Image credit: Jay Bonvouloir, via Flickr – CC BY-SA 2.0
Where is located the Riverside? It is near the Moreno Valley in California, once stood a racetrack that felt more like a proving ground for legends than just another circuit.
Riverside was not just fast, it was unforgiving, dramatic and unforgettable!
Late in the ’50s until 1989, it echoed with the roar of V8s, the sreech of tires, and it was a dream track for every driver.
A star is born in the desert
However, when Riverside first opened in 1957, USA was still warming up to road racing, but this track? it did not wait around.
It was designed with challenging esses, hairpins, it was recognized as one of the most dangerous and exciting circuits in North America.
What made this circuit stand out was its versatility, it was not a cookie-cutter oval or a temprorary street course, it was a true driver’s track, you had to wrestle the wheel, fight the G-forces, and know when to risk everything.
DID F1 raced at Riverside?
The answer is YES! In 1960, the United States GP landed on California soil for one glorious day.
Stirling Moss, won the race in a Lotus, making Riverside the only track west of the Mississippi ever to host an F1 GP.
That event was a brief but it gave Riverside a rare badge of honor, not many circuits in America can say that they were once part of Formula 1 calendar.
Layouts that demanded everything
Riverside featured multiple configurations, each with its own character:
- Long Course – 3.3 miles of fast sweepers and punishing corners
- Short Course – 2.62 miles, used mostly for NASCAR
- Drag Strip & Alternate Loops – for club races and testing
But it was the back straight, sloping downhill into a tight, near-blind hairpin,that earned Riverside its reputation. Cars hit over 130 mph before slamming on the brakes. Many didn’t make it.
Grit, glory, and local Legends
This was not just a stop on the calendar. Riverside made heroes.
Dan Gurney dominated at Riverside, he won five Nascar races and becoming a local icon, other drivers like Mark Donuhue, Parnelli Jones, Tim Richmon also wrote chapters of their careers on this circuit.
The 1973 Winston Western 500 stands out as a war of attrition—153 laps and nearly five hours of heat, sweat, and survival. Mark Donohue took the win. Races like that don’t happen anymore.
Speed has its price
What’s the darker side of Riverside? More than 20 lives were lost over the decades here, big names also like Ken Miles in 1966, or Rolf Stommelen in 1983.
Also spectators and pit crew members, no one was spared, the layout was thrilling but deadly, safety barriers were minimal.
Runoffs areas barely existed back then, it was raw racing, the way it used to be and sometimes, that came at a brutal cost.
From roar to retail
By the late ’80s, the writing was on the wall. Noise complaints, real estate developers, and shifting priorities in American motorsport all played a role. In July 1989, Riverside held its last race.
Soon after, bulldozers arrived. The circuit was erased, replaced by shopping centers, housing, and a massive mall. Today, you might drive down “Turner Avenue” or “Andretti Street,” but the track itself is gone.
Quick Recap
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Opened | 1957 |
| F1 Race | 1960 US Grand Prix – won by Stirling Moss |
| NASCAR | 1958–1988 |
| Indy/CART Races | 1967–1983 |
| Fatalities | 20+ |
| Closed | 1989 |
| Today | Site now houses Moreno Valley Mall |
What can we say more about it?
Riverside wasn’t just another circuit—it was a spirit. A place where F1, NASCAR, IMSA, Can-Am, and IndyCar could all share the same tarmac. That kind of versatility is rare even today, circuit no longer exist
And while the engines are long silent, Riverside still lives in the memories of those who stood in the dust, cheered on the fences, or wrestled the wheel through Turn 6. It was loud. It was dangerous. And it was beautiful.
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I had the pleasure of attending several NASCAR events there, including the last race. As a teenager, it was a whole different kind of world, but, one heck of a lot of fun. Dan Gurney was THE MAN, also went to a Can Am race and a couple of Drag Races there. Actually, I ran my 56 Chevy there at the drags.
It’s a shame it’s gone, just saying.