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Track guide · oval
Auto Club Speedway / California Speedway
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Auto Club Speedway / California Speedway at a glanceChecked 2026-09-09
- Length
- 2 mi3.219 km
- Turns
- 4
- Opened
- 1997
- Capacity
- 68,000
- Location
- Fontana, California
- Type
- oval
- Direction
- counter-clockwise
- Banking
- 14° in the turns, 11° on the frontstretch, 3° on the backstretch
- Surface
- asphalt
- Owner
- NASCAR
- Address
- 9300 Cherry Avenue
- Website
- autoclubspeedway.com
Track map and layout
IMPORTANT CONTEXT: Auto Club Speedway's original 2-mile D-shaped oval, described here for historical reference, is no longer standing. The track closed permanently in February 2023 and demolition of the grandstands and racing surface began that October to make way for NASCAR's planned redevelopment. The 2-mile layout that raced from 1997 to 2023 was a wide, sweeping D-shaped superspeedway similar in spirit to sister track Michigan International Speedway, with moderate 14-degree banking that produced multi-groove racing and made it a fan and driver favorite among NASCAR's 'cookie cutter' intermediate ovals. NASCAR's stated plan is to build a much smaller, high-banked paperclip-style short track, roughly half a mile long, on part of the retained property, but as of 2026 that project remains unbuilt and unscheduled.
Named corners and sections
Turn 1 (former).
Entry to the wide, 14-degree banked corner off the old frontstretch, part of the demolished 2-mile layout.
Turn 3 (former).
Mirror corner on the back half of the old D-shaped oval, also demolished as of 2024.
Configurations
2-mile D-shaped oval (1997-2023, demolished)
2 miHosted NASCAR Cup, Xfinity, Truck and IndyCar racing until closure in February 2023
Planned half-mile short track (not yet built)
0.5 miNASCAR's announced but unscheduled 'Next Gen in California' redevelopment concept
Events and race weekends
Auto Club Speedway hosts no races today. Its final NASCAR Cup Series event ran in February 2023, ending a 26-year run of annual Cup racing, and the track has not appeared on the NASCAR national-series schedule since. NASCAR has stated an intention to eventually build a new short track on part of the property, but no race has been scheduled and no return date has been announced as of 2026.
Getting there and parking
Los Angeles International Airport and Ontario International Airport are both within reasonable driving distance of the Fontana site, with Ontario the closer of the two at roughly 20-25 minutes. There is currently no event to plan travel around, since the speedway is closed and under redevelopment.
- ONTOntario International Airport (ONT)about 25 mindrive
- LAXLos Angeles International Airport (LAX)about 70 mindrive
TipThere is no active event calendar at the site; check NASCAR and local news for any update on the short-track redevelopment before planning a visit.
Hotels and camping near Auto Club Speedway / California Speedway
With the track closed and no events scheduled, there is no current race-weekend lodging pattern to describe. The Inland Empire cities of Fontana, Ontario and Rancho Cucamonga sit closest to the property for anyone visiting the area for other reasons.
Where to look
Ontario, Rancho Cucamonga and Fontana in the Inland Empire, or the greater Los Angeles area further west.
Track days, driving experiences and lap records
There is no public driving or ride-along program at Auto Club Speedway; the facility has been closed since February 2023 and its grandstands and racing surface were demolished starting in October 2023 to prepare the site for redevelopment.
Drive Auto Club Speedway / California Speedway in a sim
These racing games and simulators include Auto Club Speedway / California Speedway as official content. Mods and community tracks are not listed.
iRacing
paid trackLayouts—
Building a sim rig? Four example setups from $279 → · Every real track in sim racing games
Checked against each publisher’s track list in October 2026 (read 19 Oct 2026).
Spectator guide
There is no spectator experience to describe at Auto Club Speedway today; the venue that once seated up to 68,000 in its grandstands has been demolished and is not open to the public in any race-day capacity.
History of Auto Club Speedway / California Speedway
Building on a steel mill site
Auto Club Speedway opened in June 1997 as California Speedway, built by Penske Motorsports on the site of the former Kaiser Steel mill in Fontana, east of Los Angeles. The wide, 2-mile D-shaped oval quickly became a favorite among NASCAR drivers for its sweeping, multi-groove racing surface, and it hosted both NASCAR Cup Series and IndyCar Series events through much of its history, along with two Cup weekends a year during peak seasons.
A Southern California fixture
International Speedway Corporation took over the venue in 1999, and the Automobile Club of Southern California bought naming rights in 2008, renaming it Auto Club Speedway. For 26 consecutive years it served as NASCAR's flagship stop in the massive Los Angeles media market, hosting Cup Series racing every season from 1997 through early 2023, along with a long run of IndyCar events through 2015.
Closure and demolition
NASCAR, which took ownership of the speedway in its 2019 corporate consolidation, ran the track's final Cup Series race in February 2023 and closed the facility immediately afterward as part of a plan to sell most of the surrounding 500-plus acres for industrial and warehouse development. Demolition of the original 2-mile oval's grandstands and racing surface began in October 2023, and by 2024 large portions of the site had visibly disappeared under warehouse construction.
An unbuilt future
NASCAR's stated plan, branded 'Next Gen in California,' called for retaining a smaller parcel to build a new high-banked short track roughly half a mile long, conceptually similar to Bristol or Martinsville, to keep a NASCAR presence in Southern California. As of 2026, however, that project remains unbuilt: NASCAR has confirmed the short track is still intended but has repeatedly cited construction costs and other priorities for the lack of a firm timeline, leaving the historic Fontana site's motorsports future genuinely uncertain.
Frequently asked questions
Is Auto Club Speedway still open?
No. The track closed permanently in February 2023 and its grandstands and 2-mile oval were demolished starting in October 2023.
Will NASCAR build a new track in Fontana?
NASCAR has stated an intention to build a smaller, high-banked half-mile short track on part of the property, but as of 2026 the project has no confirmed timeline or start date.
When was the last NASCAR race at Auto Club Speedway?
The final Cup Series race ran in February 2023, ending a 26-year run of annual NASCAR racing at the venue.
How long was the original Auto Club Speedway track?
The demolished oval was 2 miles per lap, with 14-degree banking in the turns, similar in style to Michigan International Speedway.
What happened to the Auto Club Speedway property?
Most of the roughly 500-acre site was sold for warehouse and industrial development; NASCAR retained a smaller parcel for its planned but unbuilt short track.
Can visitors still drive on the Auto Club Speedway track?
No. There is no public access, driving experience, or event program at the site since its 2023 closure and demolition.
Which racing games and sims have Auto Club Speedway / California Speedway?
Auto Club Speedway / California Speedway is officially available in iRacing. Some of these include it in the base game and others sell it as paid content; the table above shows which.
Other tracks nearby
Facts checked against 6 sources including the official circuit website. Last reviewed 2026-09-09.