Off to the Races in LA
Sometimes, no matter how refined your tastes for entertainment (give me a break, I know you're just as hooked on Dancing with the Stars and Kid Nation as the next guy), you simply want to indulge in a little bit of speed. Not the kind that turns you into a violent crazy person and destroys your life, but rather, the kind that zooms around a track on wheels, or hooves, or paws, or sometimes even claws. From Fontucky to Marina del Rey, Angelenos can booze and bet with the best of 'em. Inspired by Jalopnik's coverage of the 2007 LA Auto Show, these Los Angeles racetracks will get you there too.
Willow Springs Raceway
3500 75th St W
Rosamond, CA 93560
Located about an hour north of LA in Rosamond, this track features a 1.3-mile street course, 0.6-mile asphalt road course with nine turns for kart racing, and a 2.5-mile … asphalt road course for Indy and motorcycle racing. Also on offer here is the chance to actually get behind the wheel of a race car yourself; just sign up at their Fast Lane Racing School. [link]
Wiener National Dachshund Races
7561 Center Ave
Huntington Beach, CA 92647
Think wiener dogs are funny? So do the peeps down at Old World Village in Huntington Beach, where they host dachshund races. Watch as doting owners desperately try to … encourage their dogs along the 20-yard cobblestone track. Want to race your own wiener? It's only $16 to enter. [link]
Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach
The Long Beach Convention & Entertainment Center, 300 East Ocean Boulevard, Long Beach, CA 90802
The longest running major "street" race held on the North American continent, attendance for this open-wheel, temporary road course event can exceed 200,000 people. This … is the premier circuit in the Champ Car World Series, but other races are also held, as is the Formula D drifting series. [link]
Santa Anita Park
285 W Huntington Dr
Arcadia, CA 91007
Considered the best in wintertime horse racing in the US and the world at large, this thoroughbred racetrack is the oldest in Southern California and boasts some of the … highest purses in the nation. The site is historically interesting as well; Seabiscuit won the Santa Anita Handicap here in 1940, and when racing was suspended due to World War II, the park was used as a Japanese internment camp. Uh ...anywho ... [link]
Perris Auto Speedway
18700 Lake Perris Dr
Perris, CA 92571
While it's about an hour east of LA proper, Perris is SoCal's only 1/2 mile clay oval, and America's premier dirt track facility, so this is where you want to go for SCRA … Sprints, stock cars, and midgets racing. [link]
Hollywood Park
1050 S Prairie Ave
Inglewood, CA 90305
This thoroughbred racecourse next door to the Forum is steeped in serious Hollywood history. Originally chaired by Jack Warner (one of the Warner brothers), many of its … original shareholders were Tinseltown bigwigs such as Walt Disney, Bing Crosby, and Sam Goldwyn. Once you've won at the races, try your luck at their state-of-the-art card club and casino, which features California games and poker. [link]
California Speedway
9300 Cherry Ave
Fontana, CA 92335
Once upon a time, Fontana -- where California Speedway resides -- was known as Fontucky, due to its status as the birthplace of the Hell's Angels and the large number of … rednecks who made their homes there. Though the city's economy and population have since changed, the Speedway remains Fontana's number one attraction. Two NASCAR Nextel Cups are held there annually, as well as various smaller races throughout the year, and I'll be damned if you don't see a mullet or two when you go. [link]
Brennan's Pub
4089 Lincoln Blvd
Marina Del Rey, CA 90292
Let's start slow. Really slow, as in the turtle racing that occurs each Thursday night at Brennan's. Amazingly enough, they've been doing this since 1975, and it just … doesn't seem to get old. Want to participate? You can bring your own terrapin or "rent" one of theirs. Just get there early to sign up for the first round at 9 pm. [link]
