Willow Springs Raceway |
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Official Site: WillowSpringsRaceway.com
Wikipedia: Willow Springs International Motorsports Park Page Sections History Article Index |
History
The following section is an excerpt from Wikipedia's Willow Springs International Motorsports Park page on 20 July 2020, text available via the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.
Willow Springs International Motorsports Park (commonly referred to as Willow Springs) is located in Willow Springs near Rosamond, California, about 80 mi (129 km) north of Los Angeles. It is the oldest permanent road course in the United States. Construction began in 1952, with the inaugural race held on November 23, 1953. The main track is a 2.5-mile (4.0 km) long road course that is unchanged from its original 1953 configuration. The elevation changes and high average speeds make it a favorite of many road racing drivers.
Willow Springs hosted two NASCAR Grand National races in 1956 and 1957 on the original road course (then known simply as Willow Springs Speedway), won by Chuck Stevenson and Marvin Panch respectively. The track also hosted 5 NASCAR Winston West Series events, the first two in 1955 and 1956 and the other three between 1984 and 1986. Willow Springs also hosted 1 NASCAR Southwest Series race in 1986.
There are a total of seven tracks at Willow Springs. The largest and most well known track is Willow Springs International Raceway (commonly referred to as Big Willow). There are other racing facilities such as The Streets of Willow (1.8 mile road course), The Horsethief Mile (road course), The Speedway at Willow Springs (1/4 mile paved oval), Willow Springs Kart Track (a .625-mile, 9-turn paved sprint track), The Playpen (a 1/4-mile paved training track), and the Walt James Stadium (Clay Oval and Paved Oval).
Efforts by fans resulted in the State of California declaring Willow Springs International Raceway as a California Point of Historical Interest in 1996.
| Date | Article | Author/Source |
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| 15 February 2003 | MEDIA ADVISORY: SECOND ROUND OF TOYOTA CUP SET FOR SUNDAY AT WILLOW SPRINGS | Willow Springs Raceway |