In the very early morning hours of January 6, Auto Club Famoso Raceway suffered a fire that destroyed the old tower and all of the operational equipment housed there, including one of the track's safety vehicles. Luckily, the newer part of the tower that houses almost irreplaceable timing equipment suffered only minor damage and the equipment inside was spared.
Immediately after the damage was assessed and announced, the track announced its plans and hopes to stick to the original 2016 schedule without any modifications, beginning with the Good Vibrations Motorsports March Meet (March 3-6, 2016).
Soon after, fans and racers from all over the world reached out and pledged to help with the situation as much as they could. Auto Club Famoso Raceway is giving all of their fans an opportunity to help out and become part of the history at the track through rebuilding and repairing efforts.
For those who wish to donate money, a new website has been set up that will take donations and document the progress of the rebuilding efforts. For donations of $100, a 4X6 plate with your name, city, and/or state/country will be engraved and mounted to the "Resurrection Wall" on the back of the timing/VIP tower.
The Kern County Racing Association operates Auto Club Famoso Raceway (just North of Bakersfield, Calif.) and promotes a full schedule of races year round, including the world famous March Meet, which is recognied as the Mecca of nostalgia drag racing. For more details, visit www.autoclubfamosoraceway.com.