Bakersfield Speedway

History of Bakersfield Speedway

Bakersfield Speedway - Formerly known as Bakersfield Speedway Park. Bakersfield Speedway Park,  Oildale Speedway, Oil Bowl Speedway, Bakersfield Speedbowl, Bakersfield Thunderbowl, and Hawks Brothers Speedway. Bakersfield Speedway, established in 1946, is one of the oldest continuously operating dirt tracks in the United States. After winning the season opener for the renovated and relaunched Bakersfield Speedway at Kevin Harvick’s Kern Raceway in March, Bakersfield’s Robby Sawyer returned to victory lane on Friday night in the 30-lap Friesen Performance IMCA Modified feature.

Sawyer earned his second win of the season in the Shaw Race Cars Western Region with both victories. Once action resumed following a red flag incident, Sawyer passed Dalton Houghton on lap 12 and fended him off the rest of the way for the triumph. Jake Pike, the round two winner from Nevada, finished second, while Ricky Childress Jr. rounded out the top three.  Jason Bannister claimed his second win of the 2025 season in the Karl Chevrolet IMCA Northern SportMods, with both victories. The 2024 track champion started on the front row alongside his son and current points leader Tyler Bannister. Jason seized the lead early and never relinquished it, leaving Tyler to settle for second.

Dylan Wilson came home third. Nicholas Johnson celebrated the night before his birthday by scoring his sixth win of the season in the EQ Cylinder Heads Southern Region, and third at Bakersfield in 2025, in the 20-lap Sunoco IMCA Stock Car feature.It's youngster Gavyn Manning was runner-up in points after finishing second on opening night, taking ninth at Santa Maria, winning at Merced, and wrapping up the week 10th at Petaluma.

Third in points went to Keith Brown Jr., now based in Greenbrier, Ark. Brown’s week included a 10th at Bakersfield, third at Santa Maria, eighth at Merced, and 12th at Petaluma.Dylan Wilson earned the Karl Chevrolet IMCA Northern SportMod championship with a pair of feature wins.

He kicked things off with a win which placed seventh at Santa Maria, returned to victory lane at Merced, and came home second at Petaluma to seal the deal.Paso Robles driver Rich Denman took second in the final standings. His results included a sixth at Bakersfield, 10th at Santa Maria, 11th at Merced, and sixth at Petaluma. Third in points went to Buddy Kniss of Oakley, who overcame a rough start to record finishes of fourth, eighth, and 10th in the remaining three events.

The Friesen Performance IMCA Modifieds kicked off the Central California Clash with a wild 30-lap main event at the new Speedway at Kevin Harvick’s Kern County Raceway. Local standout Brad Pounds, a six-time The Speedway champion, emerged victorious in dramatic fashion to claim his first career series win and first Shaw Race Cars Western Region triumph of 2025. Pounds powered to the lead following a restart on the fourth circuit and appeared to be in control until traffic brought challengers into the mix. Former California State and it's track champion Robby Sawyer closed the gap and briefly took over the lead on lap 19, Local standout Brad Pounds, a six-time.

The Bakersfield Speedway champion, emerged victorious in dramatic fashion to claim his first career series win and first Shaw Race Cars Western Region triumph of 2025. while young gun Gavyn Manning also joined the fight to make it a thrilling three-car showdown. The track features a progressively banked track, similar to its neighbor in the south, starting at 12 degrees on the bottom and rising to 14 degrees at the top. Turns 1-2 have an uphill climb to the backstretch, ten feet higher than the pit straight, for spectator visibility.

Turns 3-4 feature a ten-foot descent. The track, completed in March 2013, had its first NASCAR–sanctioned race on October 26, 2013. The track held a Fan Appreciation Day on May 4, 2013 and announced the first race to be held at Kern County Raceway Park would be a 100-lap race on the main track. Bandoleros also competed that day on the 1⁄4 mile (0.40 km) track within the main course.

Mini dwarf cars also ran on May 18, competing on the 1⁄8 mile (0.20 km) track Pounds reclaimed the lead on lap 27 but nearly lost it again coming to the white flag after a close call with a lapped car. Sawyer dove low to avoid the half-spun Sawyer clipped a tractor tire, kept his foot on the gas, executed a quick U-turn, and remarkably continued without losing a podium spot. Manning surged into second on the final lap but couldn’t overtake Pounds, who held on for the win in front of his hometown fans. Manning settled for the runner-up position, while Sawyer salvaged third.

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