Why are race tracks going extinct?

Irwindale Speedway outside Los Angeles is a beloved track that's hosted everything from NASCAR to Formula D, but it's likely that by the time you see this, it'll be shut down forever.

[Thanks to Factor for sponsoring today's video! Use code 50THEDRIVE to get 50% OFF plus free shipping on your first Factor box at https://bit.ly/4fWdffK ]

And Irwindale is just the latest to fall. In the last five years, dozens of race tracks—drag strip, ovals, road courses, you name it—across America have been forced to close their doors. Even icons aren't exempt, with Laguna Seca getting battered by lawsuits from wealthy neighbors and Willow Springs going up for sale this year alone.

So what's destroying our country's tracks? The obvious answer is money, but to be specific, it's real estate prices. Some places wither away because the community that gave it a reason to exist in the first place falls apart. But these days, most race tracks—even profitable ones—meet their end when the land underneath them becomes too valuable for local governments and developers to ignore. Only two things can save them at that point: a rich benefactor (unlikely), and a community strong and connected enough to fight effectively (also unlikely).

And there are social forces too. Drag strips are closing especially fast, and it's because interest is falling in traditional sanctioned drag racing. Every kind of motorsport these days has to actively grow to survive, and NHRA drag racing hasn't captivated rising generations like street legal shootouts do.

So what can you do? Support the race tracks we have left. You don't want to look back and wish you made it out there one last time.

0:00 Irwindale's last race
0:44 Blame California?
5:34 Drag racing's bigger problem
9:08 Real estate, real estate, real estate
12:34 How can we help?

Produced by →   / joeyrassool  
Hosted by →   / kylecheromcha  

Previous episode →    • What’s the point of three-wheeled cars?  

The Drive is the chronicle of car culture. We write stories you actually want to read. → https://www.thedrive.com/

FOLLOW US!
Instagram →   / thedrive  
Facebook →   / thedrive  
TikTok →   / thedrive_official  
Threads → https://www.threads.net/@thedrive