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Reunion recalls Corona Raceway in California

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Corona Raceway 1984

Racing at Corona in 1984.

The city of Corona, California, has a rich, longstanding history in American auto racing. You may recall that it once staged road races on a 2.76-mile oval of local streets, one of which claimed the great Bob Burman in 1916. Later on, a more traditional speedway opened in 1971. It’s the legacy of this track, Corona Raceway, which will be marked by a reunion of fans and racers next month at Fairmount Park in Riverside, California.

Corona Raceway

Post-race in 1982.

Corona Raceway incorporated half-mile and quarter-mile dirt ovals that ran a variety of stock car and open-wheel classes until the track ceased operations in 1984. Like most short dirt tracks, Corona catered largely to local racers from across Southern California. It had a particularly robust and lively division of Late Models, a class that boomed during the 1970s and early 1980s, and Corona became a stopover for visiting stars such as NASCAR champion Bobby Allison and California’s own Ron Hornaday Jr., who went on to become a top runner in both Winston Cup and the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. Corona also hosted big-dollar races for dirt Late Models, attracting national short-track stars such as Larry Phillips, Charlie Swartz, Billy Moyer and Joe Kosiski, all of whom enjoyed hall of fame careers.

Bobby Allison

Bobby Allison (left) at Corona in 1984.

The reunion itself takes place on Sunday, September 13, in Riverside, but several preliminary events are set for the previous day, topped by a night of dirt-slinging action at nearby Perris Auto Speedway. Tickets are $30 for the reunion; discounted Perris tickets must be purchased at the same time for those wanting to attend the races. The organizer is Larry Lord of Colton, California. For information, contact him at 909-254-2800 or email me@LarryLord.com.


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