NASCAR has deep roots in the southeastern United States. The founders of the sport grew up in the Carolinas, Alabama and Georgia where they ran moonshine.

Southern California is known for sun, surfing and stars, movie stars that is. Not really the ‘normal’ location for NASCAR.

And yet, just six years after the sport was formed, it was already traveling to the Sunshine State multiple times a year. In 1954, the Grand National Division (now the Sprint Cup Series) took on Oakland Stadium, in Oakland, CA twice, as well as Carrell Speedway in Gardena, CA and Bay Meadows Speedway in San Mateo, CA during the season.

The most famous of the California tracks, prior to Auto Club Speedway, were Riverside International Raceway and Ontario Motor Speedway.

Riverside was a road course that NASCAR’s top series traveled to from 1963 until ‘89. It was the season ending venue from ‘81-‘86. Ontario, on the other hand, was a 2.5-mile oval that was only open for ten years. The Cup Series went there from 1971 through ‘80, with the exception of ‘73. The last race of the season was held at Ontario from 1974 until it closed.

After Riverside locked its gates for good, there were no NASCAR races held in Southern California until California Speedway, now Auto Club Speedway, was opened in ‘97.

The speedway sits on the site of an old steel mill that once produced the steel for ships during World War II. The mill went out of business in the early 80’s and the site was used to film the movie The Terminator.

Penske Motorsports, Inc. bought the land in the 90’s and completed construction on the 2-mile D-shaped oval, similar to Michigan International Speedway.

Jeff Gordon won the first Cup event at the track in 1997.

It is now owned by International Speedway Corporation (ISC), following the company’s merger with Penske Motorsports, Inc. in ’99.

California Speedway was renamed Auto Club Speedway in 2008 and is the only ISC track to have its naming rights sold.

The mix of California’s sunshine and sand with NASCAR’s loud engines and cheering fans seems like a perfect fit, and considering the sport’s history in SoCal both parties have been happy with the union for quite some time.

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