It was revealed earlier today that NASCAR will not proceed with its plans to construct a short track on the Auto Club Speedway site in Fontana, California. The Next Gen California project is still in an unidentified stage. It has been put on hold because of the association’s worries about the cost of constructing the half-mile short track at the racetrack site. NASCAR commissioner Steve Phelps provided an update on the track’s development, noting that while he expressed his strong desire to have a short track in Fontana, there was no commitment to a project timeframe.
According to Phelps, a short track was the only thing that could be constructed there given the limited space. Of the 522 acres of land, 433 were sold by NASCAR and are now used as an industrial park and warehouses. The commissioner also mentioned how important the California region is to the motorsport industry when discussing his desire to be there. “That market is a significant one for us. I’m still not sure what the future holds for that specific institution. At Fontana, would I like to construct a new facility? Yes, I would. “To be honest, we don’t have room for anything else, so it would be a short track,” Phelps stated, according to Racer.com.
In addition, Phelps expressed uncertainty regarding the project’s capital requirements and whether the investment would be worthwhile at this time. Having said that, building that facility will cost $300 million. Is that how the money should be spent? The key question is that. Pressing pause at this time is basically what we’re doing because the cost of capital is still quite high. However, I would really like to construct a facility there. “I do not have a timeline for when or whether that will occur,” he continued.
Except for Truck Series races, which haven’t been staged at the California location since 2009, the Speedway at Fontana has hosted races for all three tiers of NASCAR’s national series from 1997 to 2023.
The last ten NASCAR Cup Series Auto Club Speedway Race victories Numerous
NASCAR drivers have taken the checkered flag to win at the Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California, since the Cup Series’ inaugural race there in 1997 until its final event in 2023. Some drivers have had the distinction of winning the race at the track more than once, if you look at the last ten race winners.
2013: Kyle Busch
2014: Kyle Busch
2015: Brad Keselowski
2016: Jimmie Johnson
2017: Kyle Larson
2018: Martin Truex Jr.
2019: Kyle Busch
2020: Alex bowman
2022: Kyle Larson
2023: Kyle Busch
In 2021, the speedway did not have a race because of the COVID-19 pandemic. After driving into victory lane six times in total, Jimmie Johnson’s 2016 victory placed him at the top of the list of racetrack victories.
