Images courtesy: AVMotorplex.com

Southern California was once the hot bed of drag racing; the prime real estate for building a track and the place to be if you wanted to line up alongside the best of the best.  But that evil necessity known as progress eventually did its best to wipe it all out.  These days, strips in the state are few and far between and the biggest of them all, Pomona Raceway, only operates twice a year.  Needless to say, the area is in dire need of a new place, and one that the locals won’t make every effort to kill before the first shovel of dirt is turned.

A group in the Los Angeles County area is attempting to do just that, with the announcement of the proposed AV Motorplex.  Slated to be built in the Antelope Valley (hence, the AV) in northern LA County.  The track is a quest to succeed the how-defunct Los Angeles County Raceway that closed its doors in 2007 when the neighboring mining company that owned the mineral rights to the property claimed it.

The master plan for this world-class facility includes a four-lane drag strip ala zMAX Dragway, a ¼ or 1/3 mile dirt oval, a ½ mile paved oval, and a business park.  If built, the group hopes the facility can attract NHRA or IHRA national event interest.  This really is an impressive looking,21^st century facility on paper that could be a modern day OCIR for the west coast racers.

Organizers of the proposed facility have already held a public news conference outlining their plans and explaining the economic impact in an effort to garner support for the go-ahead of the facility.  Being in the state of California, this deal will likely drag on and on regardless of the outcome, but here’s to hoping this isn’t another Banning Drag-city debacle.