Marlboro 500 (California)
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|
| Venue |
Ontario Motor Speedway (1970–1980) Auto Club Speedway (1997–2005, 2012–2015) |
|---|---|
| Corporate sponsor |
Marlboro (1997–2001) Toyota (1998–2005) Yamaha (2002) King Taco (2003) Lucas Oil (2012–2015) |
| First race | 1970 |
| First ICS race | 2002 |
| Last race | 2015 |
| Distance | 500 mi (800 km) – 1970–1978 USAC, 1979–1980 CART, 1997–2002 CART, 2012–2015 IRL 400 mi (640 km) – 2002–2005, IRL |
| Laps | 200 (1970–1980, 2002–2005) 250 (1997–2003, 2012–2015) |
| Previous names |
California 500 (1970–1980) Marlboro 500 Presented by Toyota (1997, 1999–2001) Yamaha Indy 400 (2002 IRL) The 500 presented by Toyota (1998 & 2002 CART) King Taco 500 (2003 CART) Toyota Indy 400 (2003–2005) MAVTV 500 (2012–2015) |
The MAVTV 500 is an IndyCar Series race held at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California. The event represents a continuous lineage of open wheel oval racing in the Southern California-area that dates back to 1970. Since 2012, the event has been sponsored by MAVTV, a motorsports cable channel owned by Lucas Oil.
For many years in the late 1990s and early 2000s, the race served as the season finale for the CART series. From 2012-2014, it served as the finale for the IndyCar Series.
In 2015, the race was moved to June. Despite several journalists calling the 2015 edition one of the best IndyCar races, the race did not return on the schedule for 2016.
Open wheel oval racing in southern California dates back to the USAC California 500 at Ontario Motor Speedway in Ontario, held from 1970–1980. The race was part of Indy car racing's "triple crown", and at its inception, was held in high prestige. The inaugural running was considered a huge success, with 187,000 in attendance. However, the track fell into financial troubles, and closed in 1980. Subsequent runnings were never able to match the success of the 1970 event.
Indy car races were also held at nearby Riverside, but only from 1967–1969 (prior to the opening of Ontario) and again from 1981–1983 (after Ontario closed).
CART renewed the 500-mile oval race in 1997 at the newly built California Speedway in Fontana, California. The new track was built just 4 miles (6.4 km) from the previous Ontario circuit. The event was held under the moniker Marlboro 500, and served as the CART season finale. This event was held through 2002. The race became known for closed-course record speeds, and fast and competitive racing, owing much to the track's width.
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