California Speedway has a history that you might expect a track just 50 miles from Hollywood to have.
The speedway sits on a 568-acre site that once hosted the first steel mill located west of the Rocky Mountains, Kaiser Steel Mill. The mill produced the steel that helped build the Liberty ships used by the Allies to win World War II.
Kaiser Steel went out of business in 1983. Following that, the site fell into such disrepair that it was used in the movie “The Terminator” to portray a post-Apocalyptic world where men and machines battled each other for supremacy and survival.
Penske Motorsports Inc. purchased the land and completed the track in 1997. The first race held on the track was a Winston West Series race won by Ken Schrader on June 21, 1997. Later that day, Mark Martin won an International Race of Champions event at the new facility. Jeff Gordon won the track’s first Cup race the following day.
California Speedway has also hosted races in the NASCAR Busch and Craftsman Truck Series, as well as events in the IndyCar Series and what is now the Champ Car World Series on its oval and road racing and motorcycle events on its road courses.
In 1999, Penske Motorsports Inc. merged with International Speedway Corporation, bringing California Speedway into the ISC family of tracks.
Beginning in 2004, California Speedway’s 2-mile oval became the host of two NASCAR Cup Series races each year, adding a Labor Day weekend event to its roster of activities.
(Courtesy of NASCAR)
We’re just two races away from the Chase for the Championship, and drivers further down in the standings are jockeying for position. With a number of good runs, Kurt Busch looks like he has cemented his status and should be in. Look for him to run well at the road course this week, along with spring winner Matt Kenseth, Jeff Gordon and rookie Juan Pablo Montoya. -MR