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| Buttonwillow Raceway Park | |
|---|---|
| Name | Buttonwillow Raceway Park |
| Location | Kern County, California, United States |
| Coordinates | 35°16′N 119°32′W |
| Opened | 1995 |
| Owner | Kern County Raceway Corporation |
| Capacity | 10,000 |
| Length mi | 2.5 |
| Turns | 17 |
Buttonwillow Raceway Park
Buttonwillow Raceway Park is a motorsports complex in Kern County, California, near the town of Buttonwillow. The facility hosts road racing, club events, and driver education for clubs, manufacturers, and sanctioning bodies. It is a fixture on the West Coast racing scene and serves as a venue for professional testing, amateur racing, and manufacturer development.
Buttonwillow Raceway Park opened in 1996 after planning and construction efforts involving Kern County interests, local motorsport clubs, and private promoters. During the 1990s it became a testing and competition site for organizations such as the Sports Car Club of America (SCCA), National Auto Sport Association (NASA), and Porsche Club of America (PCA). In the 2000s the circuit attracted manufacturers and teams from NASCAR, IMSA, Formula Drift, IndyCar, and AMA Superbike for testing and events. The track has hosted events tied to series promoted by Motorsports Club of America, SRO Motorsports Group, Grand-Am, Trans-Am Series, and King of the Hammers support events. Notable visitors and drivers who have used the facility include alumni from Jeff Gordon, Tony Stewart, Dan Gurney, Paul Newman, A. J. Foyt, and teams associated with Roush Fenway Racing, Chip Ganassi Racing, Michael Waltrip Racing, and Richard Childress Racing. The circuit evolved through community planning, sanctioning agreements with SCCA Pro Racing, and upgrades guided by FIA safety recommendations and regional motorsport stakeholders.
The complex features multiple configurations, most commonly the 2.5-mile, 17-turn Grand Prix course and shorter club circuits used by Porsche, BMW, Mazda, and Lotus clubs. Facilities include garages, timing and scoring towers, a control tower, driver briefing rooms, hospitality suites used by Red Bull Racing, Hoonigan Racing Division, and manufacturer teams, plus paddock and RV hookups for entrants from organizations like NASA and SCCA chapters. The surface is asphalt engineered to meet testing needs of Goodyear, Michelin, Pirelli, and Bridgestone tire programs. The paddock supports telemetry providers such as MoTeC, AIM Sportline, and Cosworth, while fueling and support areas accommodate transporters associated with Precision Performance Motorsport and privateer efforts. The venue’s pit out and marshal posts connect to radio networks used by Indy Lights, F3 Americas, and club sprint events.
Buttonwillow hosts club races, time trials, track days, and professional testing. Regular series include events sanctioned by NASA, SCCA, PCA, BMW Car Club of America (BMW CCA), West Coast Jaguar Association, and SVRA historic races. Manufacturers stage product launches and endurance tests for Audi, BMW, Chevrolet, Ford, Honda, Toyota, Nissan, Subaru, Mercedes-Benz, and Lamborghini. The track is used for regional rounds of Pirelli World Challenge support activities, SCCA Pro Racing regional events, and occasional Trans-Am Series tests. Drift demonstrations and club drift events attract participants connected to Formula Drift and independent drift teams. Endurance formats, sprint weekends, and driver challenges run under the banners of 24 Hours of LeMons-adjacent organizations and charity events linked to Goodguys Rod & Custom Association.
The venue is a base for driver instruction offerings by Skip Barber Racing School, Bondurant High Performance Driving School, Porsche Track Experience, and private coaching programs run by former professionals from Formula One, IndyCar, and MotoGP backgrounds. Motorcycle schools led by instructors affiliated with California Superbike School and United States Motorcycle Coaching utilize the paddock and classroom spaces. High-performance defensive driving, corporate driving experiences for brands such as Tesla and Toyota Racing Development (TRD), and skidpad training for AAA and fleet clients are regular activities. Specialty programs for karting transition, endurance strategy, and data-logging workshops involve firms like Racers360 and Driver61-associated coaches.
Safety infrastructure has been periodically upgraded in coordination with FIA recommendations and compliance work with regional fire and emergency services including Kern County Fire Department and California Highway Patrol event coordination. Improvements have included expanded runoff areas, SAFER barrier prototypes, improved marshaling posts tied into Race Control systems, and medical centers staffed by providers with ties to Mobile Medical Response and Surgical Care Affiliates. Track resurfacing projects and drainage upgrades were carried out with contractors experienced by CalTrans projects and specialty racetrack builders who have worked on circuits like Road Atlanta, Laguna Seca, and Sonoma Raceway. Noise mitigation and community liaison efforts are coordinated with Kern County Board of Supervisors and local stakeholders.
Lap records and performance benchmarks have been set by professional and club entrants across categories including prototypes, GT3, single-seaters, and superbikes. Notable test runs by teams associated with Andretti Autosport, Team Penske, Chip Ganassi Racing and Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing have produced reference data used in IMSA and IndyCar programs. Club records are maintained by NASA time trials, SCCA regional results, and manufacturer challenge series run by Porsche Club of America and Mazda Motorsports. Historic guest appearances by drivers who raced in Formula One and NASCAR Cup Series have been publicized through motorsport media outlets including Road & Track, Motor Trend, Autoweek, and Racer.
The facility is located near Buttonwillow, California off California State Route 58, approximately between Bakersfield, California and Shafter, California. Access from Interstate 5 and California State Route 99 connects entrants and spectators traveling from Los Angeles, San Francisco, Sacramento, and San Diego. Local accommodations for visiting teams include hotels and services in Bakersfield and nearby communities, while air access is available via Meadows Field Airport and general aviation at municipal airports. The venue works with local tourism and economic development offices such as Visit California and Greater Bakersfield Chamber of Commerce for large events and visitor services.
Category:Motorsport venues in California Category:Road courses in the United States