The Auto Club Racing Arena in Pomona , also known as Pomona Raceway , is a racing facility located in Pomona, California that features quarter mile dragstrip. Since it opened in 1961, dragstrip has hosted the NHRA Winternationals event - traditional season opener - and since 1984, the final race of the season, the NHRA Finals. Both of these events have contributed to being one of North America's most famous dragstrips. The facility has a seating capacity of 40,000 spectators, and this is one of several dragstrip in the US operated directly by NHRA. This dragstrip has also passed the nickname The Fairplex , referring to its location at Fairplex, formerly called the Los Angeles County Fairgrounds.
Video Auto Club Raceway at Pomona
Histori
Drag Racing
In 1952 a car club known as "Choppers of Pomona" assisted by a young police officer, Sergeant Bud Coons, suggested that a safe place should be reserved for local drag racers. Coons, along with fellow hot rod enthusiasts, Pomona Police Chief Ralph Parker and the township of Pomona asked to rent out a parking lot at the LA County Fairgrounds. Coons and Parker plays an important role in convincing the county to allow the use of fairgrounds for the race by citing statistics showing deaths among children dropped sharply when given the venue for supervised races. The county finally agrees, as long as the hot sower will provide their own insurance, which they can do with a receipt of the gate.
By the time the county made the deal, the parking lot was nothing more than a pebble. The coalition of looters, police, and community leaders raised funds through donations and cleared land. This is the birth of dragstrip in Pomona.
Although it was not considered a national event by today's standards, the first NHRA event, the Southern California Championship, was held in this drag strip on the April weekend in 1953. On Saturday was present at two or three thousand and attendance was reported to be at 15,000 on Sunday. Compared to the 4.5 seconds mark, the pros put on the board today, the best ET of the day is the respectable 10.93.
In 1961, NHRA held its first Winternationals at Pomona Raceway. This became NHRA's second national event. NHRA's first national event was the US National Citizens, dubbed the "Big-Go". Thus, Winternationals earned the nickname "Big-Go West". It has remained at this location ever since. For years, the event was sponsored by Head of Car Parts and then AutoZone's successor, but later sponsored by CSK Automotive, and now its current replacement, O'Reilly Auto Parts.
A closer season, the NHRA Finals, was brought to a facility in 1984 from the now defunct Orange County International Raceway. When the show was first brought to Pomona, the event was sponsored by Winston (after the main sponsor of the NHRA title at the time, RJ 'Winston' RJ Reynolds cigarette brand). In 2010, the event was sponsored by Automobile Club of Southern California, affiliated with AAA.
Other Racing
From 1934 to 1937, an oval of 1/2 mile was located at the facility. The oval ground was once again opened in the 1950s but closed in 1959. Pomona was also home to a 1.7-mile asphalt road that operated in 1998 and 1999. From 1956 to 1961, a 2-mile highway was located in the parking lot.
Maps Auto Club Raceway at Pomona
Winner
NHRA Winternationals
Final NHRA
References
External links
- Official website
- NHRA Official Website
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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