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Altamont Motorsports Park
Categories: Active Life Automotive Local Flavor Active Life, Automotive, Local Flavor [Edit]
17001 Midway RdTracy, CA 95376
(925) 371-7223
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
4 reviews for Altamont Motorsports Park
4 reviews in English
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Review from Greg D.
College Station, TX
8/20/2009
I've been attending this raceway since the early 80's and in fact I worked in the food stands both at the top of the stands and the smaller one in the pits during 1982-83 during the two years that it was called Bernal Memorial Speedway. This has always been one of my favorite raceways and I just wish it were more popular. Some people say that there has been racing going on here since the 1930's and the track has opened and closed multiple times. The famous event was the 1969 Rolling Stones concert, often compared to Woodstock 4 months prior, in which a fan was killed in the audience after attacking Mick Jagger yet the stones finished the show with 8 more songs. This ended the summer of love and there has never been a concert here since.
The grandstand have never been in fantastic shape that I have ever seen so do bring a blanket to sit on. And as others have mentioned there is no shade in the stands and it does tend to get hotter than a $3 pistol out there with occasional windstorms. It's dry and dusty. Bring lots of water with you.
The track tends to be fairly high speed and the track itself seems to have always been fairly well maintained. I actually drove a Fiat X1/9 in a 500 mile endurance race (before blowing the engine on lap 499) and I was impressed with how smooth the track is.
The entrance fees are fairly reasonable and parking is not a problem. It's a dusty dirt parking lot but it's large and close. My best suggestion is to map your trip very carefully as the exit to find this track is very easy to miss. I can't tell you how many people missed the exit all the time and you can only see the track from the freeway very briefly. It's a good fun track, just bring sunscreen and water. Even if you have never been to a car race before I can't see why anyone would not enjoy this.
Times visited : 80-100 -
Review from Amy L.
San Francisco, CA
7/10/2007
The racetrack, if you can find it (because the entrance sign is in the opposite direction of travel [if you've gone 3/4 of a mile from the freeway you've gone too far!]) is very simple and a lot smaller than you think. About 1/2 mile around the outside, it has a nice long grandstand with excellent viewing of the track. Two covered areas are at the top, but plan on wearing plenty of sunscreen because it gets HOT out there! It's also dusty and windy, so you should probably also bring an extra towel to sit on when you get back to the car. There is a fairly well-stocked concession stand at the top with nice blowers to cool the air, but I had the worst hamburger ever from that shack---it was like reconstituted Taco Bell meat---at least it was only $5. The main bathrooms were nice and clean. Parking isn't a problem but it IS on a dirt lot on a slope.
The pit area, if you have access, is pretty open. The cars exit rapidly off the track so you have to always watch your 6 o'clock. There is an additional concession stand for the drivers since food and barbequeing aren't really allowed in the pit.
Overall it's a simple track experience that gets you good viewing for your money.
Times visited: 1 -
Review from Robyn C.
San Francisco, CA
12/8/2006
It's out by the windmills, where 580 meets I-5, near that bitch of a traffic jam named Tracy.
This is where the Rolling Stones had a concert that officially ended the Summer of Love.
This is where you can see lots of VERY young moms smokin' Winstons and drinkin' Budweiser, with a baby on at least one hip.
This is where my San Francisco life meets my Central Valley childhood.
Most importantly though - this is where they hold the Annual Pumpkin Derby!!!! Every year. Third weekend of October. A 450 Enduro on a soaped track and literally TONS of pumpkins being ground into the asphalt - pick a car and bet when it will catch on fire, when it will lose a tire, and how long it will keep driving!!
And usually for a half-time show - DEMOLITION DERBY!! Woo hoo!!
This year, they changed the shape of the track from an oval to a Figure-8 which means no mud in the middle for the demoderby- and while the Figure - 8 race was exciting, and the Rooster T. from Cheewawa Mexico was quite impressive surviving the high-speed T-bones, I was still sort of disappointed by the lack of the DemoDerby.
This is a truly awesome event. It really makes my year. It also makes me soooooooo happy I made it to San Francisco, because some of those people scare me - and I'm related to them.
Almost makes going to war for oil worthwhile (uh - not really). -
Review from Abby S.
Tracy, CA
5/7/2008 5 photos
I uploaded pictures, I guess I should review it... I am frustrated with many things about this track, so much so I have considered writing to the management.. but I guess I'm just lazy.
Pros:
* This track is about 2 miles from my house.
* The scenery is great, rolling hills, cool windmills, cows and horses roaming around in the hills.
* Kinder's BBQ is doing the concessions stand, the ball tip sandwiches are pretty good, SO much better than normal track food, and you can get a AMP energy drink for a decent price.
* They have had some really great races so far this year. I truly enjoy the "NASCAR Whelen All-American Series", as well as the "ALSC American Limited Stock Cars", and wingless sprints.
* The gate prices are USUALLY decent.
* They have emergency staff and cleanup crews on site. Some tracks I have been to do not have an ambulance on site, I can't support those tracks, they're not supporting the safety of the racers. HOORAY for the track crew!! They're great!
Cons:
* They don't really explain what each car type is very well on their website, or at the track. I think their website needs pictures of each car type and what races it participates in. I often don't attend races because I don't know what is racing.
* There isn't any shade in the stands AT ALL. There is a picnic area with shade but you can't really see the track from there. I've never been to a track with totally unshaded stands before. It gets VERY hot. Being of a gothy complexion (whiter than white without the makeup) I suffer severely sitting there in the sun. Suggestion: wear at least SPF 30 and apply every 2 hours, when they're not racing sit in the picnic area.
* They proclaim a "family friendly race schedule" and will start ending races early if there are to many cautions (a.k.a. Yellow Flags) just to finish before dark. I wonder if they've been told they can't race after dark because of the noise, or if they don't want to pay for lighting. It can't be because of the lack of lighting because they have HUGE lights.
* The stands are made of wood, the last time I went I noticed several steps were a bit dry rotted and quite dangerous. I stepped on one and it sunk 2" and made a cracking noise *shudder*
* It gets EXTREMELY windy. Duh, they didn't line the hills with windmills for no reason. However I am a sturdy lass and I almost blew away walking to the car last time. The wind was blowing so hard my eyes were tearing so badly I could hardly see, and I had to lean into the wind and push HARD to be able to walk at all. So if you bring your kids, hold on to them, they just might blow away.
Concern:
I like having a race track so close to home, one that does great races. However when I go there usually aren't more than 50 people there. They're all making comments like "racing is so much better at night" and "It's SO hot during the day". I feel this track may close...
Suggestions to spectators:
* The stands are not comfy, after about an hour you're going to want a stadium cushion/seat, pillow, blanket, SOMETHING to sit on.
* Bring or buy lots of water, it's frequently hot you will need to re-hydrate. I see the potential for heat stroke if you're not careful.
* Speaking of hot as previously mentioned there isn't much shade and none in the stands. Bring sunscreen, chap-stick with SPF15, a hat and sunglasses.
* Bring a blanket, when it's not hot it's cold and VERY windy, plan accordingly.
Suggestions to track owners:
* RACE AT NIGHT, its so much neater to watch and easier to stay comfy with a warm coat and a blanket.
* Advertise on radio or something, I had never heard of Altamont Motorsports Park until I started doing searches on Google.
* Put a section on the website that explains what each type of racing is and has a photograph of the type of car doing the racing. I am sure I am not the only one who's not sure what things like " WLM
Western Late Models " mean, if I knew what I was getting into I might come more often.
* Do a little maintenance on the stands, they're getting scary.Listed in: Local places I like to go for…
