The Los Angeles County Raceway (previously known as the Palmdale International Raceway and King's Antelope Valley Raceway) has been in operation since 1965. The drag strip is busiest on Fridays, when the track welcomes all comers at its "Test & Tune" nights.
But the end may be near for LACR. The gravel under the track is worth major bucks, and Granite Construction, which owns the property, plans to demolish the track to mine the gravel. Track supporters hope to save LACR, perhaps by building a new facility at a later date, but the track is scheduled to close at the end of July.
On Wednesday night, the Palmdale City Council will meet to determine the track's future. According to the savelacr.org website, "If the City of Palmdale doesn't step in and stop the digging by Granite Construction the mining of LACR will start again on July 30th. If Granite Construction is allowed to take the next 300 feet like they plan to, LACR Is FINISHED.
"If LACR closes it will put more racers back on the streets, causing more deaths more causalities and loss of property. It will take away another drag strip from the racing community that wants to have a safe and legal place to race. It will impact local community resources by having more Sheriffs answering calls regarding street racing, when they could be handling more serious crime."
