Abandoned Tracks: Ontario Motor Speedway (Indy of the West)

The Indianapolis Motor Speedway of the West...what could have been for Ontario Motor Speedway.
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Race Footage Credits:
SonnyBurnett1988
Circuits of the past
Rusting Relics
Motorsports101
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Thumbnail Image Credits:
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[@IanTheMotorsportsMan_YT]

Fun Fact: NHRA raced at Ontario on the track’s pit road

[@BSNFabricating]

Oops... I didn't see your comment before I made my comment. Oh well...

[@IanTheMotorsportsMan_YT]

@@BSNFabricating you’re good, man. I wouldn’t mind if you did comment it. My comment ain’t copyright lol

[@TheRespectful1]

Not very many people know that either

[@IanTheMotorsportsMan_YT]

@@TheRespectful1 yeah, that is true. I don’t even know it until I saw some 70s races at Ontario from “NHRA’s Greatest Races” last year.

[@KR1736]

The pit road track was one of the best in the country, Tons of records were set, most notably 1975 when Don Garlits broke the 250 MPH barrier and record elapsed time. Both records stood for a long time

[@austinemms9772]

For that much money at the time, you’d think it would’ve made it to the present day. But unfortunately, the evil world of real estate wins again. Such a shame.

[@ChrisMolyneaux93]

bOoMiNg ReAl EsTaTe MaRkEt

[@DaveReece-u4b]

Unfortunately the revenue couldn’t keep up with land value.

[@retroguyretail1976]

yup this one wouldn't has lasted to the present day. this track looks amazing. such a damn shame its gone they wouldn't be no auto club speedway if that one was still around but I think fontana is near ontario

[@RowingFrontal5]

@@retroguyretail1976yes Fontana and Ontario are close. My grandpa has seen all the racing there has been in the Inland Empire (Fontana, Riverside, and Ontario) funny thing is the malls that they built will be irrelevant before the racetracks they replaced would be if they were still around.

[@dicksonfranssen]

@@RowingFrontal5 One more reason to hate malls. I try and shop local, not at the Lowes which used to be a Target which used to be something else. Now that idiot mall is coming down for some new hipster condo. Even most horse tracks are coming down here, better money in casinos and horse meat is legal here. "Yes I'll have the Clydesdale cheeseburger with a side of raw seal meat please". Not funny at all.

[@BSNFabricating]

When they built the track, they made the pit road extra wide, so it could be used as a drag strip...and they DID host some NHRA events. Also, if I remember right, the back straightaway was a little bit higher in elevation than the frontstretch, so the fans on the frontstretch could see pretty much all the way around the track -- something not possible at Indy.

[@BIG_ump]

Didn't know about the straightaways that's interesting. The short chutes at OMS were also slightly banked and I think the whole track a lil wider than indy

[@traxiii]

I saw Bob Glidden win a championship there by setting National Records for both Elapsed Time and Top Speed and winning the race. It was awesome! Of course we lost Orange County International Raceway drag strip not long after OMS. Hard to believe that the greater L.A. area had Ontario, Riverside, Irwindale, Orange County, Willow Springs, Ascot and the L.A. Fairgrounds in Pomona all running races back in the 1970's and early 80's.

[@cadillacjohn1994]

I’m glad you’ve brought this track up. This track was REALLY cool, and doesn’t deserve to be forgotten about. Petty’s seventh title won here, Earnhardt’s first title won here, a movie filmed here, Evil Knievel… if only they’d just been able to promote it better around the 80s. If it were still around today, just imagine how different nascar, let alone American motorsports, would be. I’d take this track over Auto Club any day. This track had so much potential for future motorsports dominance, and it was unfairly demolished due to the greediness of the American ways of big business. Sad… such potential… Thanks Darian! Keep up the good work! Also, if iRacing hasn’t added this track, they need to. We need to keep the memory alive for generations to come.

[@14stockfan]

Unfortunately iRacing only does tracks they can scan. They don't do historic tracks with no data.

[@cadillacjohn1994]

@@14stockfan sad. Maybe someday…

[@Joshodgesr]

nr2003 has mods of the track

[@IanTheMotorsportsMan_YT]

@@cadillacjohn1994 NR2003 exists

[@sycho-blud]

There should be a Plaque placed at the site where the Speedway once was

[@AutoRockinRacing94]

I believe there's something down in the area and thought about going there during the Fontana weekend. However, never had the chance. Instead, I saw the remains of Riverside which is a mall and a WinCo.

[@Pabig93]

There should be a speedway where the speedway was.

[@chrismccall9508]

Theres a mini museum in the arena that sits there now

[@jagenarmory2862]

My dad took me, my sister and mother to the 1977 California 500. Al Unser won and I recall vividly A.J. Foyt finishing 2nd. 2 years later, my dad and I went there to watch the semi trucks race there (that was a thing for a couple of years here in the U.S.). My last experience at the speedway was in '80 when Shirley Muldowney became a 2x Top Fuel World Champ when the NHRA World Finals were held there. Some great memories.

[@chrispollock7507]

Awesome memories to have! I wasn’t born yet when the track closed but I remember driving by on the 10 on the way out to the desert and seeing the track and the sign off the freeway.

[@Nonfiction79]

Some of the seats on the grandstands are now at Huntsville Speedway in Huntsville, Alabama. Huntsville Speedway is a quarter mile asphalt track that hosts weekly racing. It was also the site of one of Richard Petty's 200 Cup wins. The seats are pretty comfortable, but you can tell they were not meant for Huntsville as they are very close together. Cool to know that a piece of American Racing history is at my home track.

[@Daboss43]

I literally have an Evel Kinevel poster for when he jumped those cars!!

[@ZPaul_]

This track had so much potential. It’s a damn shame it got demolished and I didn’t get to see it.

[@DaveReece-u4b]

The same thing happened to Riverside and Fontana. The land became too valuable too keep as racetracks. I doubt the short track will ever be built at Fontana.

[@DC322]

They are reconstructing the two mile into the 0.825 mile short track.

[@TheDalejrfan88]

@@DC322That ain't happening and we all know it 🤷🏻‍♂️🤷🏻‍♂️

[@retroguyretail1976]

@@TheDalejrfan88 i hope not it looks dumb

[@retroguyretail1976]

old riverside became a mall or something

[@DaveReece-u4b]

@@retroguyretail1976 yes and housing developments. What’s funny is by 2008, the mall was all but dead.

[@millennialchicken]

Raced this enough on NR2003, massively underrated raceway, deserves way more attention. Also not too far from Auto Club Speedway as well. Which is now falling to a similar fate.

[@PhantomHT1320]

my dad and i went to the Fontana Speedway in 2002, it absolutely SUCKED. could only really see about 1/2 of turn 4. ill go to a short/smaller track every weekend but will never go to a big track again.

[@jefferyrobertson7520]

Ontario Motor Speedway In Ontario California From 1970 To 1980 Iconic Southern California Pop Culture Thanks For Uploading

[@abcullens2328]

I saw the California 500 IndyCar race there in 1971 and 1972, I attended the Nascar races there more than once. I also saw a NHRA national event there in the pits! And get this, I was there when Evel Knievel jumped all those cars, (they were actually buses). Back then I only lived 30 miles away. It was a great racing facility and more, a victim of land values in Southern California, gone but not forgotten. Yes I'm an old man who grew up in SoCal, fond memories! Nice video, thanks.

[@seancuccaro4760]

I have an abandoned track near my old hometown in PA and it's the Nazareth Speedway. It still sits abandoned to this day

[@DucatiPaso750]

@seancuccaro4760 Do you ever run into the Andretti family members in that city? Just curious.

[@OboeCanAm]

My Dad took me to the Questor Grand Prix, which used the infield road circuit. I was very young, but I do remember the excitement of seeing Graham Hill and Jackie Stewart in person. My most vivid memory is of the incredible sound of the Matra!!

[@quasimoto7662]

We need another big speedway in the SoCal area. Build it in an area not vulnerable to development

[@Eibarwoman]

It'd probably have to be out in the desert somewhere near Barstow.

[@fluffskunk]

So where Willow Springs is.

[@DC322]

Auto Club Speedway in Fontana but will be a short track.

[@Trainlover1995]

If they do build a new speedway in SoCal, it should be an inverted version of Daytona, with the start/finish line being on what is traditionally the backstretch, and the tri-oval being the backstretch.

[@montecarloss305]

Pretty sure both this track and Riverside were at one time thought to be too far from developed areas to be in danger.

[@DC322]

Ontario, Riverside, Mesa Marin and others in California is long gone but the memory remains. Interesting that Ontario has a roval course during its existence. Look up Paul Newman's racing doc.

[@350zone]

I've been to the former sight of Ontario Motor Speedway! Been waiting for a video like this thank you!

[@patrickracer43]

Babe wake up, new Black Flags Matter video dropped

[@hdfreekicker2341]

ive had a shitty day, but thankfully I knew Darien was gonna post today so at least there's that going for me, thank you man

[@BlackFlagsMatter]

Glad I could help.

[@JmarcusKmart12]

I find it sad how they demolished it

[@JmarcusKmart12]

From the '60s all the way to the '80s

[@clukandbone]

fun fact this track was a lot more banked in the straights than indy, so the speeds were even faster

[@PaulMcElligott]

It wasn't that much more banked. The short chutes were banked when they were flat at IMS, and the track was wider. That's what made it faster.

[@BSNFabricating]

Also... if not for the efforts of Wilbur Shaw and Tony Hulman in 1945, there might be a video like this about the Indianapolis Motor Speedway itself...

[@PaulMcElligott]

Ontario also received a truckload of bricks from the original surface of IMS. These were used to pave victory lane.

[@arthurvillegas5586]

My Father and I went to the OMS many races at the track. Indycar and other racing.

[@chrisguardiano6143]

Fun Fact: This track along with Watkins Glen, Indy & COTA are the only four tracks to have hosted races in Indycar, NASCAR & F1.

[@Ultimate23Dragon]

😆 Darian must have changed the title the instant I clicked on the video. It did say "Indy of the Weat" when it popped up on my feed. Now watching the video, it now says "Indy of the West".

[@clukandbone]

bro i’m convinced you literally stalk my watch history. i’ve been researching this track for weeks, then you make a vid. same thing happened with little bristol, and many other tracks!!

[@ChesterHayden]

I attended several races at the old OMS - California 500, Questor Grand Prix among them - but they also had drag racing which they ran on the pit road and motocross in the infield. It was amazing facility, wish it were still there.

[@nascarsteve]

I had it downloaded on my NR2K3 game, fun track to drive.

[@johnvandeventer8668]

I wish this track still exists today

[@Sargebri]

If I'm not mistaken this was where the first 200 MPH lap in an Indy car was run.

[@arthurvillegas5586]

It was and is a Great track always. My father RIP and I remember.

[@Shay_Mendez]

My grandfather on my mother's side drove on this track. He completely sucked ass from what my grandmother told me, but he did race on that track

[@devintheawesome2344]

I live a couple blocks from where the track was. Driving past on my way home last Fontana race, I pointed it out to my Fiancé… she was just confused with what a waist it is they keep trying to build giant speedways out here😅. Ironically she lives a couple blocks from where riverside raceway was.

[@jimmyk6336]

I never went to the Ontario track but every time I pass by the area I wish I had. Went to Riverside Raceway a half a dozen times, that was a great track IMO. Drag Racing, the three tracks I attended regularly were Irwindale, OCIR The Fairplex. I still get my nitro fix twice a year in Pomona...

[@Lcngopher]

I think the craziest fact of ontario motorspeedway is how close it actually was to where fontana (auto club speedway) is

[@weirdfan88]

There's a photo taken of Ontario speedway where you can see the Kasier Plant in the background. These two tracks along with the Riverside raceway were all less than 30 min between each other

[@DinsdalePiranha67]

I was born and raised in southern California, and while I never went to OMS as a kid, we passed it on our way to visit the grandparents in Salinas. I don't remember being able to see much of the track facilities, but the sign was visible from Interstate 10.

[@arthurvillegas5586]

They are lockers and other things, too. But, not the same.

[@Tomsbananacakes]

Great video! You should also do Riverside International Raceway and Texas World Speedway.

[@C-WiL]

Love this track! Was very exciting with lots of passing, sad they got rid of it

[@louislepage5111]

I remember when it closed down 😮

[@stevenkilsdonk2046]

Death Race 2000, what a movie.

[@yokosomike]

My dad took me to one of the early California 500 races when I was a small kid. I remember a crash and we ran to go check out the car and it was being lifted by a tow truck. Still smoking and I could smell the burnt rubber from the tires as I was right up on the concrete wall. I couldn’t believe how close I was to an actual crashed car. For some reason I remember lots of mud and how cool those cars sounded. I always thought about that race whenever I drove past the track and then one day it just disappeared. Thanks for the video!

[@montecarloss305]

I grew up about 45min from where the track was. I never got to see a race there, but my dad used to point out the old main sign for the track by the freeway whenever we'd drive by. I did get to see the final two races at Riverside, tho. Crazy to think that at one time, there were two Nascar Cup racetracks in SoCal only 30 minutes from each other. Riverside would definitely be a good candidate for a future video!

[@modasher]

Ontario’s not that far from Fontana either. The location of the former Auto Club Speedway and where OMS was is probably within 5 miles of each other.

[@USMCROCH]

Don't forget the big rig truck races.

[@danielfoster3642]

If Ontario Motor Speedway was still around, Auto Club Speedway more than likely would have never existed.

[@patmanbnl]

While identical shape to Indy it wasn't quite identical. It was wider and also the short chutes between 1&2 and 3&4 were banked, which made it a little faster than Indy.

[@kennethellis1901]

This track was in one of the Nascar racing games of the late 90's. I thought it was a PC game, but maybe Nascar '98 for Playstation. Anyone else remember this?

[@kmash1321]

I believe it was on NASCAR LEGENDS for the PC...Great game made by Papyrus!

[@kennethellis1901]

@@kmash1321 Yes! That's it. I was almost positive it was a Papyrus game

[@RandomCarl05]

Just a little heads up, the title says "Indy of the Weat", instead of "Indy if the West"

[@BlackFlagsMatter]

Oops

[@SpaceAce.3]

The bricks in Victory lane were from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

[@mcj88]

Figures that it was a real-estate scheme that killed this track. Cool to learn that the Ontario Reign's arena stands on part of the former site though - I like when hockey and NASCAR, two of my big sports passions, collide like that. :P

[@AutoRockinRacing94]

Black Sabbath 🖤

[@brucebouck6152]

Went to California jam two on the infield in 78! Two day party

[@JosephKeenanxBiscuit]

This track was before my time but my friend's dad used to talk to us about the "Big O" when we'd be watching cup races at their place in nearby San Bernardino, CA in the early 2000s.

[@gofast3209]

I like how you update the land at the end!!

[@danoc51]

This was a great place to see a drag race! Of the few hundred drag races I've attended, the best one was here. I believe it was the 1975 Supernationals. I've never seen so many national records set at one race. Don Prudhomme was pretty much the talk of the weekend.

[@tucostoys1678]

Great video!

[@williamolsen5575]

I was at the inaugural California 500 in 1970. Had infield passes that cost a whopping $5 !

[@vincenthelm6362]

I live in nearby Pomona, CA. I never knew this track was so close to my home. I used to race cross country races at Gusti park right near where the track was previously

[@theaviationphotographer61]

love this series so much keep it up, also I think california needs more race tracks since motorsports in california especially southern california is dying

[@philipbain]

That old chestnut that seems to doom Californian race tracks - land value, claimed Ontario, claimed Riverside and is now claiming most if not all of Autoclub Speedway (Fontana)

[@btventura9570]

I was there for Petty's 7th title-13 years old. Ontario was cool, you could see the cars the whole way around, kinda like Fontana. Riverside was the best, though. Rosamond isn't exploding, maybe NASCAR at Willow Springs? A fast road course with graded areas for RV's and such. Oh, just dreaming... Thanks for posting the video!

[@pirate772009]

Why tf would anyone wanna go to a concert with 300K other people? If you were in the middle of the crowd you'd need a scissor lift and binoculars just to see the damn stage

[@turnleftman]

It's pain living within 15 minutes of Ontario Speedway and Riverside International, but both of them died long before I was born

[@jimhaines8370]

They also hosted NHRA drag racing national event on the pit road that was a full size drag strip

[@JosephKeenanxBiscuit]

Also fun fact I guess is that this track was located less than 4 miles as the crow flies from the site of California/Auto Club Speedway and also less than a 30 minute drive from the former site of Riverside Raceway. Proud of the NASCAR and racing heritage that the area of California I grew up in has.

[@diecastcollector7982]

if this was still around this would be one of the my favorites to go to

[@kevinbaker4241]

Ontario Motor Speedway also appeared in 'NASCAR Legends', a PC game that Sierra/Papyrus produced all the way back in 2000. (I believe it could only be obtained in boxes of cereal, so there probably aren't very many copies of the game in existence today. Mine stopped working in 2007, and I don't have it anymore.) The game featured all of the tracks on the 1971 NASCAR schedule right before Winston took over, including Riverside, Texas World, Bowman-Gray, and Greeneville-Pickens.

[@arthurvillegas5586]

OMS was a IMS copy in a Good matter.

[@wadeadams4263]

I believe that the victory lane flooring is inside a nearby school building.

[@richardrogers5482]

Me and my dad went to the last race held there. Still have my Race Program also. Also wound up with a big blister on my bottom lip, because of the wind blowing that day.

[@donbarton1895]

I went to the California Jam concert when I was 13, That was an awesome day.

[@garyglenn3654]

I have race programs from the first NASCAR and Indy car races as well as the Grand Prix races and Supernational drag races.

[@garyglenn3654]

I do too. Also ALL the Nascar races and Questor Grand Prix

[@Razoreagle91]

Great video Darian.

[@robertcatuara5118]

I grew up there. Learned to drive a car in the parking lot. Heard every race and concert from my house.

[@chipwhitley9407]

There's an excellent version of OMS on rFactor1 for the 1973 USAC Indy Car mod.

[@sabirahemphill-garcia1676]

Can you do a history video about NASCAR in Mexico

[@beansballcardblog]

Loved hearing Jim McElreath's name!!!

[@Dealete420]

Had some good music concerts there too.

[@nashidaperv2351]

please talk about agusta international speedway /diamond lakes park

[@Airsally]

I went to the first or second 😅race there. It was delayed due to fog . Also went to California Jam....what a mess that was...

[@AlonsoRules]

Ontario lasted just over a decade. It's descendant Auto Club Speedway lasted 25 years. Let's be honest, NASCAR doesn't last in Southern California.

[@3bar]

Why no mention of NHRA? The Supernationals were held there and the first 5 second Top Fuel run was recorded there. A pretty glaring omission.

[@Ivan-cr3vc]

Went to the inaugural race there and surprised when it failed some time later.

[@matthewamato625]

2:14 Is that Ronald Reagan?

[@rangerlongshot]

My parents went to the first USAC race at Ontario and I went with them to the first AMA National road race. I raced there in AFM road races 7-8 times and was even at California Jam. Honestly if we could have saved one Southern California racetrack I would have picked Riverside International Raceway. It had way more history and was much more fun to race at!

[@zoelotero]

A shame that the track was abandoned. Had it (or Riverside) been around nowadays you could potentially have had F1, NASCAR and IndyCar having races in there right now. And it probably would give better racing than the likes of Miami or the Coliseum...

[@weirdfan88]

There's also a street called Porsche way and Mercedes Lane in the area. Also that area where the asphalt was found they are building a stater bros there so that place is gone now too

[@idavidgraficks123]

We were there for the 1971 Ontario 500. On the inside of turn One. Bobby Unser CRASHED right in front of us.

[@Eagleracer38x]

It's also in NASCAR Legends

[@cosmicHalArizona]

Nostalgic.. thanks

[@salvatoredamico2670]

I was at pretty much every event there , Although I did not attend Cal Jam 1 , I was at 2 , Saw Evil , Questor , And F500 ......

[@jonathanstensberg]

Should do a video on the original Homestead configuration

[@ic3man]

Indy of the *Weat*

[@kyleolson8977]

This one was hurting my ears: It's Chev-ron, not Chev-a-ron. There's no vowel in the middle. (Also, you said Stylvester Sallone, which was funny but I assume it was an accident).

[@gregsalter]

Yeah, heard that a couple times. Glad I wasn't the only one.

[@Casual_CoD]

You and slap should colab. Love the 2 series.

[@SigmaNuHE481]

You can race on this track on the NASCAR Legends PC game

[@theo3000]

They held the Human Powered World Speed Championships there in the early 80's. Saw a guy get an honorary speeding ticket for doing 55+ on his "bicycle."

[@garyglenn3654]

I have pictures of them building and tearing down the speedway. Pretty sad.

[@JasonTrew2018]

Let's do Riverside next, I have plenty of info on the track through the track's Wikipedia and facebook pages (today, as of 12/9/23, nothing is left of OMS)