In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip

The Pomona Raceway (currently named the In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip, previously named the Auto Club Raceway at Pomona) is a racing facility located in Pomona, California that features a quarter-mile dragstrip. Since its opening in 1961, the dragstrip has hosted the NHRA's Winternationals event – the traditional season opener – and since 2021, the season's last race, the NHRA Finals. These two events have contributed to its becoming perhaps one of the most famous dragstrips in North America. The facility has a seating capacity of 40,000 spectators and is one of the few dragstrips in the USA operated directly by the NHRA. The dragstrip has also gone by the nickname of The Fairplex, in reference to its location at the Fairplex, formerly called the Los Angeles County Fairgrounds. History Drag Racing In 1952, a car club known as the "Choppers of Pomona" aided by a young police officer, Sergeant Bud Coons, advocated that a safe place should be provided for local area drag racers. Coons, along with fellow hot rod enthusiast Pomona Police Chief Ralph Parker and the city government of Pomona, asked to lease the parking lot of the LA County Fairgrounds. Coons and Parker were instrumental in convincing the county to allow the use of the fairgrounds for the race by citing statistics showing that deaths among kids declined sharply when they were given a supervised place to race. The county finally agreed, as long as the hot rodders provided their own insurance, which they could cover with gate receipts. At the time the county made the agreement, the parking lot was nothing but a gravel lot. The coalition of hot rodders, police, and community leaders raised funds through donations and paved the lot. This was the birth of the dragstrip in Pomona. Though it was not considered a national event by today's standards, the very first NHRA event, the Southern California Championships, was held at the dragstrip on an April weekend in 1953. On Saturday, attendance was 2,000 to 3,000; on Sunday, it was reported as 15,000. Compared to the 3.9-second numbers (at 333 yd 1 ft (304.80 m) the pros are putting on the board presently, the best ET of that day was a respectable 10.93. NHRA Winternationals In 1961, NHRA held its first-ever Winternationals at the Pomona Raceway. It became NHRA's second national event. The first NHRA national event was the U.S. Nationals, which was nicknamed the "Big-Go". Thus, the Winternationals got nicknamed the "Big-Go West". It has remained at this location ever since. For many years, this event was sponsored by Chief Auto Parts and later its successor AutoZone, then by CSK Automotive, and now by its current successor, O'Reilly Auto Parts. 2008 saw Top Fuel & Funny Car races be reduced to the present 1000 feet. From 2021 to present, the race has been held in late March or early April, after the Gainesville round. The 2021 race was later postponed to July-August in order to allow spectators. NHRA Finals The season closer, the NHRA Finals, was brought to the facility in 1984 from the now-defunct Orange County International Raceway. When the event was first brought to Pomona, it was sponsored by Winston (after NHRA's main title sponsor at the time, RJ Reynolds' "Winston" cigarette brand). From 2010 to 2019, and again from 2021 to 2022, the event was sponsored by the Automobile Club of Southern California, which is affiliated with AAA. The 2020 event was sponsored by Stellantis and Royal Dutch Shell when it was held at Las Vegas Motor Speedway because Clark County, Nevada, allowed spectators when California still banned mass gatherings because of the global pandemic. Beginning in 2023, In-N-Out Burger became the naming rights sponsor for both the circuit and the NHRA Finals. In November 2025, due to adverse weather, NHRA canceled the race, and only the lower-level Sportsman classes were held. The two Top Alcohol classes were abandoned after the first round, and no professional categories were held. Other racing From 1934 to 1937 a 1⁄2 mile dirt oval was located at the facility. The dirt oval was once again opened in the 1950s but closed in 1959. Pomona was also home to a 1.7-mile paved road course, which operated in 1998 and 1999. From 1956 to 1961, a 2-mile temporary road course was located in the parking lot. Winners NHRA Winternationals NHRA Finals NOTE: The Finals has been held in the Southwest area from 1965 to 1973, the Los Angeles metropolitan area from 1974 to 2019, and again since 2021, and Las Vegas in 2020. Current track records References External links Official website NHRA's Official Site