The Irwindle Speedway & Event Center, which has hosted NASCAR races, demolition derbies, festivals and is the go-to venue for Southern California’s legal street racing scene, will close its doors before the end of the year.

“Irwindale is more than just a track: it is a home and gathering place for racing enthusiasts from around the world,” said Tim Huddleston, president of the Irwindale Speedway & Event Center, or ISEC, in a press release. “We are grateful for every moment and memory we have shared as a community.”

For 25 years, the speedway has been a gathering place for automobile enthusiasts. And when illegal automotive events, such as street takeovers and street racing, are a concern, city and police officials encourage car enthusiasts to visit ISEC to obtain legally their dose of speed.

Six-month-old Ralph Macias Jr. wears earmuffs while being held by his father, Ralph Macias Sr., during a race at Irwindale Speedway.

(Michael Blackshire/Los Angeles Times)

On Tuesday, Huddleston announced that Irwindale Speedway & Dragstrip would host its final event on December 21.

Huddleston did not specify in the announcement why the speedway should close after a quarter-century of racing. ISEC officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The center has been threatened with closure for years.

In 2017, the Irwindale City Council approved plans to demolish the racetrack. A 700,000 square foot shopping center was to replace it.

This project was suspended without public notice and the races continued.

Then in 2022 the the city once again proposed demolishing the racetrack and the construction of industrial and commercial facilities on the land, a proposal intended to boost employment in the city.

In September 2022, after the city approved the industrial complex proposal, the racetrack was purchased by IDS Real Estate Group, a commercial real estate company with offices in California and Washington. City officials said IDS Real Estate Group planned to move forward with demolishing the racetrack and building the industrial zone, but Huddleston had said there was “no threat imminent” for the racecourse.

A spokesperson for the city of Irwindale did not immediately respond to inquiries about the industrial complex proposal or whether the city was reviewing plans for the racetrack grounds.

For now, the Irwindale Speedway & Drasgstrip still has a slate of activities and events scheduled before its closure, including events such as Thursday Night Thunders, Night of Destruction on November 2, and Nitro Revival on November 8-9 .

Members of the public watch during auto races at Irwindale Speedway.

(Michael Blackshire/Los Angeles Times)

The racetrack’s final Thursday Night Thunder — where enthusiasts can bring their own cars to race on the drag strip or burn rubber in the burnout box — is scheduled for Dec. 5.

The final event will be the Farewell Extravaganza at Irwindale Speedway on Dec. 21, featuring NASCAR short track races, the Drift Invitational and the ARCA Menards Series West race.

Tickets for the Farewell Extravaganza are set to go on sale November 8.