The saga of Irwinale Events Center (otherwise known as Irwindale Speedway and drag strip) took a definite turn for the worst yesterday when the site Curbed Los Angeles reported that the recent sale of the property to a development group known as Lindom Company will result in the likely closure of the facility in December of 2014. Curbed’s story claims that the Lindom company “said” that they will redevelop the 63 acre property into something other than a race track after the current leases on the circle track and strip are up. This royally blows for racers in the greater Los Angeles area who will have only Bakersfield left to run their cars at. As we have said in the past, it seems weirder than weird that BangShift eastern HQ in Massachusetts has (or better said, will have) a drag strip closer to it than Hot Rod Magazine does.
There’s a couple things to mention here regarding the Curbed report. Firstly, they slip in at the end of the piece that the track may not be doomed as immediately as December 2014. They claim that they spoke with someone from the track who said that they are on a year to year lease and that lease could be renewed for years beyond 2014. The real estate company will develop the property when the market is best for doing so. If that isn’t until 10 years from now, great. If that is in 2015, suck ass. The other thing we will mention is that we can find no quote online or from anyone that we called to verify Curbed’s claim that the Lindom Company “said” that they were going to close the place or begin redevelopment in 2015.
We’ll admit that the writing is on the wall for the facility. The major question is not if closure will happen, but when. We hope that the Irwindale Events Center has several more years in it at least. The more depressing thing to think about is the utter and sheer impossibility that another drag strip will ever open near metro Los Angeles again. Fontana closed and doesn’t look to be coming back, Pomona is open or racing a handful of times per year, and Terminal Island won’t ever see the light of day again, either. Damn.
Sorry to be downers to start your day, but such is the nature of this news.
Click here to read the Curbed LA report
This sucks for those guys in CA. But when property is as valuable as it is out there, drag strips have no chance. They take up too much land.
So when is Hot Rod moving out of CA? I guess they still have the 1/8 mile track near San Diego!
OCIR (Orange County Int. Raceway) will have been closed 30 year this Oct. 30th. maybe bangshift could do an article on all the closed CA. drag strips. Like OCIR, San Fernando, Lions, and many many others. If I am not mistaken Cole Coonce is a contributer, I’m sure he has some ideas. Anyway just an idea.
This blows pretty hard, since it’s only about 5 miles from my house. I can’t imagine what they would develop on that site, there’s nothing out there but rock quarries. The Irwindale 8th mile is crap, but it’s all we got around here. Oh well, in 4-5 years I’m retiring and leaving So Cal behind. I’ve had it with this place.
This is BS to the max. I use to go to Irwindale at least twice a month and even when I wasn’t there I live close enough to hear the cars on race night. There was nothing there but a limestone quarry and then a city dump. You find something people enjoy and some one will mess it up.
Things got pretty bad when they started putting up those huge banners on the corner keep fences. Preventing the casual onlookers from watching the practice sessions while basically telling them to take a hike.
Man…..I hate to hear this kind of news even though I have never been lucky enough to visit The Irwindale Speedway. What a great place it must have been back when it first opened and then all the years it has been in operation.I know they also gave a place for kids to race on a track instead of on the streets. These type of tracks seem to be closing at a rapid pace to put in things that really are not needed. Does L.A. need more condos? More Walmarts? More Home Depots? I don’t know a lot about L.A., but I’m really curious what is put in it’s place.
Tracks have been closing all over the place for years. Rumors have even been that Pomona will close due to resident complaints of noise, traffic etc. And land developers wanting it.
The track sits in what used to be a rock quarry, surrounded other rock quarries. That neighborhood was once place developers wanted to build a new football stadium in order to attract an NFL team.
Since then, they have been going back and forth building one downtown.
This will only lead to more illegal street racing and more deaths on the street.
GOING TO MISS SWAPMEET TO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!. BUMMER .