ALTAMONT MOTORSPORTS PARK

'Altamont Motorsports Park' is a motorsports race track located in Alameda County in Northern California between the towns of Tracy and Livermore. It first opened on July 22, 1966, and has variously operated under the names 'Altamont Speedway', 'Altamont Raceway', 'Altamont Raceway Park', and 'Altamont Raceway Park and Arena'. The Motorsports Park contains a variety of different racetrack configurations including a 1/2 mile oval, 1/4 mile oval, 1.1 mile road course, and a figure 8 track. The course is the largest oval racetrack north of Los Angeles. The track features a pit lane that is uncharacteristic when compared to larger ovals. Pit lane is located on the outside of the course on the opposite side of the oval from the start finish line.

In 2006 the park came under the ownership of Riverside Motorsports Park, LLC. They initated several upgrades to the park including fresh asphalt, the addition of the 1.1 mile road course and the new Figure 8 track. Altamont currently stages a variety of motorsports events, including NASCAR Whelen All-American Series races monthly or bi-monthly as the schedule permits. The park also host two races on the NASCAR Grand National Division, West Series schedule. The Altamont 200 in the spring and the Season Finale in the fall. Additionally, Formula 4, Sprint Cars, Motorcycle races and the 24 Hours of LeMons are held at the racetrack. The latter being a play on the famous 24 Hours of Le Mans, however in the place of top dollar racing machines, the 24 Hours of LeMons features cars with a maximum price of $500 (excluding safety gear, brakes, and tires), hence the title 'lemons'.
The park is well known for its December 1969 hosting (while unused at the time as a racetrack) of the notorious and ill-fated Altamont Free Concert; during a performance by The Rolling Stones, several people were injured and another stabbed to death by members of the Hells Angels motorcycle club.

Contents

External links

External links

★ Official website

★ Track history

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