Farewell, Fontana: NASCAR's last weekend at a racing gem
Most of NASCAR’s Cup Series drivers feel like they’re saying their final goodbye to a dear old friend this weekend
FONTANA, Calif. (AP) — Most of NASCAR's Cup Series drivers feel like they're saying their final goodbye to a dear old friend this weekend.
Auto Club Speedway's racetrack seems to be adored by every professional driver on the continent. Those two miles of gloriously weathered asphalt allow racers to be their best selves, providing the ideal combination of grip and space for nimble maneuvers in the perfectly banked corners, thrilling passes from the apron to the wall, and even five-wide racing at times during a quarter-century of mostly memorable Sundays.
“I’m going to miss everything about this track,” Martin Truex Jr. said. “Hopefully we can go out on a high note on the last time around here.”
Indeed, the second race of the current Cup season will be the last before this beloved pavement is torn up, ostensibly to clear the way for a short-track course. Fontana won't host a NASCAR weekend in 2024, and the new setup might not be ready until 2026, if it happens at all.
