NASCAR commissioner Steve Phelps has confirmed what was already a well known sentiment across the industry — that the redevelopment of Auto Club Speedway is currently on hiatus.
The final race at the two-mile track in Fontana, California was held in 2023, at which point demolition began on most of the venue, saving room for what NASCAR indicated would be a reduced in score half-mile short track.
NASCAR sold 433 of the 522 acres to be redeveloped as warehouse space but Phelps says it remains important to race in Southern California — which it hasn’t done since last season.
“That market … is an important market for us,” Phelps said on the Hauler Talk podcast introducing his transition from president to commissioner. “What the future of that particular facility is, I’m still unsure. Would I like to build a new facility at Fontana? I would. It would be a short track because we don’t have room for anything else, frankly.”
Phelps confirmed what had been the long held reason for a delay on redevelopment — construction costs in the current economy.
“Do I think creating a short track out there would be a cool thing for us? Yes,” Phelps continued. “With that said, it’s $300 million to build that facility. Is that the best use of that money? That is the big question. The cost of capital right now is still really high, so for us to just press pause right now is essentially what we’re doing.
“But, yeah, I’d love to build a facility out there. When that is going to happen or if that is going to happen, I don’t have a timeline.”
