Irwindale, California
January 28, 2018

Irwindale Speedway, the "crown jewel of short track racing", is set to remain open through at least the 2019 racing season.

The race track, which was opened in 1999 and lies 30 miles from downtown Los Angeles, has hosted numerous events during its history and is a Whelen All-American NASCAR racing series home track. In addition to the 1/2 mile oval short track, the property also contains Irwindale Dragstrip, which is a 1/8th mile drag strip. Many NHRA racing events have been hosted by the drag strip, which also hosts open racing Thursday nights - for $20, you can race your car all night long against your friends, other competitors, or simply against the clock as your statistics are provided at the end of each run.

In 2013, the owners of the race track sold the property to a development group who have plans to build a mega-mall on the property. Plans, and ultimately construction, have been delayed, paving the way for more racing over the last four years. The final night of races was scheduled for last night, January 27, 2018, however, a last minute extension was granted with further delays on mall construction. The current racing group had been planning their exit and were already focused on other areas when then extension offer came, and were no longer in a position to organize the 2018 racing season. Management reached out to the racing community, and former late model racer Tim Huddleston and friends, who have been racing at Irwindale Speedway for a number of years, stepped up and agreed to take the reigns of the race track. The new group has worked quickly to schedule a full season for racing in 2018 and the extension was for an unspecified number of years, but at least through the 2019 racing season. Needless to say, many racing fans are ecstatic about this change of events.

During the previously scheduled "final event" last night (still the current operating group's last event), the fans showed their support of the race track by selling out the venue for a special event titled Night of Destruction. This night featured mayhem and chaos, with races such as endure flag pole racing, demolition derby, skit plate racing and trailer racing. The crowd favorite, as always, was the trailer racing which left the track littered in debris from smashed up rv trailers, boats, and any car/truck brave enough to enter. In addition, an amazing fireworks display that seemed to go on forever was put on as a grand finale to the current operating group's time at the helm. An amazing end to a great run.

The 2018 racing series begins in March, and many Southern California race fans are happy to have another year of exciting events to look forward to from Irwindale Speedway and Irwindale Dragstrip.

Brian

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