Ladies and gentlemen, it is time to start your engines and take a look at the Ontario Motor Speedway. Join Ontario Museum of History & Art’s Curator of Collections, Michelle Sifuentes, for Highlights from the Collection talk on Sunday, June 12, 2016 at 2 PM. The Ontario Motor Speedway was once located between Haven Avenue and Milliken Avenue, just north of the Interstate 10 freeway. The 2.5 mile track, designed as a replica of the racetrack at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, operated from 1970 to 1980. In addition to the main track, it also had an infield road course and a drag strip. The speedway held the California 500 and nine Winston Cup races. During its existence many greats drove on its track: Richard Petty, Dale Earnhardt and Mario Andretti, to name a few. Many drivers felt it was one of the best tracks ever built in the country and referred to it as the “Indy West.” The speedway was not just for racing - in 1974, California Jam I took place. This was a massive music festival that some considered the “Woodstock of the West.” Another concert, California Jam II, took place in 1978. Sadly, the speedway was not destined to last: the track was sold in 1980 to the Chevron Land Management Company and demolished in 1981.
