California Car Show Venues and Dragstrips
23 fairgrounds, dragstrips, road courses and show lawns, plus 16 car museums and collections.
Photo: User:Morven, CC BY-SA 3.0
California Cruise-in lots
Bob's Big Boy Burbank
Built in 1949 and the oldest remaining Bob's Big Boy in America.
California Dragstrips
Barona Drag Strip
Eighth-mile NHRA-sanctioned dragstrip.
Famoso Raceway
The strip was built during World War II as an auxiliary training field.
In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip
Quarter-mile concrete drag strip on the Fairplex grounds.
Sacramento Raceway Park
Dragstrip built in 1964 by Vastine Smith on Excelsior Road in unincorporated Sacramento County.
California Expo and convention centers
Cal Expo
Covers 350 landscaped acres.
California Fairgrounds
Alameda County Fairgrounds
Managed by the Alameda County Agricultural Fair Association, a 501(c)3 nonprofit.
Del Mar Fairgrounds
Operated by the 22nd District Agricultural Association.
Fairplex
Nonprofit 501(c)5 organization that runs a 500-acre campus in Pomona.
Fresno Fairgrounds
Grounds cover 165 acres in the City of Fresno.
Kern County Fairgrounds
Operated by the 15th District Agricultural Association.
OC Fair & Event Center
The Orange County Fair was first held at the current site in 1949.
Santa Maria Fairpark
Home of the Santa Barbara County Fair.
Stanislaus County Fairgrounds
Governed by the 38th District Agricultural Association, chartered by the state in 1935.
Ventura County Fairgrounds
Occupies a 62-acre beachfront site donated to the county by Orpha Foster.
California Speedways
Auto Club Speedway
Opened in June 1997 as California Speedway.
Buttonwillow Raceway Park
Road racing facility just outside the town of Buttonwillow.
Irwindale Speedway and Dragstrip
Opened in 1999.
Sonoma Raceway
Dragstrip and road course both opened in March 1969.
Thunderhill Raceway Park
Located 7 miles west of Interstate 5 and the City of Willows.
WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca
Built in 1957 at a cost of $1.5 million raised from local businesses and individuals.
Willow Springs Raceway
Big Willow, the original track, opened in 1953.
California Venues
Pebble Beach Golf Links 18th Fairway (Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance)
The Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance began in 1950.
California Car Museums
Petersen Automotive Museum
Founded on June 11, 1994 by magazine publisher Robert E. Petersen.
The Nethercutt Museum and Collection
Gathered by the co-founder of Merle Norman Cosmetics.
Blackhawk Museum
Founded in 1982 by Ken Behring and Don Williams to house classic automobiles.
California Automobile Museum
Opened on May 1, 1987 as the Towe Ford Museum.
San Diego Automotive Museum
Located in Balboa Park.
Marconi Automotive Museum
Dick and John Marconi bought the Tustin building in the early 1990s to house their collection and race team.
Wally Parks NHRA Motorsports Museum
Housed in a historic Art Deco exposition building on the Fairplex grounds.
Woodland Auto Display at Estrella Warbirds Museum
Collection of vintage, classic and historic racing automobiles.
The Cobra Experience
Nonprofit museum devoted to cars produced by Shelby American.
Canepa Motorsports Museum
Collection of race cars and motorcycles from Can-Am and NASCAR to Indy and Le Mans.
J.A. Cooley Museum
Displays more than two dozen automobiles built from 1886 to 1933.
Justice Brothers Racing Museum
Sits on the former Route 66 in Duarte.
Lyon Air Museum
Founded by Major General William Lyon.
Mullin Automotive Museum
Opened in 2010 by Peter and Merle Mullin.
Murphy Auto Museum
Displayed dozens of classic and vintage cars in Oxnard.
Automobile Driving Museum
Founded in 2002 by Stanley Zimmerman and Earl Rubenstein.
Keep Browsing From California Car Show Venues
California Venue Questions
Which California venue hosts the most car events?
The Fairplex in Pomona: the Grand National Roadster Show, the Pomona Swap Meet and NHRA drag racing all happen on its grounds.
Where can I drag race my own car in California?
Sonoma Raceway runs Wednesday Night Drags on set dates, and Famoso Raceway and Barona Drag Strip hold street-legal and test sessions. Check each track page for the current schedule.
Which California tracks have closed?
Auto Club Speedway in Fontana closed in 2023, Sacramento Raceway Park held its last races in November 2023, and Irwindale Speedway closed after the 2024 season. They stay listed here as closed.
Which California car museums are open to visitors?
Petersen Automotive Museum, The Nethercutt Museum and Collection, Blackhawk Museum, California Automobile Museum, San Diego Automotive Museum, Marconi Automotive Museum, Wally Parks NHRA Motorsports Museum, Woodland Auto Display at Estrella Warbirds Museum, The Cobra Experience, Canepa Motorsports Museum, J.A. Cooley Museum, Justice Brothers Racing Museum, Lyon Air Museum.
Why do only some venues have their own page?
A venue gets a page once it has enough published facts and car events on file; the others are listed here.
What are the venue facts based on?
Venue and track websites, plus news reports for closures, each linked on the venue page.
Can I suggest a California venue?
Send a show held there through the schedule page form and the venue is added with it.
Are swap meets included?
Yes, when the venue or organizer posts the dates, as the Pomona and Turlock swap meets do.
Find a show at a California venue
Know a car show that is not listed?
Send it here with a link to the organizer’s event page, flyer or schedule. Weekly and monthly ones only need to go in once. If that page shows the name and the date (or the day of the week), it goes on this page right away. If not, we check it by hand within a week.
We keep what you send so we can check the event. Your email is never published.