Wow! Thank You so much for doing what you did. I did a lot of racing there with AFM & ARRA 400cc Production motorcycles. That place was so big it was intimidating, but once I got on the track it all went away and did very well there as a 400cc production racer. I also did what I think was the last 6-hour motorcycle endurance race there I think was 1978. It ended about 1/2 early due to a massive crash at the end of the straightaway as medic helicopters had to land on the course to scrape up bodies. My friend Dan Diaz and I finished in the top 5 in the 500cc and underclass. Thanks again for the memories.
@@RustingRelics Any chance you or any of your friends might have some photos from Ontario in 1979. I am looking for an early appearance of the white Vector W2 prototype that was there but not sure what event it was. Thanks
Such a shame to see this incredible race track go away, I was very fortunate to have attended the very first and very last race there. I see this property quite often being a resident of the area and it still pains me to think about its demise. If it had survived we would never have seen the construction of Auto Club Speedway in Fontana which is about four to five miles due east of the old OMS.
The only Nascar track where you could go eight wide taking the green due to the fact that there were no start/restart rules. The racing was more exciting back then.
Thanks for this! My wife and I had our first date here in November of 1977. It was Yucaipa High School's Homecoming Dance in the restaurant in the grandstands, and we danced the night away to the dulcet tones of a Lionel Ritchie and the Commodores cover band!
Wow! This is cool!!! Such an intriguing video, I already watched it twice! I live close, and I pass by the area on the 10 East quite often, crazy to see what a huge transformation occurred within 34 years. Thanks for a cool video! It would be cool to see the old Riverside track too, if possible!
Thank you for this! I used to work at both that Carmax and that Mathis Brothers, and I walked along that fountain every day without knowing the historical significance! I love history, but the only thing that is mentioned on the historical marker is the origins of the City of Ontario. I wish more people cared about preserving this really cool piece of Ontario history!
I saw my first concert at Ontario Motor Speedway when I was 15 years old. It was Leon Leon Russell. I believe in 1974 ... I was also at California Jam 1/2 and the US Festival. I lived in Upland Ontario area for 45 years and I do miss it. The good 'ol days!! Th 17:22 Thank you for bringing back those memories......
thanks for your video, I am feom Rancho Cucamonga, Lived there my entire life, And I remember as a Kid growing up in the 70's , going to see Evil Keneivel do his jump, and watching races, and will never forget the sound of them Blasting the speedway with dynamite, I could hear it from my house, which was only 2 miles north
@6:40 where he is standing is approx where the Cal Jam stages were between turns 3 and 4. After 45 years, the tree line and field still look somewhat familiar.
It sucks that all the great So Cal tracks are gone. Within a ten year period Ontario, Riverside and Ascot all were torn down either for commercial purposes or for housing developements. Btw, the line up for Cal Jam II was Aerosmith, Heart, Foreigner, Ted Nugent, Dave Mason, Bob Welch, Santana, Rubicon and Mahogany Rush.
Great video. Thanks for making this. I remember as a kid, back in the early '70's wanting to just see the track in person. I never got to, but have always been fascinated with the track and it's history.
Drove down for the NHRA World Finals in October 1977 and again in October 1978 from Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. Was truly in awe of our first siting of the complex when we turned west off of I-15. The best part of the 1977 race, myself and a friend decided on the last day of the drags to sit in the main grandstand at the finish line..........we were the ONLY 2 people in that entire main grandstand. I decided to walk over to the other side to take some pictures while my buddy stayed in the stands. While on the other side I noticed someone walking down the stairs of the grandstand and turn and walk and sit down next to my friend. My buddy started waving to me so I started to make the long walk back to the stands. By the time I got to the seat the other person who was their had left. My buddy says to me........"too bad you took off.........Ron Howard (yes, that one) sat down beside me and we talked for 1/2 an hour". I still kick myself today. I did manage to cut down the 15 foot Winston NHRA Drag Racing poster that was hanging on the chain-link fence next to the main grandstands facing the freeway..........40 years later it is still in my garage. Thanks for the video and the memories.
I sure enjoyed your first video, thank you!!! The older I get the more important actual pieces of my past are to me. My dad was an avid race fan and never stopped hoping for a sponsor for himself! I spent mannnnyyyyyyyy a weekend day here where I developed a devotion to the sport and a fondness for the smell of dragster fuel. We had a seat cushion with the big "O" on it and mom wore a floppy white and blue "O" hat. I agree with you, I wish they kept the old sign up. Recently, I was at a gas station in Highland where I spotted a car with the "o" bumper sticker, and I immediately felt the associated excitement for a moment and practically ran over to the vehicle and waited for the owner to come out. I was obviously excited and any other time, would have been ignored, but dude knew what I was talking about when I said, "I see your O sticker! I haven't seen that logo in decades! You've BEEN THERE!" He chuckled and opened the car door, reached into the back seat, and retrieved 2 rolled up 11 x 7" glossys; promo photos, airiel shots of OMS beginnings. He said I could have them and its always good to run into a fan, and that his dad was the head of the Speedway's Promotions. Isn't that awesome? I unfortunately couldn't share them with my dad, as he had passed, but I sure love talking about them and showing them. They hang with the photos of all of my dad's race cars and bikes and buggys. BTW, we were able to spread a portion of my dad's ashes at turn one when the race ended. I am sure my dad is pleased with our choice, forever a part of the new Speedway's actual track. Oh, and good report on the Mighty Mets Cal Jam! I wasn't quite old enough or cool enough to go but my sister was
I came to this video because of California Jam 1,,, what an awesome memory that still is from being 14 years old at the time, thanks for talking about where the stage was located at.
Rusting Relics.... First time I saw your video. I enjoyed it very much. I too like to reminisce of things in the past. Those were simpler times and great times. Sir, you just got a new sub. God Bless, stay safe my friend.
This video inspired me to visit this place too. Unfortunately the fence at former Turn Three was closed when I was there. Here the video I made there: Ontario Motor Speedway 2014
I live next to that field on turn three, cool little video. I am into NASCAR and I new that Ontario Motor Speedway was here but never new i lived on turn three.
it still gives me an erie feeling when I drive through there, same feeling when I go to the Moreno Valley Mall where Riverside Raceway was, and Baylands in Fremont where I went to my first race. Can't stand when cities encroach on racetracks .
Dude, I went to Calif Jam in 74. What a freaking amazing event. When I heard Emerson, Lake, and Palmer were playing, I went. I think I even went to see a drag racing event there. Been so damn long I can't remember. But the Calif Jam was iconic. It was historic. When I went, I got there the night before and hung out in the parking lot on "Schrooms". Then about 10 pm, Keith Emerson apparently came out to do a sound check and was messing with his Moog. Everyone in the parking lot heard it. It was also the time they were messing around with "Quad Sound" at the time where the audio circled you. Wow. It was the most incredible thing ever as a teenager. I'll never forget it. What a shame they tore down a piece of history. Wish I could turn the clock back 48 years ago. It's been that long.
Very cool RR. I heard some of the races when I lived off of Haven in the late 70s. I really need to check out turn 3 before it gets renovated. I moved away in 1980 and came back in 1999. I'm baffled at how much this area grew. I went to my first Autoclub 500 this year and realized that it was where Kaiser Steel used to be. Great research and awesome entertainment with the Ted Nugent air guitar!
It is a shame. Not even a landmark to mark the history of the race track. I attended the '71 qualifications. Donahue won the pole. The following year saw the whole race. Also was there to see the Questor Grand Prix.
Thanks for the memories. I never saw a race there but I did go to the time trials for the first California 500. My biggest memories of the track was attending in 1974 and again in 1976 The California Jam and Cal Jam 2. News services were calling us the 3rd largest city in California that day.
Good to know. That explains why I got this link just now 'cuz last night I was watching a Sabbath concert at Cal Jam '74 on UA-cam. In this case, AI is a good thing ;-). I kind of had a hunch as soon as I saw this video this morning. It makes sense because that racetrack would be the only venue large enough to handle a huge crowd at California Jam.
Wow! Nice that someone took the time to remember the OMS! I worked there from the summer of 1970 to 1976 or 1977 (I don't remember), various jobs withing the "security dept", I was only 17 years old when started, but I had access to the underground tunnels, offices, infield, parking lots, etc....there was an "exhibition" a month or so before the first Calif 500, they just had a showcase of Indy Cars, Stock Cars, Drag Cars, just for fans to see the potential of the track. And, yes, I was there for Evel Knievel's jump, and Don Garlits first 6 second run, and Jerry Grant's record-breaking 200 mph qualifying run (never done before that day). And, yes, the chaos of the first California Jam when a ton of people got past us and started jumping over the fence on the back straightway to get in without tickets! Oh, my god! I wish I had "stolen" my uniform and jacket that I wore back then, blue and white with checker sleeves and "O" logo on everything. The local Yamaha dealer gave us dirt bikes to get around the grounds. During the "non-race" days there was a restaurant/club/bar open at the top of the main grandstands, I don't remember what the name of it was, but, yeah, we met lots of Hollywood folks there. I was at last years Portland Grand Prix in Oregon for IndyCar race, and I mentioned Ontario to Mario Andretti, he chuckled and said "yeah, I remember", also Tony Kanaan, I talked about being a kid working there and being around AJ Foyt while doing my job. He also said he remembered the Speedway! So heartbroken when it all fell apart. Great memories for me, too bad more people don't remember it. thanks for the video!!!
I watched the jump by Evil Knievel at OMS. it was cool. the NASCAR race was special too. AJ Foyt, Mario Andretti, David Person, Richard Petty. all were in the race.
One of the first jumps Evel Knievel performed sponsored to ride the cast iron head xr-750 Harley Davidson flat track motorcycle, was at Ontario motor speedway. The NASCAR race at OMS was a back drop for movie in 1971 Evel Knievel.
Thanks for making this video. I wish I could have seen the track when it was around. On a side note: Where you mention the TA sign. That used to stand for Truckstops of America (Now TravelCenters of America). But before TA bought it, it was owned by Union Oil Co. and was named the Ontario 500 Union 76 Truckstop.
Amazing, I have many fond memories of many Indy and Nascar races in the seventies. Used to be when Nascar ran there you could just about sit anywhere you wanted. There was also a pretty cool road course in the middle that had a F-1 vs F5000 race.
Good Job with this. Nice to hear about some of the history and stories you had from Ontario. I could feel you emotions from being around an area that reminded you of a time past. Sad to see so much of what brought NASCAR to the forefront gone and paved over. Brings back a lot of childhood memories
I enjoyed your video, thank you very much. I remember driving by there and Riverside so many times and just thinking ho sad it was they left the signs, office, building and the tracks up for so long. Just like OCIR where I use to drag raced at. Thanks for the research time you did much appreciated, I fought to get a full time drag strip open for decades and still behind. The fight for Southern California to keep and get one. I want to get as many off the streets. Ontario had so many great races, those were the days when racing was real! Thanks again! 👍
It is quite outrageous that they actually tore down this track when I feel that it could've had so much potential considering its seating capacity and banking.
Wow, I leaned to drive in the speedway parking lot. Right by the sign. Went to Cal Jam 2....also many other events. Motorcycle Road race. Also Times 500 NASCAR. any one else remember..? It was the same layout as Indy.....2.5 mile Quad oval... With road course in the infield... Wish it was still there...😕
This is weird! I've walked all over that fountain and area when I stayed in Ontario doe tech training for BMW. Funny that the whole area was once the old speedway having heard about it but never having gone.
Enjoyed your video very much. As a kid I used to work with my Dad who sprayed oil on dirt roads to keep dust down. In the early 70's he oil sprayed the service road( kind of a frontage road) that followed the outer perimeter of the actual racetrack track at OMS itself. The fencing you found at turn three looks as though it was the fencing that prevented people from fourth street & Haven to get access close enough to view the track. The fence also ran the outer perimeter of the service road....all 2 1/2 miles of it around the track.I remember it well because I would walk it while my Dad sprayed the road with oil. Very cool times for me at OMS back then. Thanks for the video
I went to several races there including the inaugural Indy car race as well as the first NASCAR race. I also went to the only F-1 race (Questar Grand Prix) in 1971. I really enjoyed the races at this track. Very disappointing for a lot of people when it closed down! BTW, I appreciated your video and the precise description. Although I attended several races at the track, it is hard today to orient ones self. I thought turn four was at Haven where the Hilton Hotel is. Thank you for clearing that up. Nice job!
I live nearby Ontario and I went to UTI which was nearby. That land you see there at 6:22 if I'm not mistaken by the location is now full of new homes.
Ontario was my first sight of a Baby Grand, which I thought was the way the industry was headed .The factory cars back then were monsters compared to today. They also closed Riverside International around the same time, it's the track Richard Petty made famous jumping the curbs. He got caught there with a nitrous set up under the manifold. Of course he won.
Great place , been to several races there ,and the concerts were some of the best in the 70s,Don't forget the U.S. Festival too.Great memories buddy, thank you.👍😎🎸
EmpEntTV - I agree with you. I was at all the first events, but that wasn't many as we moved from Cal in the summer of 1972. I lived near 1100 e. D street, on North Virginia a couple of blocks north of east Holt. I went to school at a school on 4th street, then used to ride my bike out to the track after school to see who was testing at the track. FUN times.
Wasn't the Ontario (California) Speedway a clone of Indianapolis, as regards length of track, shape of track (rectangular with rounded corners) and 9-degree banking, with the Ontario track wider than Indy??
Great video!! Enjoyed it very much! Awesome job on the research. It was cool to hear about Evel Knievel, Dale Earnhardt and Ted Nugent. Hopefully you still have the toy car you found. Lol
this is super weird cause i live right by IMS (i actually marched on the track on race day this past year) and ontario motor speedway was a carbon copy of it.
Used to live a very short distance from the speedway when it was still there, but never actually went inside. I did work a Winston Cup race as a scorer out at Riverside another defunct racetrack not too far from Ontario Motor Speedway. I later lived in Fontana very near where the Auto Club Speedway was later built. Nice video.
i grew up in Ontario..lived on grove ave south of mission blvd ..and i can tell all that what is being show was not the original second use of that property! once the old race track was sold off (due to ignorance ) the track was torn down and out to build a mass quantity of apt` buildings ! I have to laugh though !!! some body i guess didn`t take well to it an burned them down during construction, they got built anyway then years later were run down by poor management then who know s after that!!!!
I swear at 7:38 or so with the burn in the background....I got a glimpse of em in the 70s four wide...it was a smoggy day.... Used to get super windy.... went to the top one race with my tiny girlfriend and watch the wind move her! It was a great race track! It was Iconic in it's day! Eric Underwood class of 81 Downey High School California
***** You seem to get the same buzz as me when it comes to history. However short or long a time ago. Knowing you're standing in the same spot as (insert name here) all those years ago. I'm the same with where I now live, Edinburgh, Scotland. With it's history over many centuries, knowing that famous kings and queens stood in this very spot, etc. I could go on. lol. Anyway, thanks for your passionate insight.
Daz Cox Thanks for the kind words Daz. You "get" it! I enjoy doing my videos, and really enjoy it when others can relate. I hope to do a video on Randy Rhodes in the future. I live just a few miles from his final resting place.
***** Aaaah. Now there's something I hope to be doing when I revisit California in September. I went to live with Ozzy and his family for a couple of months when they rented a house in Pacific Palisades in 1992 (Long story), and there's a few places I want to revisit.
to show how old i am. i went to my first and only NASCAR race at the Ontario Motor Speedway. it was sponsored by J.C. Pennys. back when they did car repair. the church that i went to as a kid one of the guys in my sunday school class. his Dad worked for Penny,s doing auto repair. and he got us free tickets to the race. the NHRA also raced there for awhile. i know that this is a old post. but you should go check out where OCIR was by the 5 freeway and El Toro Marine base was.
the local people said that OCIR made to much noise . excuse me what about the freaking jets taking at all hours of the day and night. o wait that,s the Govt. so its all o.k. i just remembered another race track. it was called Lions it was at 223rd. street and Alameda next to the on the left side of the 405 freeway heading north i think in the Long Beach section of the freeway. also Mickey Thomson had a shop in the Wilmington area. next door to his shop was place that tested wire rope and regular rope. they had a huge crane next to his building. if you go north across the Henry Ford bridge no more than few miles maybe 5 . his shop was on the right hand side. it was a powder blue building. the only way you could tell it was his it said Mickey Thomson on the door no other logo or anything.
Ok lets see the "Outtakes" from 6:13 of you biting the "Big One" and the subsequent trip to the ER. Just kidding (I Hope). "But Seriously Folks", Thanks for all the hard work you put into helping to preserve a piece of history by documenting the memories of a place this "Baby Boomer" remembers well. Well done. Ps. I'm an old OCIR racer from 1979 and it sure would be GR8 to see you do a video on the present day site of that facility too. Thanks again, James, San Diego, Ca. USA
I was at both Cal Jam's as well as many motorcycle road races. It was such an incredible facility and an incredible track. So far ahead of it's time. It's where I first met a young and yet unknown Barry Sheene in 1974 (who's sister in law) would much later become my girlfriend. I really lament the loss of it. Great video and I share your political views! Thanks for posting it.
racer500gp Hey you are the imbecile however you are right we do need to speak out and tell John Boner with no A in his name to stop preventing this country from moving forward. Then there is also infighting within the GOP and the tea baggers. Self detonation in progress.
I remember having a motorcycle magazine that described a motorcycle road race that was held at Ontario Motor Speedway. I think Yvon DuHamel won on a Kawasaki, but I can't be sure. It looked like a cool place to me at the time from the photos in the article.
I find it bizarre that all this money, concrete, infrastructure and gone after not that many years. Then later Fontana Motor Speedway is built. Couldn't they have just updated Ontario and saved a lot of money?
Wow! Thank You so much for doing what you did. I did a lot of racing there with AFM & ARRA 400cc Production motorcycles. That place was so big it was intimidating, but once I got on the track it all went away and did very well there as a 400cc production racer. I also did what I think was the last 6-hour motorcycle endurance race there I think was 1978. It ended about 1/2 early due to a massive crash at the end of the straightaway as medic helicopters had to land on the course to scrape up bodies. My friend Dan Diaz and I finished in the top 5 in the 500cc and underclass. Thanks again for the memories.
My pleasure Dan!
@@RustingRelics Any chance you or any of your friends might have some photos from Ontario in 1979. I am looking for an early appearance of the white Vector W2 prototype that was there but not sure what event it was. Thanks
Such a shame to see this incredible race track go away, I was very fortunate to have attended the very first and very last race there. I see this property quite often being a resident of the area and it still pains me to think about its demise. If it had survived we would never have seen the construction of Auto Club Speedway in Fontana which is about four to five miles due east of the old OMS.
Ironically, Auto Club Speedway is suffering the same fate. Just seems to be par for the course for race tracks in the San Bernardino County area...
@@gnnascarfan2410 The next track will be in Palm Springs and suffer the same fate 10-20 years from now, is basically the next progression.
Damn this pisses me off. What a great track gone. Also scary to think what Indianapolis might have turned into in an alternate universe.
David Land ayyy David
David Land
"Indianapolis in an alternate universe."
That's a good way of looking at it. That's trippy yet cool to think about.
David Land indiana resident here. I was thinking the same thing.
victory lane is paved with Indy bricks (supposedly)
It was a white elephant.
Wow what memories. I was 14 in 1978, and I remember a lot of the details you described, including Cal Jam 2. I really thank you.
Cheers.
Glad you enjoyed it David!
The only Nascar track where you could go eight wide taking the green due to the fact that there were no start/restart rules. The racing was more exciting back then.
I like it better as an Indy track, Fontana is good for NASCAR
great history. I know it's a 4 year old video at this point, but I'm glad to have found it. thanks!
Matthew m glad you enjoyed it. Thanks!
I was raised in Fontana, I went to a race at the speedway when I was young. Long long time ago. Great video
i grew up in ontario, havent been there for 35yrs but my mother taught me how to drive in the parking lot of the speedway.
Thanks for this! My wife and I had our first date here in November of 1977. It was Yucaipa High School's Homecoming Dance in the restaurant in the grandstands, and we danced the night away to the dulcet tones of a Lionel Ritchie and the Commodores cover band!
Wow! This is cool!!! Such an intriguing video, I already watched it twice! I live close, and I pass by the area on the 10 East quite often, crazy to see what a huge transformation occurred within 34 years. Thanks for a cool video! It would be cool to see the old Riverside track too, if possible!
Thanks Ronnie! I've done some research on Riverside, and plan to make a video as soon as time permits.
Thank you for this! I used to work at both that Carmax and that Mathis Brothers, and I walked along that fountain every day without knowing the historical significance! I love history, but the only thing that is mentioned on the historical marker is the origins of the City of Ontario. I wish more people cared about preserving this really cool piece of Ontario history!
I drove by the speedway once as a truck driver. there was once a truck stop at the same exit as the speedway. I was a great track.
I saw my first concert at Ontario Motor Speedway when I was 15 years old. It was Leon Leon Russell. I believe in 1974 ... I was also at California Jam 1/2 and the US Festival. I lived in Upland Ontario area for 45 years and I do miss it. The good 'ol days!! Th 17:22 Thank you for bringing back those memories......
thanks for your video, I am feom Rancho Cucamonga, Lived there my entire life, And I remember as a Kid growing up in the 70's , going to see Evil Keneivel do his jump, and watching races, and will never forget the sound of them Blasting the speedway with dynamite, I could hear it from my house, which was only 2 miles north
awesome video i always like going to that location...fun to skate
@6:40 where he is standing is approx where the Cal Jam stages were between turns 3 and 4. After 45 years, the tree line and field still look somewhat familiar.
It sucks that all the great So Cal tracks are gone. Within a ten year period Ontario, Riverside and Ascot all were torn down either for commercial purposes or for housing developements.
Btw, the line up for Cal Jam II was Aerosmith, Heart, Foreigner, Ted Nugent, Dave Mason, Bob Welch, Santana, Rubicon and Mahogany Rush.
Great video. Thanks for making this. I remember as a kid, back in the early '70's wanting to just see the track in person. I never got to, but have always been fascinated with the track and it's history.
Drove down for the NHRA World Finals in October 1977 and again in October 1978 from Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. Was truly in awe of our first siting of the complex when we turned west off of I-15. The best part of the 1977 race, myself and a friend decided on the last day of the drags to sit in the main grandstand at the finish line..........we were the ONLY 2 people in that entire main grandstand. I decided to walk over to the other side to take some pictures while my buddy stayed in the stands. While on the other side I noticed someone walking down the stairs of the grandstand and turn and walk and sit down next to my friend. My buddy started waving to me so I started to make the long walk back to the stands. By the time I got to the seat the other person who was their had left. My buddy says to me........"too bad you took off.........Ron Howard (yes, that one) sat down beside me and we talked for 1/2 an hour". I still kick myself today. I did manage to cut down the 15 foot Winston NHRA Drag Racing poster that was hanging on the chain-link fence next to the main grandstands facing the freeway..........40 years later it is still in my garage. Thanks for the video and the memories.
Good times, thanks for posting!
I sure enjoyed your first video, thank you!!! The older I get the more important actual pieces of my past are to me. My dad was an avid race fan and never stopped hoping for a sponsor for himself! I spent mannnnyyyyyyyy a weekend day here where I developed a devotion to the sport and a fondness for the smell of dragster fuel. We had a seat cushion with the big "O" on it and mom wore a floppy white and blue "O" hat. I agree with you, I wish they kept the old sign up. Recently, I was at a gas station in Highland where I spotted a car with the "o" bumper sticker, and I immediately felt the associated excitement for a moment and practically ran over to the vehicle and waited for the owner to come out. I was obviously excited and any other time, would have been ignored, but dude knew what I was talking about when I said, "I see your O sticker! I haven't seen that logo in decades! You've BEEN THERE!" He chuckled and opened the car door, reached into the back seat, and retrieved 2 rolled up 11 x 7" glossys; promo photos, airiel shots of OMS beginnings. He said I could have them and its always good to run into a fan, and that his dad was the head of the Speedway's Promotions. Isn't that awesome? I unfortunately couldn't share them with my dad, as he had passed, but I sure love talking about them and showing them. They hang with the photos of all of my dad's race cars and bikes and buggys. BTW, we were able to spread a portion of my dad's ashes at turn one when the race ended. I am sure my dad is pleased with our choice, forever a part of the new Speedway's actual track. Oh, and good report on the Mighty Mets Cal Jam! I wasn't quite old enough or cool enough to go but my sister was
awesome story! thanks for sharing your past. I enjoyed reading it.
I came to this video because of California Jam 1,,, what an awesome memory that still is from being 14 years old at the time, thanks for talking about where the stage was located at.
I'm glad you enjoyed it. Wish I went to cal jam 1. I never got to see boa live. One of my favorite bands.
The speedway officially closed on 12/17/80, and was demolished in 1981. It was closed due to bankruptcy.
Rusting Relics.... First time I saw your video. I enjoyed it very much. I too like to reminisce of things in the past. Those were simpler times and great times. Sir, you just got a new sub. God Bless, stay safe my friend.
This video inspired me to visit this place too. Unfortunately the fence at former Turn Three was closed when I was there. Here the video I made there: Ontario Motor Speedway 2014
Awesome! Thanks for sharing!
Loved this, thank for the video. It's a shame that this track didn't survive.
My first ever concert was Cal Jam II at OMS. I went to one NASCAR race and a truck race they had there.
Hell ya cal jam!
Nice profile picture ,
Zappa rules!
I live next to that field on turn three, cool little video. I am into NASCAR and I new that Ontario Motor Speedway was here but never new i lived on turn three.
it still gives me an erie feeling when I drive through there, same feeling when I go to the Moreno Valley Mall where Riverside Raceway was, and Baylands in Fremont where I went to my first race. Can't stand when cities encroach on racetracks .
Dude, I went to Calif Jam in 74. What a freaking amazing event. When I heard Emerson, Lake, and Palmer were playing, I went. I think I even went to see a drag racing event there. Been so damn long I can't remember. But the Calif Jam was iconic. It was historic. When I went, I got there the night before and hung out in the parking lot on "Schrooms". Then about 10 pm, Keith Emerson apparently came out to do a sound check and was messing with his Moog. Everyone in the parking lot heard it. It was also the time they were messing around with "Quad Sound" at the time where the audio circled you. Wow. It was the most incredible thing ever as a teenager. I'll never forget it. What a shame they tore down a piece of history. Wish I could turn the clock back 48 years ago. It's been that long.
Crazy.. my grandfather told me about the speedway but I️ had no clue where it was located.. thanks for sharing.
Very cool RR. I heard some of the races when I lived off of Haven in the late 70s. I really need to check out turn 3 before it gets renovated. I moved away in 1980 and came back in 1999. I'm baffled at how much this area grew. I went to my first Autoclub 500 this year and realized that it was where Kaiser Steel used to be. Great research and awesome entertainment with the Ted Nugent air guitar!
My Dad was the head guy for building the speedway. I worked there during my summer and vacations from high school. always to hot and smoggy. ken mc
It is a shame. Not even a landmark to mark the history of the race track. I attended the '71 qualifications. Donahue won the pole. The following year saw the whole race. Also was there to see the Questor Grand Prix.
I went here as a kid with my dad so many times. I am blown away! wow! Great video! Damn Cal Jam! Mention KMET! So cool!
Incredible video. I find this sort of stuff fascinating and a little bit sad.
Thanks for the memories. I never saw a race there but I did go to the time trials for the first California 500. My biggest memories of the track was attending in 1974 and again in 1976 The California Jam and Cal Jam 2. News services were calling us the 3rd largest city in California that day.
Good to know. That explains why I got this link just now 'cuz last night I was watching a Sabbath concert at Cal Jam '74 on UA-cam. In this case, AI is a good thing ;-).
I kind of had a hunch as soon as I saw this video this morning. It makes sense because that racetrack would be the only venue large enough to handle a huge crowd at California Jam.
Thanks for sharing this bit of history. I was fortunate enough to attend the Questor Grand Prix thanks to my dad who was into car racing.
Its a shame they removed it since the best rock concert in history IMO went down there in 1974… black Sabbath owned it
That's exactly what eventually led me to this video.
Thank You
Sad. I was at Cal Jam 1 and went to a couple races.
Hell ya cal jam!
Healthiest Me Did you take any purple micro dots??
@@jonmacdonald5345OMG I love purple micro Dot. What happened to all that good s**t we used have?! LoL
i was so lucky my uncle and dad raced a nascar west coast late model sportsman.nice place fast track.
So sad that Ontario Motor Speedway is just a memory now. It was a great track when it come into existance.
Wow! Nice that someone took the time to remember the OMS!
I worked there from the summer of 1970 to 1976 or 1977 (I don't remember), various jobs withing the "security dept", I was only 17 years old when started, but I had access to the underground tunnels, offices, infield, parking lots, etc....there was an "exhibition" a month or so before the first Calif 500, they just had a showcase of Indy Cars, Stock Cars, Drag Cars, just for fans to see the potential of the track. And, yes, I was there for Evel Knievel's jump, and Don Garlits first 6 second run, and Jerry Grant's record-breaking 200 mph qualifying run (never done before that day). And, yes, the chaos of the first California Jam when a ton of people got past us and started jumping over the fence on the back straightway to get in without tickets!
Oh, my god! I wish I had "stolen" my uniform and jacket that I wore back then, blue and white with checker sleeves and "O" logo on everything. The local Yamaha dealer gave us dirt bikes to get around the grounds. During the "non-race" days there was a restaurant/club/bar open at the top of the main grandstands, I don't remember what the name of it was, but, yeah, we met lots of Hollywood folks there.
I was at last years Portland Grand Prix in Oregon for IndyCar race, and I mentioned Ontario to Mario Andretti, he chuckled and said "yeah, I remember", also Tony Kanaan, I talked about being a kid working there and being around AJ Foyt while doing my job. He also said he remembered the Speedway!
So heartbroken when it all fell apart. Great memories for me, too bad more people don't remember it.
thanks for the video!!!
I watched the jump by Evil Knievel at OMS. it was cool. the NASCAR race was special too. AJ Foyt, Mario Andretti, David Person, Richard Petty. all were in the race.
One of the first jumps Evel Knievel performed sponsored to ride the cast iron head xr-750 Harley Davidson flat track motorcycle, was at Ontario motor speedway. The NASCAR race at OMS was a back drop for movie in 1971 Evel Knievel.
Cool, seeing where the track used to be, thanks for uploading! :)
Sad to see this. I visited the Speedway in 1975 to see the Winston World Finals.
Thanks for making this video. I wish I could have seen the track when it was around. On a side note: Where you mention the TA sign. That used to stand for Truckstops of America (Now TravelCenters of America). But before TA bought it, it was owned by Union Oil Co. and was named the Ontario 500 Union 76 Truckstop.
Amazing, I have many fond memories of many Indy and Nascar races in the seventies. Used to be when Nascar ran there you could just about sit anywhere you wanted. There was also a pretty cool road course in the middle that had a F-1 vs F5000 race.
Good Job with this. Nice to hear about some of the history and stories you had from Ontario. I could feel you emotions from being around an area that reminded you of a time past. Sad to see so much of what brought NASCAR to the forefront gone and paved over. Brings back a lot of childhood memories
Thanks Troy. Glad you enjoyed it!
I enjoyed your video, thank you very much. I remember driving by there and Riverside so many times and just thinking ho sad it was they left the signs, office, building and the tracks up for so long. Just like OCIR where I use to drag raced at. Thanks for the research time you did much appreciated, I fought to get a full time drag strip open for decades and still behind. The fight for Southern California to keep and get one. I want to get as many off the streets. Ontario had so many great races, those were the days when racing was real! Thanks again! 👍
glad you enjoyed it! Lots of great memories at all the so. Cal tracks. it looks like irwindale speedway will soon be a memory as well.
***** sadly yes
It is quite outrageous that they actually tore down this track when I feel that it could've had so much potential considering its seating capacity and banking.
Great video!
Me and my Brothers used to ride go Carts there in the parking lot, back in the early 70 s ... great memories
Wow, I leaned to drive in the speedway parking lot. Right by the sign. Went to Cal Jam 2....also many other events. Motorcycle Road race. Also Times 500 NASCAR. any one else remember..?
It was the same layout as Indy.....2.5 mile Quad oval...
With road course in the infield... Wish it was still there...😕
It least but some signs up and some pictures of the speedway in the buildings
This is weird! I've walked all over that fountain and area when I stayed in Ontario doe tech training for BMW. Funny that the whole area was once the old speedway having heard about it but never having gone.
Enjoyed your video very much. As a kid I used to work with my Dad who sprayed oil on dirt roads to keep dust down. In the early 70's he oil sprayed the service road( kind of a frontage road) that followed the outer perimeter of the actual racetrack track at OMS itself. The fencing you found at turn three looks as though it was the fencing that prevented people from fourth street & Haven to get access close enough to view the track. The fence also ran the outer perimeter of the service road....all 2 1/2 miles of it around the track.I remember it well because I would walk it while my Dad sprayed the road with oil. Very cool times for me at OMS back then.
Thanks for the video
Thanks for the info Regie.
The old sign was from the Ontario Convention Center from the mid 1980s. I remember growing up close to there. ;) Nice video
I went to several races there including the inaugural Indy car race as well as the first NASCAR race. I also went to the only F-1 race (Questar Grand Prix) in 1971. I really enjoyed the races at this track. Very disappointing for a lot of people when it closed down! BTW, I appreciated your video and the precise description. Although I attended several races at the track, it is hard today to orient ones self. I thought turn four was at Haven where the Hilton Hotel is. Thank you for clearing that up. Nice job!
Right on man. . . Nice 🇺🇲
Sadly turn 3 is gone now.
Peter Revson won the pole at one the Indy races.
I live nearby Ontario and I went to UTI which was nearby. That land you see there at 6:22 if I'm not mistaken by the location is now full of new homes.
Great job bringing the legend to life.
Hey, I have been looking for that car.....I last had it with me at the final race in 1982....😁🤣
I wonder what they did with the furnaces , that are harried in the middle of track , they where barred by Kiser Steel .
Ontario was my first sight of a Baby Grand, which I thought was the way the industry was headed .The factory cars back then were monsters compared to today. They also closed Riverside International around the same time, it's the track Richard Petty made famous jumping the curbs. He got caught there with a nitrous set up under the manifold. Of course he won.
Great place , been to several races there ,and the concerts were some of the best in the 70s,Don't forget the U.S. Festival too.Great memories buddy, thank you.👍😎🎸
interesting .. thanks
If you took a metal detecter out there , it would go crazy the furnace would set it off . It is 200 feet by 200 , or twice that size .
My grandpa took me to several races during my pre-teen years! It was completely awesome! We always say around turn one! Great memories!
We'll always have the memories Mike.
Great video *****!
Went to thr LA Times 500 as a kid , still have a big O seat cushion....thanks for taking me Dad !!!
EmpEntTV - I agree with you. I was at all the first events, but that wasn't many as we moved from Cal in the summer of 1972. I lived near 1100 e. D street, on North Virginia a couple of blocks north of east Holt. I went to school at a school on 4th street, then used to ride my bike out to the track after school to see who was testing at the track. FUN times.
Wasn't the Ontario (California) Speedway a clone of Indianapolis, as regards length of track, shape of track (rectangular with rounded corners) and 9-degree banking, with the Ontario track wider than Indy??
Great video! I recently visited the old Trenton fairgrounds site (which is now a sculpture garden).
HODIUSDUDE thanks!
Thank you for doing this.
Great video!! Enjoyed it very much! Awesome job on the research. It was cool to hear about Evel Knievel, Dale Earnhardt and Ted Nugent. Hopefully you still have the toy car you found. Lol
this is super weird cause i live right by IMS (i actually marched on the track on race day this past year) and ontario motor speedway was a carbon copy of it.
Used to live a very short distance from the speedway when it was still there, but never actually went inside. I did work a Winston Cup race as a scorer out at Riverside another defunct racetrack not too far from Ontario Motor Speedway. I later lived in Fontana very near where the Auto Club Speedway was later built. Nice video.
i grew up in Ontario..lived on grove ave south of mission blvd ..and i can tell all that what is being show was not the original second use of that property! once the old race track was sold off (due to ignorance ) the track was torn down and out to build a mass quantity of apt` buildings ! I have to laugh though !!! some body i guess didn`t take well to it an burned them down during construction, they got built anyway then years later were run down by poor management then who know s after that!!!!
T A truck stop, go on in say Hi to the girls in the reaturant, wonderful people there
That was interesting. Would like to see a satellite view with the track overlapping it
I believe that there is one on Facebook on California jam fanclub page.
@@RustingRelics i will look thank you keep up the good work, from North Carolina
great video ty
Do the old Riverside Raceway another lost relic in motorsports.
I swear at 7:38 or so with the burn in the background....I got a glimpse of em in the 70s four wide...it was a smoggy day....
Used to get super windy.... went to the top one race with my tiny girlfriend and watch the wind move her! It was a great race track! It was Iconic in it's day! Eric Underwood class of 81 Downey High School California
I 10, exit 57, what's left is sad
6:12 - nice landing!
Really really enjoyed that. Thank you. (From a Black Sabbath fan looking up stuff about Cal Jam 74)
Glad you enjoyed it Daz! \ii/
***** You seem to get the same buzz as me when it comes to history. However short or long a time ago. Knowing you're standing in the same spot as (insert name here) all those years ago. I'm the same with where I now live, Edinburgh, Scotland. With it's history over many centuries, knowing that famous kings and queens stood in this very spot, etc. I could go on. lol. Anyway, thanks for your passionate insight.
Daz Cox
Thanks for the kind words Daz. You "get" it! I enjoy doing my videos, and really enjoy it when others can relate. I hope to do a video on Randy Rhodes in the future. I live just a few miles from his final resting place.
***** Aaaah. Now there's something I hope to be doing when I revisit California in September. I went to live with Ozzy and his family for a couple of months when they rented a house in Pacific Palisades in 1992 (Long story), and there's a few places I want to revisit.
***** Do you think you can do another video of like this one of the Old Riverside International Raceway if you can?
Man I live like right next to that :/ wish they didn't take it down
to show how old i am. i went to my first and only NASCAR race at the Ontario Motor Speedway. it was sponsored by J.C. Pennys. back when they did car repair. the church that i went to as a kid one of the guys in my sunday school class. his Dad worked for Penny,s doing auto repair. and he got us free tickets to the race. the NHRA also raced there for awhile. i know that this is a old post. but you should go check out where OCIR was by the 5 freeway and El Toro Marine base was.
lilorbie lilorbie thanks! i plan on visiting ocir in the future. i went to many events there.
the local people said that OCIR made to much noise . excuse me what about the freaking jets taking at all hours of the day and night. o wait that,s the Govt. so its all o.k. i just remembered another race track. it was called Lions it was at 223rd. street and Alameda next to the on the left side of the 405 freeway heading north i think in the Long Beach section of the freeway. also Mickey Thomson had a shop in the Wilmington area. next door to his shop was place that tested wire rope and regular rope. they had a huge crane next to his building. if you go north across the Henry Ford bridge no more than few miles maybe 5 . his shop was on the right hand side. it was a powder blue building. the only way you could tell it was his it said Mickey Thomson on the door no other logo or anything.
im in the ontario CA area wonder if theres anything left..
Good video.
this is awesome
Ok lets see the "Outtakes" from 6:13 of you biting the "Big One" and the subsequent trip to the ER. Just kidding (I Hope). "But Seriously Folks", Thanks for all the hard work you put into helping to preserve a piece of history by documenting the memories of a place this "Baby Boomer" remembers well. Well done. Ps. I'm an old OCIR racer from 1979 and it sure would be GR8 to see you do a video on the present day site of that facility too. Thanks again, James, San Diego, Ca. USA
Haha! I stuck the landing. Also, I do have plans on doing an OCIR video in the future. Thanks!
I was at both Cal Jam's as well as many motorcycle road races. It was such an incredible facility and an incredible track. So far ahead of it's time. It's where I first met a young and yet unknown Barry Sheene in 1974 (who's sister in law) would much later become my girlfriend. I really lament the loss of it. Great video and I share your political views! Thanks for posting it.
Glad you enjoyed it Racer500gp! I only throw in the occasional political comment now and then to prove to myself that I still can;)
You can and we should in this day and age when we have a Socialist imbecile in the White House ruining our country. We all need to speak out pal!
I was there for Cal Jam 2 ..!
racer500gp Hey you are the imbecile however you are right we do need to speak out and tell John Boner with no A in his name to stop preventing this country from moving forward. Then there is also infighting within the GOP and the tea baggers. Self detonation in progress.
racer500gp Black Sabbath and Deep Purple with David Coverdale 1974
I remember having a motorcycle magazine that described a motorcycle road race that was held at Ontario Motor Speedway. I think Yvon DuHamel won on a Kawasaki, but I can't be sure. It looked like a cool place to me at the time from the photos in the article.
cool!
I find it bizarre that all this money, concrete, infrastructure and gone after not that many years. Then later Fontana Motor Speedway is built. Couldn't they have just updated Ontario and saved a lot of money?
THE ONTARIO CENTER was the first life after racing.