Is Irwindale Speedway Closing?

The Irwindale City Council has voted to move forward on a plan that would see Irwindale Speedway demolished, the track, one of the last in Los Angeles County could be gone by 2016. In its place the city would like to see a 700,000-square foot outlet mall. The same sad fate has taken many of Southern California’s race tracks over the years including Riverside International and Ontario Motor Speedway.

During the city council meeting, city officials said the outlet mall could mean thousands of jobs and pull in much-needed revenue for the city, with an estimated sales tax revenue of $2.6 million a year.

“This is really exciting for Irwindale,” Mayor Mark Breceda told the LA Times. “It’s going to do wonders for the city.”

Once again motorsports enthusiasts of Southern California are being pushed out leaving few options. This push stands in direct opposition with the statements from so many in law enforcement and government about the current rash of street racing accidents.

Palmdale is closed, Fontana and Fairplex have hardly any public events, Irwindale has been the last bastion of grassroots racing in the greater Los Angeles area that your average enthusiasts has access to.

It looks like Formula D, Thursday Night Drags, and entry level NASCAR events will have to find a new home… but where? As urban sprawl has gobbled up all the open land within 80 miles of Los Angeles, it seems that the era of local race tracks in Southern, California is over.