In another heartbreaking development for fans, the quarter-century-old iconic track, the Auto Club Speedway, has fallen victim to changing times. The 2-mile-long oval track, which had been the only point of contact between NASCAR and Southern California, closed its doors to the sport last year, as it readies itself for renovations to befit the taste of the current era.

The track, which was built in 1997 by sports mogul Roger Penske before being purchased by NASCAR, hosted its final Cup Series race in 2023. As the iconic venue is set for an overhaul, with the shortening of the track length, among other changes, some images recently surfaced online that attracted the despair of NASCAR fans who lamented its loss.

The iconic Auto Club Speedway transforms into a heap of dust

A sense of melancholy encompassed the oval track as one of the beloved long tracks of NASCAR was ready to shed its old configuration. The venue closed down in February last year after NASCAR sold 433 acres of the Auto Club Speedway track property to Hillwood Development and Co. for $544 million, who promised to transform it into a logistics hub and a short track venue. However, the makeover plans didn’t really touch fans’ hearts.

An ‘X’ user recently shared multiple images that featured what was now a torn down version of the once iconic arena. The images that were recently revealed only displayed mountains of debris and dust covering the ground, and no sight of the unpaved asphalt. Definitely a sorry sight for stock-racing admirers!

But perhaps, drivers will also miss running on the iconic asphalt that once saw Kyle Busch win his first ever NASCAR Cup race in the Sony HD 500 in 2005. In what feels like a full circle moment, Busch also won the last-ever race of the Fontana venue in 2023 before it was shut down. What’s apparent is that the venue has been a flag-bearer for historic moments and some drivers feel the grooves and challenging lanes are what made the Auto Club Speedway unique. Reminiscing about the need for such old-school tracks, even Cup Series driver Ryan Blaney came forward to talk about it.

In previous interviews with Autoweek, the Team Penske driver bemoaned, “It is a big, slick, multiple lane groove race track. It is bumpy and rough and drivers love that stuff. The reason why all of us loved Atlanta before they repaved it. Why all of us loved Texas before they repaved it. Chicago, we don’t even go there anymore, but all of us loved that place. Old, worn out tracks with a bunch of grooves and lanes are what drivers like. It is challenging and you are sliding around and there is room to race.”

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But the people who seem the most hard-hit by the revamp are fans! Talking to X, several of them made a point to let their dissatisfaction known!

Fans lament the loss of the historic long-track

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Nevertheless, with the images revolving on Twitter, the fans were heartbroken to witness the dilapidated condition of the track. Their disappointment was apparent from the comments they posted.

Fearing that new homeowners around the track will advocate against roaring engine noises, which is a staple for NASCAR races, one fan wrote: “Even if they DO build the short track… the new homeowners will be pushing for the noise to stop asap.”

Another fan lamented at the disrupted state of the track as they wrote, “Thanks, now my day is ruined”.

Some even predicted that a short track is definitely not the way to go for the venue and the new revamp will definitely fail, writing, “It’s not gonna work in the short track, just demolish it.”

Others expressed hopeless over the current state of affairs as they expressed: “It’s hitting harder you can’t just fix that it’s all gone.”

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With construction underway, the track which had once bore a testament to the creation of various historic achievements, seems to have been reduced to pages of history. It is believed that the new venue will ready before the 2025 NASCAR schedule commences. Nonetheless, it will also be interesting to see what the track will look like after the construction is over.