Fox Raceway at Pala
Fox Raceway at Pala at a glance
- Location
- Pala, California
- Type
- motocross
- Surface
- hard-pack/loam natural terrain
- Opened
- 2010
- Owner
- Pala Band of Mission Indians
- Address
- 12799 California Highway 76
- Phone
- +1 760-292-6269
- Website
- raceway.palatribe.com
Track map and layout
Fox Raceway sits on tribal land owned by the Pala Band of Mission Indians in the inland hills of northern San Diego County, and the property is built around four distinct riding areas rather than one single track: a Kids Track, a Vet Track for beginner/intermediate riders, a Main/Pro Track with the biggest jumps and obstacles, and an SX1 supercross-style track restricted to licensed AMA professionals and SMX development-series riders. The Main/Pro layout is the one groomed for the annual Pro Motocross National and features Southern California's typically hard-pack, dusty terrain rather than the deep loam of the Midwest tracks on the circuit, rewarding precise lines and strong braking over raw horsepower. Because the facility doubles as a year-round public and pro-team practice park, the National-week layout is reshaped from the day-to-day public configuration.
Configurations
| Layout | Length | Used for |
|---|---|---|
| Main/Pro Track | — | Reshaped for the annual Fox Raceway National |
| SX1 Track | — | Supercross-style track restricted to licensed pros and SMX Next/Futures riders |
| Vet Track | — | Beginner/intermediate public riding |
| Kids Track | — | For riders 15 and under on 125cc and below |
Events and race weekends
Fox Raceway hosts the Fox Raceway National, a round of the Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship and Southern California's home round on the series. The facility first joined the Pro Motocross calendar in 2010, hosting the season finale in back-to-back years, and returned to a regular slot on the schedule from 2019 onward, filling the gap left since Carlsbad Raceway's last national in 1982. Outside the National, the venue is a year-round public riding park and a frequent practice stop for professional teams based in Southern California.
| Event | Series | When | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fox Raceway National | AMA Pro Motocross Championship | May/June | Southern California round of the series |
Getting there and parking
Fox Raceway is in Pala, inland northern San Diego County, roughly an hour north of downtown San Diego and about 90 minutes south of Los Angeles, making San Diego International Airport the most convenient fly-in option for most visitors.
- San Diego International Airport (SAN) · about 70 min drive
The facility is closed Wednesdays and Thursdays for track prep during its normal public riding schedule, so plan riding trips for Monday, Tuesday, or Friday through Sunday.
Hotels and camping near Fox Raceway at Pala
Most National-weekend visitors either camp on-site or stay in nearby Temecula or Escondido, both within roughly 30-45 minutes and offering a wide range of hotels for those who prefer not to camp in the Southern California heat.
Where to look
Temecula and Escondido, California, both roughly 30-45 minutes from the track, offer the widest range of hotel options; Pala itself has the on-site Pala Casino Resort as an option.
Camping
On-site overnight camping is available in designated areas for $35 per night with rider wristbands required, subject to quiet hours and a 7pm checkout on departure day; reservations are non-refundable.
RV
RV camping is permitted within the same designated camping areas as tent camping; on-site RV maintenance is not allowed.
Track days, driving experiences and lap records
Fox Raceway is a public pay-to-ride park most of the year, open Monday, Tuesday, and Friday through Sunday from roughly 9am to 2pm across its Kids, Vet, and Main/Pro tracks, with Wednesdays and Thursdays reserved for track preparation. The separate SX1 supercross track is restricted to current AMA professional license holders and SMX Next/Futures participants rather than the general public.
Who runs days here
- Fox Raceway public track daysmotorcycle
Spectator guide
Fox Raceway's hillside terrain around the Main/Pro Track gives National-week spectators wide sightlines across much of the layout, and Southern California's dry inland climate means a hot, sun-exposed race day with limited natural shade in most viewing areas. The venue's trackside Fox Racing Pro Shop and support vendors add to the race-weekend atmosphere beyond just watching the motos.
Seating
General-admission hillside viewing predominates around the Main/Pro Track during National week.
Weather
- May-Jun: hot, dry inland Southern California conditions, highs commonly in the mid-80s to low 90s°F
History of Fox Raceway at Pala
A return to Southern California
After Carlsbad Raceway's last AMA national in 1982, Southern California went without a Pro Motocross round for nearly three decades, despite the region's outsized importance to the sport's culture and industry. That changed in 2010, when the newly built Pala Raceway, developed on land owned by the Pala Band of Mission Indians in inland San Diego County, was chosen to host the Pro Motocross Championship's season finale for two consecutive years. Ryan Dungey and Dean Wilson won the 450 and 250 class finales respectively during that stretch, with Wilson going undefeated across all four motos in his class.
A gap and a comeback
After its initial two-year run as a national venue, the track continued operating primarily as a year-round public riding park and professional-team practice facility rather than a fixture on the national calendar. In January 2019, the facility, rebranded under sponsorship as Fox Raceway, was announced as returning to the Pro Motocross Championship schedule as the series' Southern California home round, restoring a permanent SoCal stop to the calendar for the first time in years.
Present day
Today Fox Raceway operates as both a working professional national venue and a genuinely public facility, with four distinct tracks catering to everyone from young kids to licensed AMA professionals training on the supercross-style SX1 layout. The Fox Raceway National remains one of the more geographically distinctive rounds of the series, contrasting Southern California's dusty, hard-pack terrain with the loamy Midwest and Eastern tracks that dominate the rest of the Pro Motocross calendar, and the facility's location on Pala tribal land continues to anchor motocross racing in the region the sport helped popularize decades earlier.
Frequently asked questions
Where is Fox Raceway at Pala located?+
At 12799 California Highway 76 in Pala, California, in inland northern San Diego County, about an hour north of downtown San Diego.
When did Fox Raceway first host a Pro Motocross National?+
The track, then known as Pala Raceway, first hosted the Pro Motocross Championship season finale in 2010 and 2011, then returned as a regular round of the schedule starting in 2019 under the Fox Raceway name.
Can the public ride Fox Raceway?+
Yes. Fox Raceway is a public pay-to-ride park open Monday, Tuesday, and Friday through Sunday, roughly 9am-2pm, across its Kids, Vet, and Main/Pro tracks; it's closed Wednesday and Thursday for track prep.
Can you camp at Fox Raceway during National weekend?+
Yes, on-site overnight camping is available in designated areas for $35 per night with a rider wristband, subject to quiet hours and checkout rules.
Who owns Fox Raceway?+
The facility is on land owned by the Pala Band of Mission Indians, who operate it as Fox Raceway under sponsorship from Fox Racing.
Is the SX1 track at Fox Raceway open to the public?+
No, the SX1 supercross-style track is restricted to current AMA professional license holders and SMX Next/Futures event participants.
Other tracks nearby
- Auto Club Speedway / California Speedway · 56 mi · oval
- Grand Prix of Long Beach · 70 mi · street circuit
- Willow Springs International Raceway · 125 mi · road course
- Las Vegas Motor Speedway · 233 mi · oval
- Phoenix Raceway · 275 mi · oval
- WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca · 346 mi · road course
Facts checked against 5 sources including the official circuit website. Last reviewed 2026-09-09.