LEFT COAST TRACK UPDATE

Riverside Motorsports Park in Merced County, CA is steadily getting closer to a ceremonial groundbreaking. The ambitious project was announced last year and the environmental impact report is just about finished with a public review period set for October. RMP’s 1200-acre development will be home to a 5,000-foot drag strip, 7/8-mile paved oval, road course, 3/8 and 1/8 mile dirt ovals, karting course and one-mile off road course planned to begin operations in early 2006.  NHRA has spoken with CEO John Condren about a 2006 Division 7 event and NASCAR has reportedly approached RMP management about a future Busch Series race.

The eighth-mile Barona Dragstrip’s in El Cajon, CA is having a very successful season and in 2005 will be hosting an NHRA National Open event. Track manager Mike Goodwin is working on plans to move the earth necessary to widen the pit area and begin extending

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the track to a full quarter mile sometime next year. A CIFCA Funny Car event will be held on October 9 with a 22-car field. 

Anyone waiting for SoCal’s Rialto Dragstrip to restart operations will be disappointed as all timing equipment, K-rails and scoreboards have been sold to 53-year-old Redding Dragstrip in Northern California.

Track manager Dave Danish at Fontana’s California Dragway has a long list of improvements planned for the off-season including repaving the top end, extending the shutdown area, more grandstands and permanent restroom facilities. If the improvements get completed as planned the Dragway will host a Division 7 event in 2005, but will not hold an NHRA Sport Compact event as they did in 2004.

Under the direction of new track manager Bob Klein, Irwindale Dragstrip has welcomed NHRA Jr. Dragsters back into the popular Thursday night Test-n-Tune program. Local noise abatement sound testing is currently preventing anything but a mufflered street legal program.

Historic Famoso Raceway is readying for the 13th Annual California Hot Rod Reunion to be held October 1-3. Having completed new guardrails, top end and return road repaving, in the off-season track manager Jack Williams is planning to begin the next phase of their paving upgrades to the pits and restrooms.

While there has been much PR surrounding SoCal’s Mopar Drag City, the only construction accomplished in the last four years has been the extension of the street leading to the promoter’s property. According to NHRA Pacific Division Director Charlie Neilson the promoters have informed him that there will be another long construction delay with no construction planned this year. 

Neilson told DRO that if there is no significant construction before the end of 2004 the planned facility will be dropped from the roster of NHRA Member tracks. According to a DaimlerChrysler representative, contingency plans for Mopar’s track sponsorship arrangement have been to shift their support to longtime partner Bandimere Speedway in Denver. [9-8-2004]