Ontario Motor Speedway

Ontario Motor Speedway was a race track in the state of California, about 30 miles east of Los Angeles. Opened in 1970, it featured a virtual copy of the 2.5 mile oval at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, plus a road course that measured almost 3.2 miles, using part of the oval plus much of the infield. The pit lane was long enough and wide enough to be used for side-by-side drag racing.
==History==
The idea for a major track in the Los Angeles area was tossed aroun in the late 1960s. Plans were drawn up for a modern interpretation of Indianapolis Motor Speedway on agricultural land, east of the metropolitan sprawl. Ontario was financed by more than $25 million in construction bonds. Sadly, the track spent most of it's existence just barely making the minimum payments. In 1979, some shrewd operators at Chevron Land Corp. realized that the track, which still owed well over $10 million on the bonds, was sitting on real estate that had become worth more than $150 million. Chevron Land managed to buy up all of the outstanding bonds for less than $5 million, and foreclosed on the track in 1980. The track was demolished by sections, taking about a year for complete removal.
==Current State==
About 80% of the area that the track sat on has been developed with condominiums, hotels, corporate offices, a shopping mall and an 11,000 seat sports arena. Aerial photos still show the path of turn three of the oval, near the intersection of Fourth Street and Haven Avenue, but not even a plaque mentions the former track.
Category:Circuits
Category:Circuits in the United States
Category:Former circuits