Carhartt	Ford Fusion	500 mi		0.679 sec
2007	September 2	Sharp AQUOS 500	Jimmie Johnson	48	Lowes	Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS	500 mi		1.868 sec
2008	February 25	Auto Club 500	Carl Edwards	99	Dish Network	Ford Fusion	500 mi		UC
2008	August 31	Pepsi 500	Jimmie Johnson	48	Jimmie Johnson Foundation/Lowe's	Chevrolet Impala	500 mi		UC

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, , October 28, 2000.
• CART Race (500 miles): Jimmy Vasser, , November 3, 2002.
• Indy Racing League Qualifying (one lap): Helio Castroneves, , September 20, 2003.
• IRL Race (400 miles): Sam Hornish, Jr., , September 21, 2003.

References

External links

• Auto Club Speedway Official Site
• California Speedway Page on NASCAR.com
• GNEXTINC.com: California Speedway Page - Local area information, track specs, mapping, news and more.
• Jayski's California Speedway Page - Current and Past California Speedway News
• Trackpedia guide to driving this track
• Caliifornia Speedway Page on Ballparks by Munsey & Suppes
• Super High Resolution image from Windows Live Local