The timeline to turn Auto Club Speedway into a short track remains undetermined, but the facility will not host a NASCAR race in 2024.
Dave Allen, the track president, said on Saturday afternoon a race in Fontana next season had been ruled out, which could extend into the 2025 season. NASCAR will run races on what is now a two-mile oval for the final time on February 26.
“Unfortunately, in ’24, even with the most aggressive timelines, we will not race,” Allen said. “What that timeline is beyond that is still yet to be determined. There (are) just milestones and things we need to get through, not least of which is the design of the racetrack. We’re still working on that.
“There’s been a lot of iterations of what we’re designing both on track and off track with the new facility, and it’ll be really exciting when we get to a point where we can share that because what we’re working on is really exciting. The fact that we race at a half-mile at Martinsville and a half-mile at Bristol, it’d be cool to have another half-mile. Especially out here on the West Coast with so much racing history here.
“We’re looking forward to it. We’re looking forward to getting to a point where we can share that information and get even more excited about it.”
Allen said the timeline of how things fall into place with the reconfiguration will determine if there is a race at Auto Club in 2025. But he admitted it’s “possible” there might not be one.
It’s been over two years since plans for a reconfiguration of the track were announced. Those plans have remained in limbo even past the global pandemic that delayed the start of the demolition and pushed the timeline past the 2022 season, which was the hopeful completion date.
NASCAR and Auto Club Speedway continue to work on their plans for the track and plans for the surrounding land. Auto Club has already removed portions of the Turn 1 and Turn 4 grandstands.
Allen hopes there will be milestones and announcements throughout the year to share about the progress.
Auto Club hosted its first NASCAR race in 1997. It hosted two NASCAR Cup Series races from 2004 through the 2010 season. The only time NASCAR hasn’t made a trip out west was due to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021. However, Allen said Auto Club remains in NASCAR’s future.
“All momentum is headed toward building a half-mile track,” he said. “We’re looking forward to the next chapter.”