International Speedway Corporation Negotiating To Operate Mazda Raceway At Laguna Seca
The Monterey Board of Supervisors late mast month revealed plans to discuss an agreement regarding the track in closed session. The Supervisors' agenda listed International Speedway Corp. as the negotiating party, and stated that price and terms are under negotiation.
International Speedway Corp. owns 12 tracks that host NASCAR Sprint Cup races, including Daytona International Speedway, Darlington Raceway and Talladega Superspeedway. ISC tracks also host other events, including the IMSA Tudor United SportsCar Championship.
The Sports Car Racing Association of the Monterey Peninsula, a non-profit which has operated the track since its inception in November 1957, has been managing the raceway on a monthly basis since March 2014.
Mazda Raceway at Laguna Seca is an 11-turn, 2.238-mile road course covering 542 acres along California’s central coast. Its most famous section is turns 8 and 8A, commonly referred to as The Corkscrew, which features a drop of 59 feet in elevation while competitors make a hard left and then a hard right.
Among those who have raced at the track include Stirling Moss, who won the inaugural Pacific Grand Prix and was the event’s only two-time winner. The 1962 Pacific Grand Prix had a starting lineup that included Roger Penske, Bruce McLaren, Dan Gurney, Graham Hill, Jim Hall and Jack Brabham. Others who later raced there included Jim Clark, Jackie Stewart, Mark Donohue, Parenlli Jones and Mario Andretti, who made the 1994 CART race there his last race.
The NASCAR Grand National West Tour raced there in 1973. Bobby Allison competed in the 1981 NASCAR Winston West race there. The first CART race there was 1983.
The track will host the Pirelli World Challenge in September.