LOS ANGELES -- The history of the auto racing track located some 50 miles east of Los Angeles, known colloquially as just Fontana, is rich with the biggest names in stock car racing having competed there. And some may remember its frequent appearances in movies, most recently it pretended to be the Daytona International Speedway in the 2019 film "Ford v Ferrari."

But now, the history of the track is on hold with no restart date. After the conclusion of last year's NASCAR race in February, demolition of the 2-mile oval began. All that remains are a few grandstands and suites. Race fans in Southern California are eager to return to a track that will be rebuilt at a half-mile and bring a style of racing that is a mix of Martinsville and Bristol.

However, eager has turned to anxious for race fans as NASCAR still has no final plan or date when racing will return to the area where ground was broken in 1995 on the site of the former Kaiser Steel Mill.

"We've got some internal approvals to work through, but the hope is to have something to go out with sometime in the near future," said Dave Allen, track president of the NASCAR-owned property. "Right now we just don't have anything to discuss until we have some approvals done."

The final race at the track was on Feb. 26. Why NASCAR, a company built on speed, has been so slow to make a decision remains hidden behind closed doors. Allen speaks in generalities about the delay but is candid about not knowing a date.

"You've got to look at everything we've gone through," Allen said. "We've gone through COVID, we've gone through a lot of different things. Everything has not played into our favor. We're looking to do things right and not rush it. If the timeframe moves then the timeframe moves. We're just not in a position to commit to a timeframe right now."

With a build time of 12 to 18 months, Allen doesn't see this project as just a one-year absence from racing.

"Yeah, most likely it wouldn't be ready next year," he said.

NASCAR's top executives seem committed to keeping racing alive in Southern California after this year.

"I would say that we are still planning on building a short track in Fontana," Steve Phelps, NASCAR president, said in a news conference in November in Phoenix. "What the timing of that is, I don't know. This isn't the best time to be building based on inflation, the cost of capital, etc. But our intention is to continue to be in the Southern California market. For 2024, we will be at the Coliseum. It is our intention to build a short track in the Inland Empire."

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