Irwindale Lives! The House of Drift to Continue Operations
After what what felt like half a decade of rumors of its demise, it seemed like Southern California’s iconic Irwindale Raceway was finally closing for good as of January 31, 2018. Drift fans, stock car racers, drag racers and enthusiasts of all types were ready to say goodbye. Formula Drift event removed Irwindale from its 2018 championship schedule, replacing it with Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
However, it appears that Irwindale Speedway isn’t going anywhere. Over the weekend it was announced that the track had entered a multi-year agreement with a new management company to stay open and continue operations.
It was said initially that the track was to be torn down so a shopping mall could be built, but it now seems ownership has new plans for the site that keep the race track in operation as-is.
While it is a bit awkward to have just gone through the all “final Irwindale” celebrations (once again... but for this time it was said to be truly final) only to have the track continue operations—we are certainly happy that it’s sticking around. Now we just wonder if Formula Drift will bring Irwindale Speedway back to its 2018 schedule and what will happen to the Vegas event that was scheduled in its place. We expect an announcement soon.
