Willow Springs International Raceway held its first race in 1953 and is still running today, making it the oldest permanent road course in the US. And you know what? Prior to its purchase in 2024 by CrossHarbor Capital Partners with input from Singer Vehicle Design, it seriously looked its age. Now, the first planned renovations of the California facility have been revealed, starting with the 0.625-mile kart track and the ever-popular 1.8-mile Streets of Willow Springs road course.
Both are now upgraded with fresh asphalt, new internal and external curbs, new runoff areas around the circuits, and new branding in the form of striping and logos. There was a lot of worry about the future of the raceway when it was taken over by a private equity investment firm, but so far it looks positive.
Willow Springs International Raceway
Streets of Willow Has Changed
The renovations have added three new chicanes to the Streets of Willow Springs track "for track extension and safety." Over the fall, plans to carry on the renovation there include adding tire barriers, Armco barriers, and air fence to the circuits. While the official press release says that the kart track has a new surface, that doesn't do the work justice. The old surface was pulled out and replaced, effectively returning it to new.
Meanwhile, two of the new chicanes on Streets Of Willow are optional and added following the banked Bowl Turn as an alternative to using the straight with elevation changes leading to a 90 degree left. The other most obvious change is on the final turn before the main straight. It appears to have been elongated, while the shortened version is no longer a steep S-turn, but a single decreasing radius corner.
“We are excited to preserve the history of Willow Springs while continuing to make improvements that establish it as the premier venue for motorsport enthusiasts of all kinds. This is just the first phase of our plans for this iconic facility, and we’re excited to show off the work we’ve completed so far at the Willow Springs Reimagined event on October 11.”
– Sam Byrne, co-founder of CrossHarbor Capital Partners and representative of the Willow Springs ownership group.
Willow Springs International Raceway
Willow Springs Past And Future
Willow Springs is in Kern County, around 80 miles north of Los Angeles. It's more remote than it sounds though, nestling in the Mojave Desert and away from land that developers are keen to fill with houses. That has helped the facility's longevity, along with the State Of California declaring it an Official Point of Historical Interest in 1996. In 1962, a man called Bill Huth bought the track and land for $116,000, planning to use the main straight, which earned the circuit the reputation of being "The Fastest Road in the West."
Huth's family stewarded the track until June 2024, and it sold in 2025, 10 years after Bill Huth's death. Over its lifetime, the track's surfaces deteriorated in quality because let's face it – running and maintaining a motorsport facility is expensive. Despite the tracks becoming rundown, Willow Springs is beloved and has something for every kind of racer.
Having a private equity investment firm come in and take over has brought with it legitimate concerns, as investment firms come in looking to spend money, but also generate more profit. Inevitably, that leads to higher prices. So far, CrossHarbor Capital Partners has opened its account by improving the kart track dramatically and, by looking at it, given the Streets of Willow Springs a great makeover. How, or perhaps if, prices will rise remains to be seen.
