By Jake Grubb
In a countdown to Saturday October 11th 2025, racers, enthusiasts, racing teams, racing organizations, racecar builders, motorsports journalists and media, car manufacturers and countless makers of automotive specialty products and services await the official rebirth of Willow Springs International Raceway, arguably America’s oldest permanent road race circuit.
The racetrack that legendary driver Ken Miles was so active in developing in the ‘50s, the testbed for the Shelby Cobra and Ford’s GT40s that won Le Mans in ’66 and ’67, the original home track for club road racing of so many types; SCCA, vintage, Porsche Club, Shelby Club, Ferrari Club, BMW club, Ford Mustang club, Alfa Romeo Owner’s Club and countless other organizations and events over the decades – had fallen into disrepair in recent years, especially with the health decline and ultimate passing of 63-year track owner Bill Huth at age 91 in 2015.
After the Huth family elected to put the track and all of its sibling facilities up for sale in June of 2024, CrossHarbor Capital Partners purchased Willow Springs International Motorsports Park [Willow Springs Raceway inclusive] in May 2025, in collaboration with Singer Vehicle Design, Wurz Design, Hart Howerton and Sonoma Raceway. Plans for renovation of the Willow Springs main racetrack (“Big Willow”) and additional tracks; “Streets of Willow,” “Horse Thief Mile,” “The Speedway at Willow Springs,” “Walt James Stadium, the “Willow Springs Karting Track” and “The Playpen” were soon announced.
With Phase 1 renovations to “Big Willow” now nearly complete, October 11th 2025 has been set as the official date for the celebration of Willow Springs Reimagined, to take place at the facility’s main raceway location in Rosamond, California. Tickets to this very special event are currently on sale and can be purchased online or on site at the Petersen Automotive Museum, as well as online at: www.willowspringsraceway.com
While the happenings at Willow Springs Reimagined on October 11th will pay respectful homage to the legacy of Willow Springs International Raceway’s illustrious history, the thrust of the day’s doings will focus on the thrilling upcoming race events, fascinating cars, dedicated drivers, innovative companies and relevant motorsports activities that will shape Willow Springs’ new era, today and moving forward into an exciting future. A sampling of October 11th’s offerings will include:
- World Class performance cars, old and new.
- Live on-track racecar demonstrations, at speed.
- A car collectors’ corral consisting of over 50 ultra-rare automobiles from wide-ranging eras; supercars, racecars and touring cars, all from notable private car collections. This extraordinary selection of cars will present visitors with an intimate “real-live” look at incredible vehicles that are rarely seen in the automotive world as we know it on a daily basis.
- Fun stuff and good eats, including food trucks, an interactive kids’ zone, special branded merchandise, a live in-progress motorsports podcast and notable personalities and special guests.
- Worthy Beneficiaries
Representatives from the East Kern Family Resource Center and Lost Angels Career Center will be present at the event, as a thank you to Willow Springs Reimagined ticket sales donations to their respective causes, and to communicate their missions to interested visitors. Topical automotive companies and brands will be present and on display, including:
- The extraordinary Petersen Automotive Museum
- Shelby American
- Singer Vehicle Design
- Czinger (automotive performance redefined)
- Caterham (British sportscar tradition reborn)
- Hot Wheels (life-size “Twin Mill” & “Bone Shaker”)
- Harbinger (state-of-the-art utility truck solutions)
- Porsche Santa Clarita (with ultra Porsche performance models)
- ICON 4×4 (classic sport trucks, reimagined)
- FAT International (racing culture in a new world)
- DirtFish (branded apparel)
- And more…
The Magic of “Big Willow”
Amazingly, the classic track layout of Willow Springs’ main Raceway (“Big Willow”) has remained intact since its original construction in 1952-’53. What was originally planned as an “Indianapolis Motor Speedway West” in the very early 1950s gave way to the reality that the available land for the track was situated on essentially the side of a large natural desert butte. Utilizing what was effectively a low-lying hillside topography which ultimately disallowed the creation of a 2.5 mile rectangular flat track to be patterned after Indy, the constructors opted to architect a 2.5-mile roadrace track that conformed with the natural offering of the available land. Hence, they came up with a track made-up of angles, bends, turns, undulations and straightaways that delivered a clockwise challenge of white-knuckle fast twists and turns that tested the full capabilities of every driver and type of racecar.
Soon, the track became an ideal and well-used venue for racing, track days and testing for competitions of wide-ranging car types and clubs, as well as driving schools, a go-to road test “laboratory” for car manufacturers and automotive support products such as tires, suspension systems, engine performance and dependability proving grounds’ and much more – all of which is ongoing today and expected to further burgeon under the track’s new ownership.
A brisk drive or ride around “Big Willow” at moderate speed provides an impactful experience to anyone of any age – and for those who have the opportunity to race on this unique racetrack, there is nothing else quite like it.
A Lap Around “Big Willow”
From the main straightaway start-finish line, approaching the first left turn, Turn-1 [“Castrol Corner”] is a slightly uphill nearly 90-degree fast bend, followed by a flat-out secondary straightaway that feeds into the slightly decreasing elevation Turn-2, requiring a millisecond throttle modulation of the driver as he/she makes a pre-turn decision whether to hold the inside-line through the dip or go outside around the dip – with pedal-to-metal on either route, then continuing on the carousel-like uphill Turn-2 [Rabbit’s ear] at high speed.
Turn-3 is at first an illusion due to the impulse to quickly turn left and head sharply uphill – but a smart driver waits a patient second before turning in, using the banked area on the mid-outside of Turn 3 for maximum grip and a burst of acceleration up through the late-apex of Turn-3 to Turn-4 [the Omega], a double-apex top-of-the hill roundabout that launches the driver downhill to Turn 5.
The quick downhill to Turn-5, roller-coaster-like, deposits the driver into a decision whether to take it inside and drift to the outside banked area as preparation for Turn-6, or gut-check-it straight downward to the banked outside of Turn-5 and hold on tight. Either way, the Turn-6 rise instantly follows and provides a sterling opportunity to do a max-throttle super-launch off of the Turn-6 mini-hill [Monroe Bridge] in a full blast toward Turn-7 [Repass Pass]. By Turn-7 (hardly a turn but a key kink) the driver is at top speed, blazing toward what becomes Turn-8 [The Sweeper] where fast drivers assert that the driver dare not “lift a throttle toe” in order to maintain peak speed and earn a top lap time.
Entry to a looming Turn-9 redefines the driver’s tolerance for speed, requiring eagle-eye judgement and teeth-chattering bravery around this horseshoe bend, testing every impulse to hit the brake pedal beforehand. But fast drivers might simply touch the brake pedal with a “stability tap,” setting-up this daunting turn by going wide around the “outer rim,” then squeezing the throttle to the floor through the dip at the apex, followed by an all-out burst down the main straightaway to the start-finish line. Then on to lap 2!
