Historic Willow Springs Raceway up for sale

Here in the Philippines, when one talks about racetracks, only two come to mind: Clark International Speedway (CIS) and the Batangas Racing Circuit (BRC). In the US, there are plenty of racetracks, and the Willow Springs International Raceway in California was the venue of many of the historic moments in American racing.

The family that owns the raceway, has now listed it for sale.

Timeline

Dubbed as the “Fastest Track in the West”, Willow Springs International Raceway was constructed in 1952, taking inspiration from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Oval. It was also said that Ken Miles (yes, the Ken Miles of Ford v Ferrari) helped in the construction.

In 1953, the racetrack held its inaugural races, drawing thousands of spectators from around the US. It was also the year it got the moniker “Fastest Track in the West.” Then in 1956, Willow Springs hosted the NASCAR Grand National Race. This was only the second race ever on a traditional road course in the top level of NASCAR.

By 1960, Willow Springs hosted its first-ever motorcycle races for the US Motorcycle Grand Prix, which was organized by the American Federation of Motorcyclists (AFM). Two years later in 1962, mechanic and businessman, Bill Huth, with his automotive shop as collateral, purchased the then-200 acre (81 hectares) Willow Springs Raceway. At the time, his focus was drag and motorcycle racing.

In 1968, the original Love Bug movie which features the iconic VW Beatle Herbie, was shot and filmed in Willow Springs Raceway.

By 1980, Bill Huth took majority control over Willow Springs Raceway and began its expansion to 600 acres (241 hectares).

In 1987, Mario Andretti, set the fastest Big Willow track record in a 1987 CART Indycar with 1:06.1. This record remains unbroken up to this day.

Through the efforts of fans and racing enthusiasts,  Willow Springs was officially named as a Historical Point of Interest in California in 1996. In 2008, popular racing simulator Gran Turismo added Willow Springs Raceway as one of the racetracks in the game.

Perhaps, the most notable in the modern era of the Willow Springs International Raceway happened in 2018 when it became one of the shooting locations for the movie Ford v Ferrari, starring Matt Damon as Carroll Shelby and Christian Bale as Ken Miles. The movie, released in 2019, was both critically acclaimed and a box-office success.

This year, after years of both success and decline, Bill Huth’s family has listed the Willow Springs International Raceway for sale.

The property broker has listed the assessed property tax value at around USD 2.253 million or roughly PHP 132.3 million. The property’s actual sale price has not been listed, and interested buyers may contact the broker directly.