Ever since it featured its first race in 1997, the Auto-Club Speedway has become a driver favorite in NASCAR, especially given its high-speed characteristics and uniqueness. The 2-mile, high-flowing speedway had been known for the breakneck action it offered and the multiple lanes that made passing a hell of fun for racers.

But those days are seemingly in the past as the track is under work, getting a new look. Relaying the news to the motorsport community, NASCAR President Steve Phelps confirmed and promised that the Fontana track would be reconfigured to a short track to meet the fans’ expectations.

NASCAR President keeps his promise as Auto Club Speedway prepares for a new look

It was a bittersweet evening for fans in Fontana, California, as the checkered flag fell during Sunday’s race at Auto Club Speedway. While the scene was electric for fans with NASCAR’s “Rowdy” Kyle Busch taking home his first win of the season, beating the competition to the punch, and acing the 2-mile track, fans couldn’t overlook the fact that this would be the final race at the picturesque venue before it makes a return in its new look.

Shortly after the race, the facility was closed down for a major overhaul. The organization back in 2020 confirmed its plans to reconfigure the track to a short track, but it wasn’t until recently that the teardown started. Even though the drivers have taken a special liking to the flowing speedway owing to its bumpy backstretch and wide lanes, NASCAR has gone forward with a complete rejig, converting it into a half-mile short-track as the works progress.

🗣️ "We've got renderings of what that race track will look like […] it'll be a short track, for sure."#NASCAR President @stevephelps provided an update on the ongoing demolition and re-profiling of Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California.

— SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Ch. 90) (@SiriusXMNASCAR) December 13, 2023

As the track takes its new form, Steve Phelps has heard the community’s calling, keeping his promise, adding another short track to its schedule. During an official press release, Steve said, “We’ve got renderings of what that race track will look like both the surface itself, working with i-Racing to make sure whatever you know asphalt track we put down there, whatever size, it’ll be a short-track for sure just based on the fact that we do not have much real estate there is we had.” 

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Despite the organization’s limited real estate standing in the way of its expansion, Steve Phelps is delighted to keep his word, delivering what the fans have been yearning for years. He said, “By the way, fans for years and years and years said hey, we need some more short tracks, and as we continue to improve on our short track package with this Next-Gen car at some point that track will come online. When that is? I don’t know but that’s our desire and that’s what we’re working towards.” 

“The calculated risk”: The President gives away his favorite memory of 2023.

2023 was certainly a monumental year for the sport of NASCAR. For the first time in its 75 glorious years of entertaining fans, the organization, despite widespread criticism from its older fans and the thundering rains, gave the fans the Chicago street race, which went on to be a massive success. While the old-school fans hated the idea of seeing Cup Series cars on the tight city lanes of Downtown Chicago, the TV viewership tells us a completely different tale, with the event becoming the organization’s most-watched in the last 6 years, with over 4 million fans tuning in for the action.

For the NASCAR head, the runaway success of its first-ever street race is the most memorable and favorite moment of 2023. In an exclusive to Athletic.com, Phelps shares his joy in seeing the fans accept the sanctioning body’s efforts. He said, “At the end of the Chicago Street Race, based on all the adversity we had faced that weekend and really the importance of that race, to have people think differently about our sport and continued commitment to the kind of surprise and delight of fans, non-fans, the business community, and everybody. 

“So knowing what we had spent to build that course and the importance of the relationship we have with the city and how that whole thing played out, it was a big bet. That was a calculated risk. And having a day of rain that you get once in a century, that sucked. It was really hard,” added the higher-up before concluding his take.

READ MORE: “That’s What Racing Was Built on”- Veteran Insider Reveals Torn Feelings on NASCAR Cracking Down on Ingenious Hacks

Moreover, Steve Phelps credits Grant Park 220 for bringing in 2 more larger-than-life partners into the picture, as he mentions the organization’s new broadcasting partners, Warner Bros. Discovery Sports and Amazon Prime.