Willow Springs International Motorsports Park

History

The original intent was to create a replica of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway oval, but space constraints resulted in its final configuration. Ken Miles was among several people involved in planning the layout. The first event was held on November 23, 1953.

The course was very fast from the outset and quickly earned the nickname "The Fastest Road in the West."

In 1962, the course was sold to Bill Huth, who paid $116,000 for the facility and hoped to use the main straight for drag racing. Huth purchased the lease outright in 1980 and soon began expanding the facility. The initial 230 acre expanded to 600 acre with the purchase of adjacent land. A second track, the Streets of Willow, was constructed next, and a third track, Horse Thief Mile, was added in 2003.

Huth died in 2015 at the age of 91.

In June 2024, the venue was listed for sale. In April 2025, CrossHarbor Capital Partners purchased the facility and announced plans for renovations, in collaboration with Singer Vehicle Design, Wurz Design, Hart Howerton, and Sonoma Raceway.

Tracks

There are seven tracks at Willow Springs. The largest and most well known track is Willow Springs International Raceway (commonly referred to as Big Willow). Other racing facilities include The Streets of Willow (1.800 mi road course), The Horse Thief Mile (road course), The Speedway at Willow Springs (0.250 mi paved oval), Willow Springs Kart Track (a 0.625 mi, nine-turn paved sprint track), The Playpen (a 0.250 mi paved training track), and the Walt James Stadium (Clay Oval and Paved Oval).

Willow Springs Raceway

Willow Springs Raceway (commonly called Big Willow or sometimes The Big Track) is a 2.500 mi paved road course consisting of 9 turns.

• Turn 1: "Castrol corner" is a 90-degree high-speed left-handed turn.
• Turn 2: "The Rabbits Ear" is a double-apex sweeping turn
• Turn 3/4: "The Omega" is an uphill and downhill section with a camber change.
• Turn 5: A quick left-handed turn that sets up for the fastest sections of the track.
• Turn 6: Monroe Ridge
• Turn 7: Repass Pass
• Turn 8: Sometimes called, "The Sweeper," turn 8 is a high-speed right-hand corner. The lead-in to this turn is the fastest section of the racetrack.
• Turn 9: A right-handed turn with a big dip before the apex. This is the final turn before the front straightway to the finish line.

The Streets of Willow Springs

The Streets of Willow Springs (commonly called The Streets of Willow or sometimes Streets) is a 1.800 mi paved roadcourse. The track was repaved in late 2021 after numerous complaints of the deteriorating quality of the track.

Horse Thief Mile

Opened in 2003, the Horse Thief Mile (sometimes called The Mile) is a 1.00 mi paved roadcourse featuring 11 turns as well as numerous elevation changes. It was designed to simulate a winding mountain road.

Willow Springs Kart Track

Speedway Willow Springs

Walt James Stadium

Layout configurations

| File:Willow Springs International Raceway.png | Big Willow (1953–present) | File:Streets-of-Willow-Springs trackmap.png | Streets of Willow Extended Course (2003–present) | File:Willow Springs Horse Thief Mile.gif | Horse Thief Mile (2003–present)

Media

Willow Springs has been featured in numerous forms of media including movies, television, music videos and video games.

Willow Springs has been used for filming for motion pictures such as 1:42:08: A Man and His Car, the 1969 Disney film The Love Bug and Ford v Ferrari (Le Mans '66).

Willow Springs has been used for several TV shows including British BBC program Top Gear, several episodes of Wheeler Dealers and Jay Leno's Garage.

The track was featured in the Japanese Best Motoring International "American Touge" video special.

The track is in the 1985 Christopher Cross music video "Charm the Snake",{{cite magazine |access-date=2025-08-28

Willow Springs International Motorsports Park was the venue of a photoshoot session by Playboy for its Playmate pictorial and centerfold featuring Alyssa Arcè as Miss July 2013. The photographs were featured in the magazine's July–August 2013 issue.

Willow Springs tracks have been featured in video games including Need for Speed: ProStreet, Need for Speed: Shift, Gran Turismo 6, Gran Turismo Sport, Gran Turismo 7, Project CARS, Asseto Corsa, and iRacing.

Track records

The overall unofficial track record is held by Michael Andretti in a 1987 CART Indycar. Andretti completed a lap of the 2.500 mi main track in 1 minute, 6.050 seconds for an average speed of 136 mph.

Lap records

As of March 2017, the fastest official race lap records at Willow Springs International Motorsports Park are listed as:

Other motorsport

Option hosted an early exhibition drift event in 1996.

During the early 1980s, the factory-backed Renault Formula One team often used Willow Springs to test their cars before the early season United States Grand Prix West held at Long Beach in Los Angeles.

ChampCar Endurance Series hosts a double-8+7-hour endurance race on Big Willow.

Willow Springs was a regular venue for the American Indycar Series (AIS), in some seasons hosting the season opener and/or the season finale.

Photographs

References

References

1. (May 2013). "Will Ellis Drive?". [[Road & Track]].
2. "1tail Resource Database - Willow Springs International Motorsports Park".
3. "Willow Springs Speedway in Lancaster CA Road Course".
4. "WILLOW SPRINGS INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY". State of California.
5. Alex NishimotoWriterMay. (May 14, 2015). "Willow Springs International Raceway owner Bill Huth dies at 91".
6. (June 9, 2024). "Huth family to sell historic Willow Springs International Raceway".
7. (June 10, 2024). "Willow Springs' Sellers Hope To Turn The Track Into A Sonoma Raceway For Southern California".
8. Brandan Gillogly. (April 9, 2025). "Willow Springs under new ownership, partners with Singer".
9. "2.5 Mile Road Course - Willow Springs International Raceway - Since 1953".
10. "Streets of Willow Springs - Willow Springs International Raceway - Since 1953".
11. (19 August 2021). "Willow Springs International Raceway Reddit post for repave".
12. (16 August 2003). "Horse Thief Mile Opens At Willow Springs International Raceway".
13. "Horse Thief Mile - Willow Springs International Raceway - Since 1953".
14. (28 November 2024). "Top Gear S19E2".
15. (26 June 2017). "Jay Leno's Garage".
16. (5 July 2013). "Alyssa Arce – Playboy's Miss July 2013 – Plays F, Marry, Kill With Soccer Players". Busted Coverage.
17. "Track Records". Willow Springs International Raceway.
18. "Willow Springs - Motor Sport Magazine".
19. (2007-06-15). "g Masters - Lateral Acceleration Testing".
20. "Track Records – Willow Springs Raceway".
21. (3 May 1987). "Canadian American Thundercars Willow Springs 1987".
22. (28 March 2017). "2017 Trans Am West Coast Championship Round 1 - Willow Springs International Raceway - TA / TA2 / TA3 / TA4 - Round 1 - Trans Am Feature Race - TA/TA2/TA3/TA4 Race - Official Race Results".
23. (20 February 1966). "SCCA Regional Willow Springs [CM+DM+EM+FM+GM+AP+BP+CP+DP] 1966".
24. "ChampCar Endurance Series - 2022".