was a high banked half mile racetrack in
Bakersfield ,
California that was demolished following the 2005 racing season to make way for housing developments in the foothills of northeast Bakersfield.
The track was built in 1977. The track held events that were televised on
ABC 's ''
Wide World Of Sports '',
TNN ,
Fox Sports ,
Speed Channel ,
HDNet and
ESPN . It is now closed.
Track History
Mesa Marin was critical to the formation of the
NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series . Mesa Marin was the site for design, construction and testing of the prototype NASCAR Craftsman Trucks. Track owners son Gary Collins (a former racer) led the team of designers and fabricators who built the first truck.
The track hosted nine at
California State Route 43 (Enos Lane) along the
Kern River . Speeds are expected to reach 140 mph or greater on this track which will also feature a 1/8 mile
Drag Strip . The track is seeking a major sponsor for naming-rights to the facility that lies right next to the southbound lanes of Interstate-5 (Golden State Freeway), the major artery of transportation between San Francisco/northern California and Los Angeles/southern California.
- Of the 900 short tracks in that nation, Mesa Marin Raceway's October Classic was voted the Premiere Event of the Year by National Speed Sport News .
- Nearly 4 million spectators attended Mesa Marin Raceway over its 29 year lifetime.
- The track was featured in the Truck series Expoansion for NASCAR Racing 3.
