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Ontario Motor Speedway
The Big O
Facility statistics
Location	Ontario, California
Broke ground
Opened	September 1970
Owner
Operator
Construction cost	$25.5 million
Architect	Kite & Overpeck A.I.A. Architects/John Hugenholtz of Zandvoort, Holland and Michael Parker of Portland, Oregon.
Former names
None
Major events
USAC Championship Car California 500 (1970-1980) NASCAR Winston Cup Los Angeles Times 500 (1974-1980)
Seating capacity
Current dimensions
Track shape	Oval
Track length	2.5 miles
Track banking	Turns - 9 degrees°

Ontario Motor Speedway located in Ontario, California, was a 2.5-mile race track built similar to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Designed by California born architect Walter Ted Tyler, the track opened in 1970, and was considered state of the art at the time. Track Management planned to make OMS as a replica of Indianapolis with only a few exceptions. The racing surface was one lane wider and the shortchutes were banked unlike Indianapolis, which made OMS slightly faster. In addition, OMS was built with an infield road course, making it a multi-purpose facility. At the time, Indianapolis did not have an infield road course, and one was not built there until 2000. OMS also included a special gift from Indy: a circle of bricks unearthed from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway were laid in OMS's victory lane.

The first race, The California 500, (held on September 6, 1970), was a success. The Indianapolis 500 was traditionally held Memorial Day weekend, so track officials figured Labor Day weekend was a perfect choice for this new event, However, it never lived up to the success of the inaugural event, and the track started a downhill slide soon afterward. Lack of promotion and an inability to capitalize on the inaugural race's success contributed. It was planned to be part of the IndyCar series triple crown along with the Indianapolis 500, and Pocono 500, however, only the Indy 500 remained a household name. OMS held the California Jam concert in order to promote the track more. The California Jam featured numerous rock music bands, and was profitable for the track. NASCAR was running at OMS for a few years and would hold the last race of the NASCAR Winston (now Nextel) Cup Series, the Los Angeles Times 500, there until the 1980 racing season. The facility also featured a dragstrip which hosted NHRA events.

Track management went bankrupt and the speedway was deemed a financial failure. 1980 would be its last year of operation and the City of Ontario sold the track for $10 million to Chevron Land Management. The track was demolished in 1981 at a cost of $3 million and left as an empty lot. The property remained vacant for several years until the mid-1980s when a Hilton Hotel was built on turn 4 of the old speedway site. It was the first multiple story building of its kind in the City of Ontario.

As of the mid 2000s, development on the property has increased. Over half of the old speedway property, adjacent to Interstate 10, has been developed commercially.

After the failure of the California 500, the IndyCar series replaced the race with the Michigan 500 at Michigan International Speedway. Eight years later in 1988, Riverside International Raceway in nearby Riverside, California also was sold and demolished, in favor of development. With the exception of the Long Beach Grand Prix, all motorsports in southern California was gone until California Speedway in Fontana, California opened in 1997, just five miles from the former site of OMS.

OMS architect Walter Ted Tyler later designed the Olympic Velodrome for the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles where many world bicycling records were broken.

Contents 1 Past winners 1.1 USAC Championship Car history 1.2 NASCAR Winston Cup history 2 External links

Season	Date	Winning Driver	Chassis	Engine
1970	September 6	Jim McElreath	Coyote	Ford
1971	September 5	Joe Leonard	Colt	Ford
1972	September 3	Roger McCluskey	McLaren	Offy
1973	September 2	Wally Dallenbach Sr.	Eagle	Offy
1974	March 10	Bobby Unser	Eagle	Offy
1975	March 9	A.J. Foyt	Coyote	Foyt
1976	September 5	Bobby Unser	Eagle	Offy
1977	September 4	Al Unser	Parnelli	Cosworth
1978	September 3	Al Unser	Chaparral	Cosworth
1979	September 2	Bobby Unser	Penske	Cosworth
1980	August 31	Bobby Unser	Penske	Cosworth

See main article: Los Angeles Times 500

• Current view of Ontario Motor Speedway on Google
• A view of OMS on Wikimapia

Tracks of the Champ Car World Series

Current Tracks (2007) Assen • Cleveland • Edmonton • Houston • Las Vegas • Long Beach • Mexico City • Mont-Tremblant • Phoenix • Portland • Road America • San Jose • Surfers Paradise • Toronto • Zhuhai • Zolder Former Tracks (Ovals) Atlanta • California • Chicago • Gateway • Homestead • Indianapolis • Las Vegas • Loudon • Michigan • Milwaukee • Nazareth • Ontario • Phoenix • Pocono • Sanair • Texas • Texas World • Trenton Former Tracks (Road Courses) Belle Isle • Denver • Detroit • Laguna Seca • Las Vegas • Meadowlands • Mid-Ohio • Montreal • Riverside • St. Pete • Tamiami Park • Vancouver • Watkins Glen Former Tracks (International) Brands Hatch • EuroSpeedway • Monterrey • Motegi • Rio • Rockingham

Tracks of the USAC Championship Series

Former Tracks (1956-1981) Arizona Fairgrounds • Atlanta • Darlington • Dayton • Daytona • Detroit • Dover • DuQuion • Hanford • Indianapolis • Lakewood • Langhorne • Michigan • Milwaukee • Nazareth • Ontario • Phoenix • Pocono • Sacramento • Sedalia • Springfield • Syracuse • Texas World • Trenton • Williams Grove Road Courses Brainerd • Castle Rock • IRP • Las Vegas • Mont-Tremblant • Mosport • Pikes Peak • Riverside • Sears Point • Seattle International Brands Hatch • Fuji • Monza • Rafaela • Silverstone