Planning and construction Failed San Bernardino County proposal On January 26, 1956, the San Bernardino County Planning Commission approved a proposal submitted by the United States Automotive Testing Company (USAT), with preliminary plans set to build "an automotive testing plant and race track" on plot of land near the city of
Ontario. The project, the then-named "Los Angeles International Motor Raceway", was officially announced by USAT on March 6, which included plans to build "several tracks inside a major road course" over the span of four years on a budget of $12,000,000 (adjusted for inflation, $), with an initial opening date in July 1956. In an interview with the
Los Angeles Mirror, USAT president Kermit M. Pollack stated that the project was largely funded by a wealthy Southern California family who invested in "lumber, oil, mining, real estate, and stocks". An initial groundbreaking date was set for April 1. After an opening race was scheduled for September 22, the opening was delayed further in June to the spring of 1957 due to slow progress on the access road improvement project. By July, according to racing historian Dick Wallen, USAT was on the brink of collapse due to multiple project leaders departing the project with no work completed on the track. In August, USAT pulled all support and stopped all work on the project, effectively killing the track. According to Pollack, he suspended the project due to "high costs, unusual site problems, and timing as related to area development, access and construction"; in addition, the land's material consisting of "
sand and sandy
loam" was unsuitable for road paving.
Riverside County proposal In September 1956, restaurant owner Rudy Cleye, who was involved with the San Bernardino County proposal, began proposing to the Riverside County Planning Commission to build a road course on a plot of land near
March Air Force Base. On November 26, the commission approved the proposal by a vote of 3–2. In comparison to the San Bernardino County proposal, Cleye wanted to have "no elaborate press conferences, no expensive public relations treatments, no fancy words, or exaggerated promises". The project, known as "Riverside International Motor Raceway" by December 8, At the time of the approval, Cleye's funding for the facility had run out; soon after, he partnered a frequent visitor at his restaurant, John Campbell Edgar, who invested the initial $100,000 needed. Work on the facility began in December of that year, with paving of the track starting three months later. By June, master plans had expanded to include a capacity of 200,000, five road course layouts (including a layout), three oval layouts, a restaurant, and a hotel at an expected cost of $3,500,000. In the same month, the track hosted a testing session open to the media, with multiple drivers, including
Ken Miles, John McGlaughlin, and John Marcotte participating in the test. On August 11, Paul Wallace of the
Press-Telegram announced the first event for the facility: a
Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) event from September 21–22. Wallace's report was confirmed later in the month by the track's developers, with the races taking place on a completed layout. At the time of its first race, the track had a reported capacity of 7,000. The construction cost varies by source. Sources at the time of its construction list a price of $800,000. After the event, the sixth turn of the track, which was the scene of a fatal accident on the 22nd, was redesigned in time for events in November. The first
drag racing event was held two weeks after the first event, hosting a
National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) event on October 5–6. Two months later, the first stock car racing event was held, with
Jerry Unser Jr. winning a
United States Auto Club (USAC) event on December 1. In 1958, the first
NASCAR-sanctioned race was held at the facility, with
Eddie Gray winning a
Grand National (now known as the Cup Series) event on June 1. The first Riverside-hosted event billed as the
United States Grand Prix was held four months later, with Daigh winning a sports car race. In 1959, approximately $30,000 worth of renovations were made to the facility, adding 10,000 parking spots, access roads, a "greater paved area around the start-finish line", and improvements to other fan amenities. A year later, the first and only
Formula One race hosted at Riverside was held on on November 20, with
Stirling Moss winning
the event. The facility quickly experienced financial issues. An highly advertised event consisting of three races over three days on the Memorial Day weekend of 1958 lost promoters $50,000 (adjusted for inflation, $) and had a reported combined three-day attendance of 12,000, which was blamed on high ticket prices of $5 (adjusted for inflation, $) per day. During the event, the facility was reportedly paying off creditors involved in the track's construction with ticket sales revenue from the event. The price was later listed as "about $300,000" according to Wallen. Mears' tenure was short; he soon after left and cut all ties with the facility, and by June 10, Roy G. Lewis was listed as the new owner of the facility according to the
Los Angeles Mirror. On June 25, the first oval race was held on a layout which incorporated the ninth turn of Riverside's road course. The following month, Paul Schisser was appointed as general manager of the facility. With his appointment, Schisser stated hopes of expanding the facility to include a replica of the
Indianapolis Motor Speedway alongside a shopping and housing area. In September 1960, Fred Levy and
Edwin Pauley bought considerable amounts of stock of the facility. According to the
Redwood City Tribune, the duo invested "about $1 million". Despite the investment, the facility was reported to still be in financial trouble. The only Formula One race ever ran at the facility, a highly advertised event promoted by Alec Ulmann, had an actual attendance of 25,000 according to the
Los Angeles Times; Ulmann expected 100,000. In February 1961, Schisser appointed former football player
Les Richter as the assistant general manager of the track. According to Richter, he was hired to head the track after it experienced continued financial troubles.
Edwin Pauley, Fred Levy, Bob Hope, and Les Richter years (pictured in 1969) was a co-owner of Riverside International Raceway from 1962 until 1969 alongside
Edwin Pauley and Fred Levy. In 1962, Lewis gave up his ownership in the facility, with ownership transferring to stockholders
Edwin Pauley and Fred Levy. With the ownership, they brought entertainer
Bob Hope as part of the ownership group of the track. In addition, Schisser retired as president of the track; as a result, Joe W. Perry was appointed as his replacement, and Richter was promoted to become the executive director of the track. In June of that year, a second, shorter layout was created after a short-cut straight was paved that connected the sixth and eighth turns, bypassing the entire seventh turn. Four months later, a $25,000 pedestrian bridge was constructed over the facility's backstretch and grandstand capacity was increased to 16,000, adding grandstands in the sixth turn and in an area "opposite [of] turn 7". In January 1963, the track's pit areas was relocated from outside of the track to the infield of the track, with grandstands being built in the old pit area. According to Wallen, the change was made due to the arrival of annual NASCAR racing in 1963. In May, a $24,000 retaining steel wall was installed at the ninth turn alongside the announcement of new garage amenities; the steel wall was installed in the wake of two deaths within the span of four months at the same turn in similar fashions. In August 1963, Perry resigned as president of RIR, with Richter retaining his position as executive director and general manager. In January 1964, a $9 million master plan for RIR was revealed by Richter, which included plans to construct facilities to hold a capacity of up to 150,000, an automotive museum, a hotel, a golf course, and a gun club. Within the year, the track's dragstrip was revamped, with 18,000 grandstand seats being installed on the track's straightaway and a paved pit area within the track's infield being constructed in time for that year's Hot Rod Magazine Drag Races in June. In 1966, a $200,000 renovation project was completed, which included the construction of two permanent garage buildings and a retaining wall at the track's frontstretch. Several additions were made in 1967 in time for that year's Los Angeles Times Grand Prix: the first turn was widened by , a concrete wall from the first turn to the sixth turn was installed, and other fan amenities were constructed at a cost of $300,000. In 1968, with construction impending on the nearby
Ontario Motor Speedway oval track, Richter announced plans to construct a tri-oval with a budget of $3,600,000 and a planned capacity of 30,000; however, the plans were suspended by May 1969.
Early fatalities RIR oversaw numerous fatalities in its early years, with most occurring in the 1960s. The track's first fatality occurred on September 22, 1957, with sports car racer John Lawrence dying after crashing at the track's sixth turn during a production car race, dying due to brain damage. On April 3, 1960, racer Pedro Von Dory died after crashing at the track's fifth turn during a sports car race, with Dory dying after being thrown out of the car and sustaining a broken back and a fractured skull. Three months later, Leslie Howard Brokin died after crashing into a guardrail during a sports car training session on July 24. On August 27, 1961, drag racer Bruce Johnson died after crashing during a time trial race on the track's dragstrip. Two deaths occurred in 1962. Sports car racer Peter Hessler died on March 11 after crashing a
Lotus junior formula car during a test session, and Pat Piggott died on October 14 during that year's Los Angeles Times Grand Prix after suffering a suspension failure and subsequently crashing into the guardrail at the track's ninth turn in a "flying wedge impact". On February 2, 1963, Gordon Stuart Dane died in a crash described by Wallen as "a virtual replay of Pat Piggott's fatal crash", dying from internal injuries. Three deaths occurred in 1964. On January 19, stock car racing driver
Joe Weatherly died after crashing at the track's sixth turn during the
1964 Motor Trend 500, dying from head injuries when his head hit a retaining wall during the impact; Weatherly was not wearing a harness belt nor did his car have a window net when the accident occurred. Ten months later, George Koehne Jr. crashed in a fiery accident on October 11 during a practice session for that year's Los Angeles Times Grand Prix, dying from his burn injuries almost two months later on December 4. A month after Koehne's crash, Jim Ladd Jr. died in a crash on November 15 at the track's first turn, dying from head injuries. On January 17, 1965, spectator Ronald Pickle was killed in what was described as a "freak accident" by Wallen. Pickle alongside several spectators were watching the
1965 Motor Trend 500 on a forklift placed on a hill. The forklift fell and tumbled down the hill after fans on the forklift noticed the spinning car of Dick Powell, turning to see the accident and subsequently causing a weight shift. Pickle was crushed and killed by the tumbling forklift. On August 17, 1966, sports car driver
Ken Miles died in a crash at the track's ninth turn after his car "turned right while braking... and veered down the ten-foot embankment" of the track's infield at around . Miles was thrown out of the car during the accident and died instantly. Four months after Miles' death, motorcycle racer Viktor Scheiermann died after a crash at the track's first turn on December 11, with his head hitting the retaining guardrail. Scheiermann died due to head injuries a day later. On January 20, 1967,
Billy Foster died in a crash at the track's ninth turn during a practice session for the
1967 Motor Trend 500; like Weatherly's crash, Foster's car lost brakes and crashed into the retaining wall, with Foster's head hitting the wall and subsequently dying instantly. On April 27, 1968, amateur racing driver Vic Tandy died after crashing at the fourth turn, flipping several times with Tandy being partially thrown out of the car after a car door came loose.
Brief American Raceways tenure In February 1969,
Michigan International Speedway owner
Lawrence LoPatin bought 47% interest in RIR for $1,200,000 (adjusted for inflation, $), with an option to buy up to 65.5%. With LoPatin's investment, track officials announced plans for numerous renovations, and Richter was appointed as president at four LoPatin-owned tracks. LoPatin, who merged with the
Atlanta International Raceway (now known as the Atlanta Motor Speedway) prior to his investment in RIR, eventually formed American Raceways, Inc. (ARI), announcing plans to build the
Texas International Speedway and a track in
Burlington County, New Jersey. In April, plans were announced to reconfigure RIR's ninth turn, which had been the site of numerous fatalities since the track's opening. In addition, the southern part of the track, which included turn nine, was affected due to construction of the
California State Water Project, with a pipe across the track being constructed. The renovation project was done by September. The new turn nine, which featured a left-turn kink "about " from the backstretch bridge that led into a banked and wider right-turn sweeper, changed the length Grand Prix layout of the track from to . Soon after their investment in RIR, ARI experienced major financial and organizational troubles in its ventures. In addition, the organization had multiple disputes with various sanctioning bodies, including the
United States Auto Club (USAC), NASCAR, and the
Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) over numerous issues. Richter left ARI in October; however, he opted to remain in his position as president of RIR. In December, Richter entered a battle with LoPatin over the control of the track. On the 19th, ARI and LoPatin filed a lawsuit against Richter in efforts of obtaining controlling interest of RIR. At the time, ARI owned 48.4% of RIR, with LoPatin threatening the firing of Richter if he was able to gain controlling interest of the track.
The Sacramento Union's Jack Woodard later remarked that with the lawsuit, "LoPatin got almost everybody who is anybody in racing mad at him". In January 1970, after amassing $15,000,000 (adjusted for inflation, $) in debt, ARI merged with the
STP Corporation. Throughout the first half of 1970, ARI faced additional financial troubles due to low attendance from its racetracks. In addition, LoPatin faced criticism for his handling of Atlanta International Raceway, with Atlanta track officials leading campaigns to sack LoPatin after several Atlanta track executives either left or were fired by him. LoPatin was fired from his position as chairman of ARI on July 30, 1970, with Richter named as the president of ARI soon after. With LoPatin's ouster,
The Daily Report's Deke Houlgate remarked that monies previously not available due to the lawsuit were freed, with the track now being freely able to compete with the Ontario Motor Speedway.
Fritz Duda era In January 1971, a group of investors known as Sunnymead Land Investors, headed by Fritz Duda and consisting of Duda, William Norris, William Austin, and David Logan, purchased 80%
controlling interest of RIR for approximately $400,000 (adjusted for inflation, $), with Richter retaining his role as president. According to the autobiography of then-NASCAR executive
Ken Clapp, who was heavily involved with racing on the
American West Coast and RIR, with Duda's purchase, "the good news was that he liked racing, so we figured that Riverside would hang in there for a while". However, Duda, who was a real estate investor, "knew a sweet deal when he saw one, and, given the soaring land valuations in the area [around Riverside], it was only a matter of time before the right offer crossed his desk". In 1977, new concrete washboard curbs were installed in seven of the track's turns to deter short-cutting the track and approximately of concrete barrier was added at the exit of the ninth turn; the project costed approximately $100,000.
Les Richter departure, failed track replacement (pictured above) was considered by track officials; however, it was dropped in 1985. The first rumors of Richter's potential departure as president of RIR were published on June 9, 1983, by the
Los Angeles Times. The
Times' rumor was confirmed on June 15, with Richter stating his reasoning was because of "philosophical differences" with the handling of the track compared to Duda. At around this time, rumors of the track's potential closure were published in local Californian newspapers. In February 1984, plans were announced to build a new track within three years at an undetermined site in the
Southern California area to replace RIR due to urban residential expansion around RIR that would force the track's closure and demolition. According to the announcement, the proposed complex included a to superspeedway oval, a road course, and a dragstrip.
Sunnymead-Edgemont, and the
Glen Helen Regional Park were considered. By late August,
San Bernardino Sun writer Bill Rogers remarked that the battle for the location of the potential complex had "not only brought San Bernardino and Riverside counties into conflict but also has unleashed pressures from throughout Southern California for developing new tracks now that auto racing has been almost completely phased out of the urban jungles of Los Angeles and Orange counties". Although the Glen Helen area was well-received for its weather patterns, lack of noise pollution, and highway access, track officials in October stated that they selected a regional park site for the replacement complex. On October 5, RIR track officials announced in a press conference plans to build the track near the
Prado Dam in
Corona, with plans to open the facility in early 1987. On October 22, 1984, vice president of corporate relations for the
1984 Summer Olympics, Daniel D. Greenwood, was appointed as RIR's president, replacing Richter. With the appointment, the track lost almost all of its older management team led by Richter, with the exception of "the medical safety director... and the chief track announcer". In June 1985, Greenwood announced plans to continue operations at RIR until the end of the 1986 season, stating that the track's management was now considering five potential sites to move the track. Within the month, the Prado Dam plan came under heavy doubt due to the proposed area being a migratory area for the
least Bell's vireo, an endangered species of bird in Southern California. In addition, the area was in an
indigenous American burial site. Negotiations for the Prado Dam proposal stopped late in the month, effectively killing the proposal. By July, San Bernardino County Regional Parks Department director Gary Patton, who was involved with the Glen Helen proposal to build a track, stated to the
San Bernardino Sun that "it's my opinion that the Riverside people do not intend to build a race track anywhere", noting the lack of RIR support for the Glen Helen proposal. In addition, writer Katie Castador wrote accusations from racing insiders that the replacement track proposal was a "
smoke screen" to not make racing partners "uneasy about their future in Southern California". In August 1986, Greenwood stated possibilities of keeping the track open until June 1987 due to delays in finding a location for the replacement track; it was officially extended in November. The track's closure was later pushed back to June 1988 by October 1987. In June 1988, the Glen Helen proposal was scrapped, now being replaced by a housing development plan. By this point, Duda stated that he had "no prospects" of building a replacement track "in the near future".
Final events Although delayed several times, by January 1988,
Los Angeles Times writer Shav Glick wrote that "the signs are strong" of the track's impending shutdown in 1988 due to its traditional NASCAR Cup Series race in November being moved to
Phoenix International Raceway (now known as Phoenix Raceway). For its final season, the track scheduled three major events, which included a doubleheader
International Race of Champions (IROC) and NASCAR Cup Series weekend in June alongside a
SCORE International event in August. The IROC and NASCAR races were won by
Scott Pruett and
Rusty Wallace on June 11 and 12, respectively. The final SCORE International event was ran on August 14, with
Robby Gordon winning the final off-road event of the weekend. By the time of the event weekend, demolition of the track started. Construction of the mall, now-named as the
TownGate Mall (currently known as the Moreno Valley Mall), was delayed due to a financial recession and a subsequent lack of tenants. As a result, both the
Skip Barber Racing School and the
California Sports Car Club became tenants of RIR, with Skip Barber hosting driving schools and the California Club hosting races. As demolition of the facility already started on the northern parts of RIR, the organizations used the southern portions of the track.
Demolition Initial grading on the mall started in September 1989. Two months later, a housing development built on the track's backstretch opened, with
Los Angeles Times writer Shav Glick proclaiming that the development would "shut the doors for good". In August 1990, the Goodyear Tower, RIR's observation tower, was toppled. By March 1992, the project expanded to include housing developments, parks, schools, and offices. The Moreno Valley Mall formally opened on October 14, 1992. As of 2020, the former RIR complex consists of the Moreno Valley Mall, a
Lowe's store, a
Costco store, hotels, restaurants, and housing developments.
1970s and 1980s fatalities Up until the track's final event, RIR experienced several fatalities in the 1970s and 1980s. On April 24, 1971, racer Mel Andrus crashed at the first turn during a
Formula A qualifying session, dying an hour later in surgery. In 1974, sports car racer Frank Davis died on March 17 after suffering a heart attack on a straightaway and subsequently crashing into a brick wall. Two deaths occurred in 1975. On January 18, NASCAR driver Bill Spencer died in a crash during a
NASCAR Late Model Sportsman race, losing brakes and crashing at the sixth turn and dying due to "multiple chest injuries". Four months after, motorcycle rider Marvin LaBlanc died during an off-road motorcycle event after crashing and being hit by another racer during the crash. On September 19, 1976, sports car racer Dave Miller died in a
Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) race after losing brakes on the backstretch and crashing into the turn nine wall, dying instantly. On May 15, 1977,
United States Navy member W. F. Bogard died in a crash during a motorcycle race, dying from a broken neck. On January 15, 1978, during a practice session for a
NASCAR Late Model Sportsman Division race, driver
Sonny Easley crashed on an escape road after losing control due to getting a wheel into a muddy area, leading him to slide sideways and collide with a trailer connected to a truck, which subsequently pushed the truck into a van. A crewman for
Tiny Keith, Douglas B. Gruntz, was killed after he was trapped between the truck and the van. Easley was also killed when he was hit by stray sheet metal from the crashed vehicles. On August 26, 1979, a group of six people on a pickup truck illegally broke into the track and crashed, killing passenger Douglas Brune. Two deaths occurred in 1980. On January 12, NASCAR driver Tim Williamson died due to multiple chest injuries in a crash at the end of the track's esses section, crashing at approximately into a concrete barrier after one of the wheels of Williamson's car went off-track into a muddy section. On December 7, motorcycle racer John West died in a crash during a practice run for a motorcycle event; according to witnesses, West had been holding his chest before the accident. Three deaths occurred in 1983. On April 2, sports car racer Jim Harris died in a
Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) Solo I race, crashing into another car and the hitting the turn one retaining wall. On April 24, endurance racing driver
Rolf Stommelen died due to blunt force trauma in a crash during an
IMSA GT Championship event, with his car lifting and crashing at the entrance of turn nine, proceeding to flip numerous times before landing and catching on fire. On October 16, racer John Goss died in a crash at the track's backstretch during a vintage-car racing event. On July 2, 1989, during the track's final event, Formula C driver Mark Verbofsky died in a crash; with the death, RIR experienced deaths on its first and last days of racing. == Events and uses ==