 Logo (2023–present) | |
| Location | 13500 Raceway Boulevard,Bakersfield,California |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 35°17′34″N119°15′23″W / 35.29278°N 119.25639°W /35.29278; -119.25639 |
| Capacity | 15,000 |
| Owner | Tim Huddleston & Lisa Huddleston (2023–present) |
| Operator | Tim & Lisa Huddleston |
| Broke ground | February 2007; 18 years ago (2007-02)[1] |
| Opened | May 18, 2013; 12 years ago (2013-05-18) |
| Former names | Kern County Raceway Park (2013–2022) |
| Major events | Current: ARCA Menards Series West West Series races at Kern (2013–2020, 2022–present) NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series (2013–present) |
| Paved Oval (2013–present) | |
| Surface | Asphalt |
| Length | 0.500 mi (0.805 km) |
| Turns | 4 |
| Banking | Straightaways: 8° Corners: 12–14° |
| Clay Oval (2015–present) | |
| Surface | Dirt |
| Length | 0.332 mi (0.535 km) |
Kevin Harvick's Kern Raceway (formerlyKern County Raceway Park) is a 0.500 mi (0.805 km) ovalspeedway located onCA 43 (Enos Lane) just offInterstate 5 inBakersfield,Kern County,California,United States. Opened in 2013, it was built as a replacement forMesa Marin Raceway.
Kevin Harvick's Kern Raceway hosts events withNASCAR'sNASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series along with anARCA Menards Series West race since 2013.[2][3]
The track has banks of 8° in the straightaways, with 14° paved corners. The track has 15,000 seats for fans, and room to expand to 17,000 seats for various events. It also contains 21 suites in the grandstand along with 18 concession stands.[4]
The property also contains a 0.333 mi (0.536 km)asymmetrical clay oval track, just north of the paved oval with a seating capacity of 4,000 seats. Turns 1-2 are tighter than turns 3-4. The first event for this track was September 4, 2015.[5] The clay oval track hosts rounds of the NARC King of the West Sprints and the USAC West Coast Sprints and Midgets.
The Collins family joined the DeStefani family in planning the new half-mile D-oval that replacedMesa Marin Raceway.[2][3] The track, located at the crossroads ofInterstate 5 andState Route 43 (Enos Lane) along theKern River, broke ground in February 2007.[1]
The track features a progressively banked track, similar to its neighbor in the south,Irwindale Speedway, 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. A 0.125 mi (0.201 km)dragstrip and a 0.250 mi (0.402 km) infield oval are slated.[4]
The track, completed in March 2013, had its first NASCAR–sanctioned race on October 26, 2013, with theK&N Pro Series West.[3] 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-lapWhelen All-American Series race on the main track. Bandoleros also competed that day on the1⁄4 mile (0.40 km) track within the main course. Mini dwarf cars also ran on May 18, competing on the1⁄8 mile (0.20 km) track.[6]
In 2023, the track was given new ownership to Tim and Lisa Huddleston. With the new ownership, the track was renamed asKevin Harvick's Kern Raceway, in honor of2014 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion and Bakersfield native,Kevin Harvick.[7]
Kern Raceway includes ARCA Mendard’s Series West, Spears Cars Tour West Super Lates, Spears Cars Tour West Pro Late Models, Spears Cars Tour West and NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series Limited Late Models, Legends, Spec Racers(Pro Trucks, Spec Trucks, Spec Late Models), Crown Victoria’s, and the occasional Enduro, Skid Plate, Figure 8, and Drag-a-Boat racing.
The new and improved Bakersfield Speedway at Kevin Harvick’s Kern Raceway, the dirt track, hosts Sprint cars, Midgets, Lightning Sprints, Dwarf cars, Modifieds, Stock Cars, and Hobby Stock racing.
In addition to racing, Kern Raceway also hosted its First Annual Car Show on March 22, 2014. The track also hosted theSRL Southwest Tour for 2 races including the DC's RV Center 100 on April 5 and for the CITGO Lubricants Fall Shootout on November 1. TheNASCAR K&N Pro Series West also made two stops with the second one being nationally televised byFox Sports 1. In addition, it hosted the first pavement sprint car national championship as the King Of The Wing series was at the track on November 23.
| Pro Late Model | CITGO Late Model | Spec Mods | Super Stock | Mini Stocks | Legends | Bandoleros | Sr. Mini Dwarf | Jr. Mini Dwarf | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Tim Smith | David Mayhew | Chris Dalton | N/A | Billy Lay | Buddy Shepherd | Tyler Bannister | Jerry Flippo | Kyleigh Forster | |
| 2014 | X | Brian Richardson | X | Perrin Koostra | X | X | Tyler Bannister | X | X |
| Major Event Winners | K&N Pro West Winners | SRL Southwest Tour Winners |
|---|---|---|
| "DC'S RV Center 100" - September 7, 2013 | N/A |  Jim Pettit II |
| "NAPA Auto Parts 150" - October 26, 2013 |  | N/A |
| "DC'S RV Center 100" - April 5, 2014 | N/A |  Jeremy Doss |
| "Armed Forces 150" - May 24, 2014 |  | N/A |
| "Bakersfield 150" - August 30, 2014 |  | N/A |
| "CITGO Lubricants Fall Shootout" - November 1, 2014 | N/A | N/A |
