Auto Club Speedway

Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California was a 2-mile D-shaped oval that brought high-speed, high-drama racing to the Inland Empire from 1997 through 2023. Built on the site of the former Kaiser Steel mill, the track's wide racing surface and relatively flat 14-degree banking produced a style of racing that rewarded horsepower and aerodynamic efficiency. The long straightaways and sweeping corners allowed for significant speeds, and the wide surface aged into one of the best multi-groove racing experiences on the schedule. As the abrasive asphalt wore down over two decades, it developed a character that drivers loved — multiple lanes through the corners, high tire degradation that punished over-aggression, and a surface texture that rewarded smooth, precise driving. Auto Club was the rare track that produced genuinely different racing than its intermediate-track peers, a product of its unique two-mile geometry and an aging surface that NASCAR ultimately decided to replace with a half-mile short track. The final race in 2023 was a celebration of what the big oval had given the sport over 26 years.

Written by Richard R. Glover, NASCAR Reference