Every so often a cool racetrack goes up for sale, but they’re usually a custom track that some rich guy made, or something more grassroots. Very rarely does an actual historic race track come up for sale. One of those times is now upon us as Willow Springs International Raceway has been listed for sale.
Sitting 80 miles outside of LA in California’s Kern County, Willow Springs is the oldest permanent road course in the United States. The 2.5-mile-long road course was originally built in 1952. It hosted NASCAR races from 1955-1957 and from 1984-1986.
The track is unique in that its 2.5 miles are subdivided into seven smaller tracks. The main one is Willow Springs Raceway; then there’s the 1.8-mile Streets of Willow Springs track that was recently repaved in 2021; there’s the one-mile House Thief Mile that was added in 2003; The Speedway, which is a quarter-mile oval; Willow Springs Kart track; the Playpen; and the Walt James Stadium.
Since 1962 the track has been owned by the Huth Family. The family’s patriarch Bill Huth bought it with the intention of turning it into a drag strip. After discovering that the strip would be too short, he decided to keep the track. The family is now selling for unknown reasons and an unknown price. The property itself has been assessed at a value of $2,253,440.
With Willow Springs on the market the track’s future is in doubt, though I wouldn’t worry about it being redeveloped into a warehouse like AutoClub Speedway. The track is far enough away from most major city centers that it doesn’t make much sense for it to be anything else. The listing does mention that whoever purchases it should invest in the track. And from the description, it would seem that it’s being pitched as sort of a Southern Californian equivalent to the fancier Sonoma Raceway:
Further investments can generate demand for, but not limited to, the following:
– high-end clientele
– professional and corporate events
– membership-based revenue stream
– increased gate fees and concession sales
– additional lodging options and long-term garage rentals
It’ll be interesting to see what’s next for this historic track. If one of you Jalops ends up buying it, please let us know (and let us come use it).
