The historic Bakersfield Speedway will shut down. However, its operations moves to nearby Kevin Harvick’s Kern Raceway. There they look to enlarge the existing egg-shaped 1/4-mile into a more traditional 1/3-mile oval, along with other improvements.
“We will be adding more than 2,000 grandstand seats, a VIP booth, scoring tower, and press box [to the dirt track at Kern Raceway],” said Tim Huddleston, who will promote the dirt oval at Kevin Harvick’s Kern Raceway. “While it is sad to see the historic aspect of Bakersfield Speedway go away, the new facility will be top-notch, from the track surface and pits, to concessions to restrooms and amenities for the fans. It will be a first-class operation.”
Huddleston got to know Bakersfield Speedway’s longtime owner and promoter, Scott Schweitzer, when Huddleston promoted Irwindale Speedway.
“We worked together to stay off each other on certain dates,” Huddleston said. “It is wonderful that Scott and his family will be working with us, continuing their roles as stewards of racing operations.”
Schweitzer and his family made an emotional post on Bakersfield Speedway’s Facebook page. They thanked the track’s supporters, racers, and fans who loved Bakersfield Speedway for 79 years. The track’s 80th season will be in the new location.
“Let us back up 7 years ago, 7 years ago our precious daughter Bailey was taken from us, that day changed our lives forever,” they said on Facebook. “Since that day we have struggled with our broken hearts to continue on and with that we have not been able to truly give our family business the care it deserves. The care to make it the best experience for all that attends.”
Bailey Schweitzer worked at the track. She died in a mass shooting during the 2017 Route 91 Harvest Festival in Las Vegas. She was one of 60 people killed and 867 injured.
Bakersfield Speedway at Kevin Harvick’s Kern Raceway opens on March 8. The track schedule features several big events. The includes visits by the High Limit Racing (March 12) and World of Outlaws (September 12), and the fall classic, the Budweiser Nationals (October 10-11).
“This is an exciting opportunity,” said Huddleston. “Kevin [Harvick] and I are looking forward to elevating motorsports in Kern County with Bakersfield Speedway’s dirt-track racing.”
Mike Adaskaveg has written hundreds of stories since the website’s inception. This year marks his 54th year of covering auto racing. Adaskaveg got his start working for track photographer Lloyd Burnham at Connecticut’s Stafford Motor Speedway in 1970. Since then, he’s been a columnist, writer, and photographer, in racing and in mainstream media, for several outlets, including the Journal Inquirer, Boston Herald, Stock Car Racing, and Speedway Illustrated. Among Adaskaveg’s many awards are the 1992 Eastern Motorsport Press Association (EMPA) Ace Lane Photographer of the Year and the 2019 National Motorsports Press Association (NMPA) George Cunningham Writer of the Year.
