Sunday’s Auto Club 400 in Fontana, Calif., marked the final chapter of Auto Club Speedway, a 2.5-mile D-shaped oval that was originally built and owned by Roger Penske, the famed owner of Penske Racing (that competes in both Indy Car and NASCAR) and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
For more than 25 years, NASCAR has been visiting the Auto Club Speedway with Jeff Gordon wining the inaugural NASCAR Cup race on June 22, 1997. Shortly after the track was opened by Penske, it was taken over by the International Speedway Corporation (which is essentially NASCAR) and has been owned by ISC ever since.
In the recent years, and especially since the introduction of the NextGen Car, Auto Club Speedway has produced some of the best racing on the NASCAR circuit. The combination of a worn track surface with moderate banking and sprawling turns has produced three-, four-, and even five-wide racing through the corners. Many believed that Auto Club Speedway produced the best race of the 2022 season with then defending NASCAR Cup champion, Kyle Larson, taking the victory only after tangling with his teammate and 2020 Cup champion, Chase Elliott.
Sunday’s race at Auto Club was no exception and produced a fantastic race. After having zero practice or qualifying due to heavy rains (and even snow!) on Saturday, the Cup drivers first laps at speed only came at the drop of the green flag.
Upstart and hero of the last year’s Fall Martinsville race, Ross Chastain, dominated the first half of the race, claiming the first two stage wins. However, as the laps wound down, Richard Childress Racing’s newest acquisition, Kyle Busch, came alive and convincingly outpaced Chastain and the rest of the field. The race featured excellent side-by-side action and tire fall-off and pit strategy was an important factor in determining who was moving to the right and who was falling to the back. Auto Club Speedway has become a favorite of mine in recent years.
Given the spectacular racing in recent years, why is this the final race at Auto Club Speedway? In its simplest terms, money. It was announced last week that NASCAR and ISC had entered into an agreement to sell the track and 433 of the 522-acre property for nearly $550 million. Despite the great racing, I don’t believe anyone could have passed on a deal like that.
NASCAR, however, has retained about 90 acres and plans to reconfigure Auto Club into a short track. Talks for building a short track in Fontana have been ongoing for about three years, and now NASCAR will be forced to put its “money where its mouth is.”
To be honest, I am skeptical that a new track will ever be built, or the speedway reconfigured. Although they retained 90 acres, the cost of building a new facility will not be cheap, especially given all the regulations and re-tape that come with building in California. What if construction of a new facility costs $300 or $350 million? Is that something NASCAR would be willing to undertake or would they rather re-invest the money in their remaining facility, many of which need renovating and updating. Nevertheless, this past weekend could not have seen a better close to Auto Club Speedway.
In my previous column, I discussed wanting to see Kyle Busch win with RCR and sure enough, he did. Is he now the favorite to win the title for 2023? Sure seems like it to me, though we have a long season left.
This week is a busy weekend for racing. NASCAR is at Las Vegas and Formula 1 and Indy Car are back. Here’s looking to more exciting racing.
Zech Yoder is a local resident, an attorney at Adler Attorneys in Noblesville, and a lifelong race fan.