Sports
NASCAR wants to race again in Southern California, but when will it happen?
NASCAR won’t visit Southern California next year and there’s no certainty when the stock-car racing series will return with construction on a new track in unincorporated San Bernardino County slowed.
NASCAR, which moved its 2025 season-opening event from the Coliseum to Winston-Salem, N.C., after three years, had hoped to race in Fontana next year, but the planned half-mile oval track being built on the site of the Auto Club Speedway won’t be completed in time — and there’s no timeline for when it will be done.
“What that looks like in the future remains to be seen,” Ben Kennedy, NASCAR’s executive vice-president and chief venue & racing information officer, said when the 2025 schedule was released this year. “Unfortunately we weren’t able to have it on the 2025 schedule, but bullish about getting it back on the schedule.”
With the exception of 2021, when the schedule was hampered by the pandemic, NASCAR has run at least one race in Southern California every year since 1997, when the Fontana superspeedway opened on the site of the old Kaiser steel mill.
“It’s a massive market for us,” Kennedy added. “No. 2 in terms of the quantity of NASCAR fans, a huge media market for us. Strategically it makes a lot of sense for us to be in Southern California.”
The absence of the race also will take a bite out of the local economy. The UC Riverside Center for Economic Forecasting and Development, which was shuttered last year, estimated that the NASCAR race had an economic impact of $148.7 million in its last survey in 2017. Adjusted for inflation, that would be nearly $192 million today.
The two-mile, low-banked, D-shaped oval drew 85,000 fans for its first NASCAR event, but when the series added a second annual race at the track in 2004, attendance fell and in 2014, the grandstands were reconfigured to lower capacity to 68,000. NASCAR did not release attendance figures for its final race at the track last year but said it was sold out.
Ten days after that race, NASCAR sold 433 of the 522 acres of the track’s footprint to Ross Perot Jr.’s Dallas-based Hillwood Development company and CBRE Investment Management for approximately $569 million, reported to be a record price for an industrial land deal. The site will be converted into a logistics facility and industrial park with 6.6 million square feet of warehousing spacing, with NASCAR retaining ownership of approximately 90 acres for a planned half-mile short track.
The main grandstands, front straight, pit road and pit road suites, which are all that remain of the old raceway, are to be incorporated into the new racing venue. But definitive plans on what the track will look like have not been released.
Construction began at the site last year with the build time on the track estimated at between 12 and 18 months. That timeline has proved overly optimistic.
“We have no updates on that effort at this time,” James Fuller, a spokesman for Hillwood and the Perot Group, said last month. In the meantime, traffic around the site on Cherry Avenue, sandwiched between the 10 and 210 freeways, has snarled.
NASCAR has been looking to transition part of its racing series from large superspeedways to half-mile oval tracks like the ones at Bristol, Tenn., Martinsville, Va., and North Wilkesboro, N.C. The resized Fontana facility is part of that transition.
“Our goal is really to be in Southern California long term,” Kennedy said. “We’ve continued to work on our plans for Fontana. We have a number of different configurations and variations the team has been working on for what that track might look like [and] what are the other activities that could happen on that parcel of land that we have there.”
In the meantime, NASCAR is looking at other opportunities in Southern California, Kennedy said, with reports last spring saying the possibilities of a street race in San Diego were being explored.
The headwinds appear to be pushing the other way, however. It was recently announced that the Irwindale Speedway, home to a variety of lower-tier NASCAR racing series for a quarter-century, will host its final race on Dec. 21.
IDS Real Estate, which bought the site in 2022, plans to bulldoze the track and build an industrial park in its place.
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The Atlanta Hawks have parted ways with four-time NBA All-Star point guard Trae Young, trading him to the Washington Wizards in a blockbuster move, according to ESPN.
The Hawks will reportedly be receiving veteran shooting guard CJ McCollum and forward Corey Kispert in the deal.
Washington was Young’s preferred destination, and the two sides were working on a deal to get the 27-year-old point guard to the nation’s capital.
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Trae Young of the Atlanta Hawks looks on during the game against the Boston Celtics during Round 1 Game 6 of the 2023 NBA Playoffs on April 27, 2023 at State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Georgia. ( Adam Hagy/NBAE via Getty Images)
Young’s agents were having conversations with the Hawks, who sit at 17-21 so far this season, about trading their client out of Atlanta.
There is a mutual connection in Washington, too, as executive Travis Schlenk drafted Young fifth overall in 2018 out of Oklahoma.
It marks the end of an era for the Hawks. Young has been the focal point of their offense since he was taken in that draft. He is the team’s career leader in three-pointers and assists, having led the team to the postseason in three of his eight seasons. The Hawks went the furthest in 2021, where they made the Eastern Conference Finals.
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However, the new era was brewing already in Atlanta, with forward Jalen Johnson taking the next step in his career, averaging 23.7 points per game this season. The pickup of Nickeil Alexander-Walker also helps, as he’s averaged 20.5 points per game in 36 appearances.
Meanwhile, Young has played just 10 games this season, as he’s been dealing with leg injuries, most notably a right MCL sprain.
Trae Young #11 of the Atlanta Hawks looks on after the game against the Boston Celtics during Round One Game Five of the 2023 NBA Playoffs on April 25, 2023 at the TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. (Brian Babineau/NBAE via Getty Images)
The Hawks also get some flexibility on their books, as they could make some more moves. Anthony Davis is reportedly available from the Dallas Mavericks, making him a good target for Atlanta.
Young has $95 million remaining on his deal that runs through the 2026-27 season, which includes a player option this offseason.
Atlanta will be taking on McCollum’s contract, though the veteran guard has a $30.6 million expiring deal.
Through his 10 games this season, Young is averaging 19.2 points, 8.9 assists and 1.5 rebounds per game, while shooting 41.5% from the field.
Trae Young of the Atlanta Hawks drives down the court during the first half against the Philadelphia 76ers at State Farm Arena on April 7, 2023 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Todd Kirkland/Getty Images)
Over his career, Young has dropped 25.2 points and 9.8 assists per game, while leading the league in the latter category last season with 11.6 per contest.
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On the opening night of Mission League basketball action Wednesday, there was a huge upset, one close call and two easy victories.
Loyola, down 16 points going into the fourth quarter, started making threes and stunned Sherman Oaks Notre Dame on the road 72-68. Deuce Newt scored 23 points for the Cubs (10-9). First-year coach Cam Joyce saw his team take a leap in ability when Newt became eligible on Dec. 26 after transferring from Campbell Hall. Randall Sanders added 15 points.
No. 1-ranked Sierra Canyon (14-1) held on for a 50-47 win over St. Francis. The Golden Knights gave the Trailblazers a real scare with a chance to tie at the end of regulation. Maxi Adams made two clutch free throws in the final seconds for Sierra Canyon. Brandon McCoy had 19 points and 12 rebounds. Cherif Millogo scored 14 points for the Golden Knights.
Harvard-Westlake improved to 18-2 with an 84-51 win over Chaminade (18-2). Amir Jones made six threes and had 26 points. Joe Sterling added 21 points and Dominique Bentho had 11 points and 13 rebounds.
Crespi (14-6) defeated Bishop Alemany 87-59. Jasiah Williams and Christian Tshina-Nzambi each scored 20 points.
On Friday night, it will be Notre Dame at Sierra Canyon, Harvard-Westlake at Crespi and Chaminade at Loyola.
Arcadia 87, Burroughs 51: Owen Eteuati Edwards scored 23 points and had eight rebounds for Arcadia.
Fairfax 77, Carson 40: Dominick Bowie had 14 points for the Lions.
San Pedro 67, Hamilton 37: Chris Morgan had 14 points and eight rebounds for the Pirates (13-4).
California 105, Saddleback 77: Jair Linares had 26 points for 11-7 California.
Tesoro 78, Capistrano Valley 39: Dean Mika finished with 23 points for 18-3 Tesoro.
St. Monica 67, St. Bernard 58: St. Monica won in overtime. Jordan Ballard scored 20 points for St. Bernard.
Los Alamitos 57, Huntington Beach 47: Sophomore Isaiah Williamson contributed 11 points and 12 rebounds in the Sunset League win.
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A chaotic scene unfolded at Auburn University on Tuesday night as a wild buzzer-beater was waved off well after the Tigers had celebrated on their own court.
With 0.6 seconds remaining and Auburn trailing 90-88, KeShawn Murphy, somehow left wide open, caught an inbounds pass and nailed a long 3-pointer for what was thought to be the game-winner.
However, officials went to the scorer’s table to review the play, which was awfully close.
Auburn Tigers players watch the replay of a possible game-winning shot that was called back as Auburn Tigers take on Texas A&M Aggies at Neville Arena in Auburn, Alabama on Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2026. (Jake Crandall/USA Today Network via Imagn Images)
Ultimately, officials ruled that the shot had not gone off in time, ending the Tigers’ celebration and prompting one from Texas A&M.
The officials quickly made themselves public enemy number one and were showered with debris from fans on their way off the court. At least one referee needed his head to be covered.
One fan sitting courtside even turned his back and threw his drink over his shoulder aimed at an official.
“They didn’t say a word. They just said it was no good and ran off the floor. I probably wouldn’t want to talk to me in that moment, anyway,” Auburn head coach Steven Pearl, who took over for his dad, Bruce this season, said after the game. “So, I get why they’d run away from me. Just from the angles that I saw, it looked like it was off his fingers. But that was just, I don’t have all the same angles they have.”
Texas A&M Aggies players celebrate victory as Auburn Tigers take on Texas A&M Aggies at Neville Arena in Auburn, Alabama, on Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2026. (Jake Crandall/USA Today Network via Imagn Images)
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It is now six losses in their last 10 games for the Tigers after starting 5-1. They lost in the Final Four last year to Florida, who won the national championship over Houston.
Auburn (9-6, 0-2) led 47-37 at halftime and extended the margin to 61-45 with 12:29 remaining.
KeShawn Murphy of the Auburn Tigers reacts after officials ruled that his last-second shot did not beat the shot clock to win the game against the Texas A&M Aggies at Neville Arena on Jan. 6, 2026 in Auburn, Alabama. (Stew Milne/Getty Images)
Texas A&M answered with a steady run fueled by outside shooting, taking its first lead at 8:42 when Pop Isaacs buried a 3-pointer. The Aggies followed with back-to-back triples from Isaacs to open a five-point cushion that they would not relinquish, by the skin of their teeth.
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