Running a Racetrack in the Desert Means Waging War Against the Elements
Chuckwalla Valley Raceway is one of Southern California’s nicer (and only) racetracks. There’s a good reason for this.
Amid the incomprehensibly large swathes of desert nothingness between Los Angeles and Phoenix, there’s surprisingly something for everyone. Coachella for music fans. Joshua Tree for campers and hikers. And Chuckwalla Valley Raceway for those who love going fast. It’s here where MotorTrend conducted our 2024 Performance Vehicle of the Year evaluations.
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Occupying but a fraction of the facility’s 1,000 or so acres is a 2.7-mile-long black velvet ribbon of track with 17 turns and 36 feet of elevation change. Designed by motorcycle racer Ed Bargy to be run in either direction, on two wheels or four, the course straddles a mile-long jet runway (which is still active) that doubles as a dragstrip. It’s a pick-your-poison kind of place.
There are only a small handful of racetracks within driving distance of L.A., but as an experience complete with on-site cabins and other amenities, Chuckwalla is a standout.
It Was Almost for Waterskiing
The dry lakebed the property occupies was once part of a training ground for General George Patton’s troops during WWII, and the Patton Memorial Museum (roughly 26 miles away at Chiriaco Summit) does a good job of preserving the tank and ground warfare histories. The area where the track is now was the site of the main air supply depot, the runway is one of the two main originals, and the big transcontinental radio beacon tower remains on the grounds.
The framed display is a set of trinkets discovered around the property. Photo courtesy of Dave Waugh.
After the war, the ’50s and ’60s saw a period of desertion, and later the property was used as farmland. There were plans to transform it into a waterskiing and wakeboarding facility with waterfront real estate, but that plan collapsed along with the rest of the market in 2008.
Then the original owners hatched a plan to build a road course, which opened in 2010—albeit with very little support. “There were no fuel stations, no bathrooms, no paved parking lot,” Chuckwalla Valley Raceway general manager Dave Waugh said.
Slowly, though, through ownership changes and management shifts, things have been improving. “Now, it is a single owner, the facility is doing well, and we seem to have things under control,” Waugh, who joined in June 2022, said. “We see blue skies and smooth sailing from here on out.”
Everything Is Freezing and Boiling, and It Moves
Maintaining a track in the desert so people can continue setting lap times is to wage a constant war against the elements. Massive environmental swings throughout the year see everything from sub-zero temperatures in the winter to the mid-120s in the summer. “I’ve personally measured 180-degree ground temperatures here,” Waugh said.
The best way to combat all the extreme thermal stress is proper ground preparation, Waugh said. It’s making sure there’s a solid base that doesn’t move to lay the track on. Having a solid foundation under the circuit is critical to lifespan and surface quality. As for the track surface itself, only the highest-quality asphalt can be used.
If you don’t cut corners, it’s an effort that pays off: Two years after finishing the track surface, the straightaways had moved only 3/8s of an inch. “That’s unheard of,” Waugh said. “Normally, the ground moves a lot more than that.”
Waugh and his team put a tremendous amount of effort into maintaining the facility on a daily basis. There’s a lot of bicycling around the track to detect areas of the surface that may be degrading or moving. “We’re monitoring things continuously,” Waugh said. “Once track maintenance and service starts to get away from people, it’s a problem.”
A Well-Run Enthusiast’s Desert Paradise
For a guest, Chuckwalla runs like a dream. The smooth track welcomes all levels of experience, with terrific sightlines and plenty of runoff virtually everywhere. Take the banked turn as fast as you dare while you learn your and the car’s limits simultaneously; it’s a track that offers a challenging way to gradually enhance your skillset.
When the driving's over, you can book and retire at one of Chuckwalla’s 40 400-square-foot guest cabins—each furnished with a bathroom, living room/kitchenette, and bedroom. There are firepits to hang out around and firewood for purchase. Let us tell you: It’s a real game changer when you’re attending a multiday event, and at day’s end your bed is 10 minutes away as opposed to 90.
This all runs as well as it does largely because of Waugh. A general manager whose experience includes time as an international sales and marketing director in the motorcycle industry, Waugh has final say in everything that happens at the facility. During track days, he’s always watching through his binoculars, making sure the guests are behaving, his crew are doing their jobs, and everything is under control.
MotorTrend actually threw Waugh a bit of a curveball when we asked about using Chuckwalla’s dirt and sand infield in addition to the track for off-road evaluations. It's a request that happened only once before, but Waugh was happy to accommodate if we were mindful not to drag debris onto the asphalt. “It’s my goal—my role—here to make sure people have a good, safe experience,” he said.
Waugh's also accountable for the business side of things: maintaining profitability, keeping costs down, and budgeting for future investments in the facility. “I come from a place of never being satisfied,” he said. “So, daily, I’m always trying to improve everything everywhere.”
Speaking of investments, there are plans to expand. Waugh and his team are advocating for day garages in the smaller paddock to help guests better escape the harsh climate. They'd also like to elevate the timing and scoring building for added visibility into every corner of the facility, make hospitality and cabin improvements, and add solar panels to help offset the “astronomical” summer energy bills.
Finally, the team wants to revive some of the facility’s history by restoring the existing runway, with the goal of enabling WWII-era planes to fly in and out. It wouldn’t be the main attraction, but it would add to the overall ambiance and draw in military and history buffs.
A family of eight foxes makes its home at Turn 16. Photo courtesy of Dave Waugh.
Anyone interested in spending time at Chuckwalla Valley Raceway can do so by reaching out via its website. Running the track is no easy task, but Waugh is proud of the team he leads and the unique enthusiast experience they’ve built. “I don't think it's really that complicated, especially whether it be in motorsports or road racing,” he said. “There's so much passion underneath the business that it's not hard to get people motivated.”
I got into cars the way most people do: my dad. Since I was little, it was always something we’d talk about and I think he was stoked to have his kid share his interest. He’d buy me the books, magazines, calendars, and diecast models—everything he could do to encourage a young enthusiast. Eventually, I went to school and got to the point where people start asking you what you want to do with your life. Seeing as cars are what I love and writing is what I enjoy doing, combining the two was the logical next step. This dream job is the only one I’ve ever wanted. Since then, I’ve worked at Road & Track, Jalopnik, Business Insider, The Drive, and now MotorTrend, and made appearances on Jay Leno’s Garage, Good Morning America, The Smoking Tire Podcast, Fusion’s Car vs. America, the Ask a Clean Person podcast, and MotorTrend’s Shift Talkers. In my spare time, I enjoy reading, cooking, and watching the Fast & Furious movies on repeat. Tokyo Drift is the best one.
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