Lost Dragstrip: Fontana Drag City

Fontana International Dragway

Not far from my studio in Rancho Cucamonga the last few remains of what was once known as Fontana Drag City remains among the suburban housing tracks. I decided to take a trip out to the site and snap some photos of what few signs remain of Mickey Thompson’s old track. Like many tracks that once were packed with racers and fans Fontana Drag City is just a memory. Officially it was known as Mickey Thompson’s Fontana International Dragway, from 1955-1972 it was a major stop on the NHRA circuit. The only thing left from the legendary drag strip is the shutdown area at the very end just before the turn off for the return road. There are also chucks of concrete from some of the walls and other buildings strewn about. The strip closed after several serous accidents and deaths, the NHRA deemed the track to short and narrow for safe racing.

Growing up in the area, I never knew that this track was just a few miles away, but if the tracks that once stood in Southern California I would be living in the middle of motorsports heaven. Just a few miles down the road from Drag City, Ontario Motor Speedway and Riverside International Raceway were top tracks the drew the biggest names in motorsports. Now positioned between where these once great tracks stood California (Autoclub) Speedway is home to some of the biggest races on the West Coast and looks much like the old Ontario Speedway.

Today Just a small patch of the strip remains