1999–2012 Construction began in March 1998 on Irwindale's 6,500-seat grandstand and - and -mile ovals. Irwindale Speedway hoped to fill the void left in the Los Angeles Basin left by the closures of the famed
Riverside International Raceway,
Ontario Motor Speedway and
Saugus Speedway. The $7-million project was completed March 1999 and held its inaugural races on March 27, 1999. However, during the first practice session for a
sprint car race, driver Casey Diemert died of head and neck injuries after hitting the wall and flipping his car from turn 3 to turn 4. Two other deaths would occur during events at the track, Keith Cowherd also in 1999 during a Speed Truck Challenge race, and John Baker in 2002 during a
NASCAR Featherlite Southwest Series race. From 2003 to 2010, the main -mile oval hosted the NASCAR
Toyota All-Star Showdown. In this event, the top 30 drivers in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series and the top 40 drivers in the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series come from their respective regional tours to compete in a "best-of-the-best" race. The races were televised live on the
Speed Channel. It was also the home of the
Turkey Night Grand Prix race, a
Thanksgiving midget car racing tradition in
southern California since 1934, when the race debuted at
Gilmore Stadium. Among the 2005 participants were
Tony Stewart,
Jason Leffler, and
J. J. Yeley. It was also seen in an episode of
Malcolm in the Middle, titled "Stock Car Races", also used in the opening scene of the pilot episode of
Fastlane and in Episode 25 of
Fear Factor Season 3. In 2012, Irwindale Speedway LLC, the management group that ran the track, filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy on the same day track management canceled the 2012 racing season. In the paperwork filed at the United States Bankruptcy Court, Central District, it shows that Irwindale Speedway LLC owed creditors $331,773.11. The largest amount is $150,000 owed on a personal-injury claim. Irwindale Speedway LLC owed Nu-Way Industries Inc., the company that owns the property where the track and offices are built, $55,000 in rent. Irwindale Speedway LLC has two more outstanding personal injury claims with unknown values. There is also a debt of $8,093.51 owed to the city of Irwindale Police Department, $16,379.58 owed to the Golden State Water Company and $1,437.50 owed to the San Gabriel Valley Tribune for advertising.
2013–2017 In late 2012, Jim Cohan, who ran the LA Driving Experience at the track was able to secure funding to re-open the speedway under his management. In September 2013, the property housing the Irwindale Event Center was purchased by Irwindale Outlet Partners, LLC for $22 million. The lease for the Irwindale Event Center continued on a year-by-year basis. In March 2015, plans were made to demolish Irwindale Speedway and replace it with Irwindale Outlet Center, an
outlet mall, but the closure has been delayed. The track is currently running the 2017 season. On August 9, 2017, Cohan made an announcement in an e-mailed statement saying that the track was closing down officially in January 2018.
2018–2024 's No. 6 Irwindale Speedway sponsored car. On December 29, 2017, it was announced that the track would not close in January 2018 as former Irwindale Late Model racer and track champion Tim Huddleston took over management of the speedway to have it remain open. In February 2020 Irwindale's famous All-Star Showdown returned to the track following a ten-year hiatus. The track remained open without spectators during the
COVID-19 pandemic founding its own streaming service IrwindaleSpeedway.tv operated by Low Budget TV. In June 2021 fans returned to the track. At the
2024 West Coast Stock Car Motorsports Hall of Fame 150, a post-race incident happened when
Sean Hingorani was caught on the hot mic swearing at owner Tim Huddleston.
Closing On October 29, 2024, Huddleston officially announced that the speedway and drag-strip track would permanently close on December 21, 2024. ==Drag strip==