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Line 10: \|Image = Auto Club Speedway (formerly California Speedway) - Speedway.svg \|Image_caption = D-shaped oval (1997–2023) \|Capacity = 122,000 (total)<ref>{{cite web \|title=Auto Club Speedway Track News, Records & Links \|url=http://www.jayski.com/news/tracks/story/_/page/auto-club-speedway \|website~~=jayski.com\|publisher~~=jayski.com\|access-date=5 March 2016}}</ref> \|Owner = [[NASCAR#International Speedway Corporation\|NASCAR]] (2019–2023)<br />[[International Speedway Corporation]] (1999–2019) \|Operator = [[NASCAR]] (1999–2023) Line 20: \|Events = '''Former:''' <br />'''[[NASCAR Cup Series]]'''<br>''[[Pala Casino 400]]'' (1997–2020, 2022–2023)<br>''[[Pepsi Max 400]]'' (2004–2010) <br />'''[[NASCAR Xfinity Series]]'''<br>''[[NASCAR Xfinity Series at Auto Club Speedway\|Production Alliance Group 300]]'' (1997–2020, 2022–2023)<br />[[NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series]]<br>''[[San Bernardino County 200]]'' (1997–2009)<br />[[IndyCar Series]]<br>''[[MAVTV 500]]'' (1997–2005, 2012–2015)<br />[[AMA Superbike Championship]] (2002–2010)<br />[[Rolex Sports Car Series]] (2002–2005) \|Miles_first = True \|Layout1 = D-shaped oval (~~1997–2024~~1997–2023) \|Surface = [[Asphalt concrete\|Asphalt]] \|Length_km = 3.219 Line 31: \|Record_year = [[1997 Marlboro 500\|1997]] \|Record_class = [[Champ Car\|CART]] \|Layout2 = Interior Road Course (~~2001–2024~~2001–2023) \|Surface2 = Asphalt \|Length_km2 = 2.494 Line 41: \|Record_year2 = [[2004 All Japan Grand Touring Car Championship\|2004]] \|Record_class2 = [[Super GT#GT500\|Super GT (GT500)]] \|Layout3 = Sports Car Course (~~2001–2024~~2001–2023) \|Surface3 = Asphalt \|Length_km3 = 4.635 Line 52: \|Record_year3 = [[2002 Rolex Sports Car Series\|2002]] \|Record_class3 = [[Le Mans Prototype#History\|LMP900]] \|Layout4 = Motorcycle Course (~~2001–2024~~2001–2023) \|Surface4 = Asphalt \|Length_km4 = 3.798 Line 66: \|Closed={{Start date and age\|dd=yes\|2023\|02\|27}}}} '''Auto Club Speedway''' (known as '''California Speedway''' before and after the 2008–2023 corporate sponsorship ~~from~~by the [[Automobile Club of Southern California~~\|Auto Club~~]]<ref name="sponsor">{{cite web\|title=California Speedway to change name UPDATE\|url=http://www.jayski.com/pages/tracks/past/california-past.htm\|publisher=jayski.com\|access-date=September 13, 2010\|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100102100446/http://jayski.com/pages/tracks/past/california-past.htm\|archive-date=January 2, 2010\|url-status=dead}}</ref>) was a {{cvt\|2.000\|mi\|km\|abbr=on}}, D-shaped oval [[superspeedway]] in unincorporated [[San Bernardino County, California]], near [[Fontana, California\|Fontana]]. It hosted [[~~NASCAR~~National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing]] (NASCAR) racing annually from 1997 until 2023. It was also previously used for [[open wheel racing]] events. The racetrack iswas located {{cvt\|47\|mi\|km\|adj=on}} east of [[Los Angeles]] and iswas near the former locations of [[Ontario Motor Speedway]] and [[Riverside International Raceway]]. The track iswas last owned and operated by NASCAR. The speedway iswas served by the nearby Interstates [[Interstate 10 in California\|10]] and [[Interstate 15 in California\|15]] freeways as well as a [[Metrolink (California)\|Metrolink]] station located behind the backstretch. Construction of the track, on the site of the former [[Kaiser Steel]] Mill, began in 1995 and was completed in late 1996. The speedway's main grandstand ~~has~~had a capacity of 68,000, additionally it ~~features~~featured 28 skyboxes and ~~has~~had a grand total capacity of 122,000. In 2006, a fanzone was added behind the main grandstand. Lights were added to the speedway in 2004 with the addition of a second annual NASCAR weekend. ~~Since~~From 2011 to 2023, the track ~~has~~ hosted only one NASCAR weekend each year. A 500-mile [[American open-wheel car racing\|American open-wheel car race]] was held under [[Championship Auto Racing Teams]] sanctioning from 1997 to 2002. The current [[IndyCar]] sanctioning body ran a 400-mile race from 2002 to 2005 and a 500-mile race from 2012 to 2015, which was usually the season finale. Its last IndyCar race was the [[2015 MAVTV 500]]. In 2023, the track was closed for reconstruction as part of the Next Gen California project. ~~Demolition~~and ~~began~~demolition started in October ~~of that year.<ref>https://thespun~~2023.~~com/more/nascar/nascar-fontana-track-is-currently-being-demolished</ref>~~ == Track history == Line 78: === Early history and construction === On April 20, 1994, [[Roger Penske]] and [[Kaiser Steel]] announced the construction of a racetrack on the site of the abandoned ~~[[Kaiser Steel\|~~Kaiser Steel Mill]] in [[Fontana, California]]. A day after the announcement, [[~~Champ~~Championship ~~Car\|CART~~Auto Racing Teams]] (CART) announced it would hold an annual race at the speedway. Three months later [[NASCAR]] president [[Bill France Jr.]] agreed to sanction [[NASCAR Cup Series]] races at the speedway upon completion, marking the first time NASCAR made a commitment to run a race at a track that had yet to be built.<ref name="Dates">{{Cite news\|last=Eisenberg \|first=Jeff \|title=Looking Back: Key dates in the history of California Speedway \|newspaper=The Press Enterprise \|year=2007 \|url=http://www.pe.com/sports/projects/2007/10years/# \|access-date=September 13, 2010 \|url-status=dead \|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090212120327/http://www.pe.com/sports/projects/2007/10years/ \|archive-date=February 12, 2009 }}</ref> Community meetings were held to discuss issues related to the construction of the track and the local effects of events held. The local community largely supported construction of the speedway citing potentially increased land values and rejuvenation of the community. In April 1995, after having toured the sister track Michigan International Speedway, the [[San Bernardino County]] Board of Supervisors unanimously approved the project.<ref name="latimes">{{Cite news \| last = Glick\| first = Shav\| title = New Track Is a Steel California Speedway Will Be Built on Site of Old Fontana Mill \| newspaper = [[Los Angeles Times]]\| url = http://articles.latimes.com/1995-11-27/sports/sp-7600_1_california-speedway\| access-date=November 13, 2010\| date=November 27, 1995}}</ref> The [[California Environmental Protection Agency]] gave Penske permission to begin construction after Kaiser agreed to pay US$6 million to remove hazardous waste from the site. Construction on the site began on November 22, 1995, with the demolition of the Kaiser Steel Mill.<ref name="Dates" /> The {{convert\|100\|ft\|adj=on}} [[water tower]], a landmark of the Kaiser property, was preserved in the center of the track to be used as a scoreboard. {{convert\|3000\|cuyd}} of contaminated dirt was removed and transported to a toxic waste landfill. To prevent remaining impurities from rising to the surface, a cap of non-porous [[polyethylene]] was put down and covered with {{convert\|2\|ft}} of clean soil.<ref name="latimes" /> Construction of the track was completed in late 1996.<ref name="Dates" /> On January 10, 1997, Marlboro Team Penske's driver [[Paul Tracy]] became the first driver to test on the new speedway. NASCAR held its first open test session on at the track from May 5–7. The official opening and ribbon cutting ceremony was held on June 20, 1997, with the first race, a [[NASCAR West Series]] race, being held the next day.<ref name="Dates" /> Line 88: With early success following the opening of the track, the speedway began to expand reserved grandstand seating along the front stretch with an additional 15,777 seats. In May 1999, an additional 28 skyboxes were added to the top of the main grandstand. In 2001 the Auto Club Dragway, a {{cvt\|0.250\|mi\|km\|abbr=on}} dragstrip, was built outside of the backstretch of the main speedway. That same year, the infield of the speedway was reconfigured to hold a multipurpose road course. On April 24, 2003, The San Bernardino County Planning Commission approved the changing of the speedway's conditional use permit to allow the installation of lights around the track. Later that year NASCAR announced a second annual NASCAR Cup Series race at the track for the 2004 season, with the second race being run "under the lights".<ref>{{cite web\|author=Jensen, Tom \|date=August 7, 2010 \|url=http://www.racingconnection.com/NascarEventPackages/california_speedwayseating.htm \|title=California Speedway \|publisher=Racingconnection.com \|access-date=September 14, 2010}}</ref> NASCAR ran two weekends of racing annually until the [[2011 in NASCAR\|2011 season]], when the track returned to a single annual race weekend.<ref>{{cite web \|url=http://nascar.speedtv.com/article/cup-auto-club-loses-chase-date/ \|title=NASCAR — CUP: Auto Club Loses Chase Date — SPEED.com \|publisher=Nascar.speedtv.com \|date=August 7, 2010 \|access-date=September 14, 2010 \|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100818074629/http://nascar.speedtv.com/article/cup-auto-club-loses-chase-date/ \|archive-date=August 18, 2010 \|url-status=dead \|df=mdy-all }}</ref> In 2006, the speedway's midway, located behind the main grandstand, was overhauled. The new midway, called the "Discover IE FanZone", ~~includes~~included the addition of Apex (a [[Wolfgang Puck]] restaurant), additional shade and lounge areas, a retail store and an entertainment stage.<ref>{{cite web\|title=2006 Racing Season Concludes, 2007 Just Around the Corner \|url=http://www.autoclubspeedway.com/Articles/2006/10/2006-Racing-Season-Concludes-2007-Just-Around-The-Corner.aspx\|publisher=Autoclubspeedway.com\|date=October 5, 2006\|access-date=September 13, 2010}}</ref> In March 2014, the Las Vegas-based company Exotics Racing expanded to California by opening a new 1.2 mile road course at the Auto Club Speedway. Line 111: === In popular culture === The ~~facility~~track iswas often used for filming television shows, commercials and films. In 2000, portions of ''[[Charlie's Angels (2000 film)\|Charlie's Angels]]'' were filmed at the speedway,<ref>{{cite web\|url=http://www.seeing-stars.com/locations/ca1/CharliesAngels3.shtml \|title=Charlie's Angels Filming Locations — part 3 \|publisher=Seeing-stars.com \|access-date=September 13, 2010}}</ref> and in 2005, portions of ''[[Herbie: Fully Loaded]]'' were filmed there.<ref>{{cite web\|title=Trivia for Herbie Fully Loaded \|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0400497/trivia\|publisher=imdb.com\|access-date=September 13, 2010\| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20100912170322/http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0400497/trivia\| archive-date= September 12, 2010 \| url-status= live}}</ref> In 2007, ''[[The Bucket List]]'' saw [[Jack Nicholson]] and [[Morgan Freeman]] drive a vintage Shelby Mustang and Dodge Challenger around the {{convert\|2\|mi\|km\|adj=on}} speedway.<ref>{{cite web\|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0825232/locations \|title=Filming Locations For The Bucket List \|publisher=IMDB.com \|access-date=November 13, 2010}}</ref> The track was used as [[Daytona International Speedway]] in the 2019 film ''[[Ford v Ferrari]]''. A parody of the track was used in the 2006 [[Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures\|Disney]]/[[Pixar]] [[animated]] film ''[[Cars (film)\|Cars]]'' in the end of the film. It is the venue for the Piston Cup tiebreaker race between the movie's main character [[Lightning McQueen]] (voiced by [[Owen Wilson]]), retiring veteran [[Strip "The King" Weathers]] (voiced by [[Richard Petty]]) and perennial runner-up [[Chick Hicks]] (voiced by [[Michael Keaton]]). The race is held at the Los Angeles International Speedway, which is a conglomeration of the [[Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum]], the [[Arroyo Seco (Los Angeles County)\|Arroyo Seco]] in [[Pasadena, California\|Pasadena]] where the [[Rose Bowl (stadium)\|Rose Bowl]] is located, as well as the Auto Club Speedway. Line 117: === Fatalities === [[Image:ACSpits.jpg\|thumb\|right\|Main grandstand from pit road at Auto Club Speedway]] During the [[1999 Marlboro 500]] CART race, Canadian driver [[Greg Moore (race car driver)\|Greg Moore]] died 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. The incident prompted the track owners, [[International Speedway Corporation\|ISC]], to pave the backstretch of both Auto Club Speedway and its sister track [[Michigan International Speedway]] in an attempt to prevent a similar accident. Shortly after the crash, CART mandated the use of a head-and-neck restraint system on all ovals. The rule eventually became mandatory on all tracks.<ref>{{cite news\|title=Moore, 24, killed in horrifying CART crash\|url=http://espn.go.com/auto/cart/news/1999/1031/144448.html\|access-date=September 13, 2010\|work=ESPN News Services\|agency=[[Associated Press]]\|publisher=ESPN Internet Ventures\|date=November 3, 1999\|location=[[Fontana, California]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web\|title=Greg Moore \|url=http://www.danspitstopracing.com/greg_moore \|access-date=November 13, 2010 \|url-status=dead \|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100531214158/http://www.danspitstopracing.com/greg_moore \|archive-date=May 31, 2010 }}</ref> On April 5, 2002, Ricky Lundgren was killed in a qualifying session for a motorcycle race.<ref>{{cite news\|last=Henderson\|first=Martin\|title=Motorcyclist Dies at California Speedway\|url=http://articles.latimes.com/2002/apr/06/sports/sp-death06\|access-date=January 19, 2016\|work=[[Los Angeles Times]]\|date=April 6, 2002}}</ref> Line 128: === Planned reconstruction === On September 8, 2020, it was revealed that documents for the reconstruction of the facility as a half-mile high banked oval had been filed with San Bernardino County. As first reported by ''The Insider'', the new short track layout would feature long straightaways like [[Martinsville Speedway]] and high banked turns like those featured at [[Bristol Motor Speedway]]. According to the published preliminary site plan, the new layout would fit inside the footprint of the current layout's trioval, and utilize much of the existing infrastructure such as the garages (which would be outside the new track), main grandstand and pit road suites (which would overlook the relocated backstretch). The work ~~would be~~was scheduled to start after the 2021 Auto Club 400, and ~~was scheduled~~ to be completed in time for the 2022 season.<ref>{{cite web \|url=https://www.jayski.com/2020/09/08/auto-club-speedway-to-be-reconfigured-to-half-mile-short-track/ \|title=Auto Club Speedway to be reconfigured to half-mile short track \|website=[[Jayski's Silly Season Site]] \|publisher=NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. \|date=September 8, 2020 \|access-date=September 9, 2020}}</ref> In December 2020, it was announced that the 2021 race weekend had been cancelled due to complications surrounding the [[COVID-19 pandemic]].<ref>{{Cite web \|url=https://www.nascar.com/news-media/2020/12/08/nascar-2021-schedule-auto-club-races-shifted-to-daytona-road-course/ \|title=Auto Club races shifted to Daytona Road Course \|website=NASCAR.com \|publisher=NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. \|date=8 December 2020 \|access-date=8 December 2020}}</ref> On February 27, 2022, Auto Club Speedway president Dave Allen announced on [[Sirius XM]] NASCAR Radio that plans to convert the speedway ~~have~~had been put on hold.<ref>{{cite web \|url=https://www.jayski.com/2022/02/27/plans-to-convert-auto-club-speedway-to-short-track-are-on-hold/ \|title=Plans to Convert Auto Club Speedway to Short Track are on Hold \|website=[[Jayski's Silly Season Site]] \|publisher=NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. \|date=27 February 2022 \|access-date=28 February 2022}}</ref> With the [[Busch Light Clash at The Coliseum\|Busch Light Clash]] now being held at the [[Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum]] beginning in 2022, there was now no official commitment from NASCAR to follow through with plans to convert the speedway. In early 2023, following the [[Busch Light Clash at The Coliseum]], NASCAR ~~COO~~[[chief operating officer]] Steve O'Donnell made mention that NASCAR was, "evaluating the market as a whole and what's the best place for us to race within the totality of 2024 and beyond."<ref>{{Cite web \|title=Moment to celebrate: NASCAR starts its 75th anniversary season with a continued eye on change \|url=https://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Journal/Issues/2023/02/13/Upfront/nascar-75th.aspx \|access-date=2023-02-16 \|website=www.sportsbusinessjournal.com \|date=February 13, 2023 \|language=en}}</ref> In 2023, the track was closed for reconstruction as part of the Next Gen California racing project. Demolition began in October 2023.<ref>{{cite web \|last1=Rosvoglou \|first1=Chris \|title=Longtime NASCAR Track Is Currently Being Demolished \|url=https://thespun.com/more/nascar/nascar-fontana-track-is-currently-being-demolished \|publisher=The Spun \|access-date=17 March 2024 \|language=en \|date=16 March 2024}}</ref> ==Transportation== The Auto Club speedway was served by a special [[Metrolink (California)\|Metrolink]] station, opened only on race days.<ref>{{cite web \|title=Special Metrolink service to Auto Club 400 available \|url=https://metrolinktrains.com/news/news_item/news_id/908.html \|website=[[Metrolink (California)\|Metrolink]] \|access-date=29 January 2024 \|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140318024553/https://metrolinktrains.com/news/news_item/news_id/908.html \|archive-date=18 March 2014 \|date=12 March 2014}}</ref> {{Adjacent stations\|system=Metrolink (California)\|line=San Bernardino\|left=Rancho Cucamonga\|right=Fontana\|note-mid=(race days) }} == Racing events == === ~~Current~~Former races === * [[NASCAR Cup Series]]: ''[[Pala Casino 400]]'' (1997–2020, 2022–2023) ''[[Pepsi Max 400]]'' (2004–2010)▼ * [[NASCAR Xfinity Series]]: *''[[Production Alliance Group 300]]'' (1997–2020, 2022–2023) Shell [[Eco-marathon]] Americas▼ [[ChampCar Endurance Series]]▼ The Wilwood Grand Prix at Auto Club Speedway▼ ~~=== Former races ===~~ [[NASCAR Cup Series]] ▲*''[[Pepsi Max 400]]'' (2004–2010) [[NASCAR Camping World Truck Series]] *''[[San Bernardino County 200]]'' (1997–2009) Line 157 ⟶ 160: [[IROC]] (1997–1998, 2002) * [[All Japan Grand Touring Car Championship]] (2004, exhibition race) ▲* Shell [[Eco-marathon]] Americas ▲[[ChampCar Endurance Series]] ▲The Wilwood Grand Prix at Auto Club Speedway == Other events == Red, White and Cruise  — A [[Independence Day (United States)\|July 4]] festival consisting of a car show, various family-friendly entertainment and a fireworks show. * [[Epicenter (music festival)\|Epicenter 2010]] at the speedway's midway * Cardenas Festival — The annual Cardenas Festival is held in the parking lot. This is a festival where all the companies that sell food at the [[Cardenas_(supermarket)\|Cardenas supermarket chain]] give out free samples of new or upcoming food. There are also performances from many artists. Line 165 ⟶ 171: == Track length of paved oval == The original track length iswas disputed by CART and NASCAR that ~~run~~ran at Auto Club Speedway. The NASCAR timing and scoring ~~use~~previously used a length of exactly {{convert\|2.000\|mi\|km}}.<ref>[http://www.nascar.com/en_us/nascar-tracks/auto-club-speedway.html Auto Club Speedway at NASCAR.com]</ref> The IRL timing and scoring ~~use~~ also used a length of exactly {{cvt\|2.000\|mi\|km\|abbr=on}} ~~since their first race in 2002~~.<ref>[http://www.imscdn.com/INDYCAR/Documents/3315/2015-06-27/indycar-race-results.pdf 2015 IndyCar race result at Indycar homepage].</ref> CART measured the track as {{cvt\|2.029\|mi\|km\|abbr=on}} and used this length for timing and scoring between 1997 and 2002.<ref>[http://www.champcarstats.com/races/200218.htm The 500 Presented by Toyota result on champcarstats.com]</ref> == Track records == Line 781 ⟶ 787: [[Category:NASCAR tracks\|Auto Club]] [[Category:NHRA Division 7 drag racing venues\|Auto Club]] [[Category:Sports venues completed in 1997]] [[Category:1997 establishments in California]] [[Category:2023 disestablishments in California]]