After more years than we can count at the very center of R/C, SoCal Raceway will close its doors forever at the end of May.   We spoke with Mike, the manager on Friday night and he confirmed there are no plans to open the track at another location.

We understand that the hobby store and track has rented the building for many years and the building was recently sold to a new owner.   The rent has been raised to more than double what SoCal used to pay, and the husband-and-wife team that owns the business has decided simply to close.

Many of the brightest stars in R/C racing learned and grew up at SoCal, from Brian Kinwald, Mark Pavidis and Greg Hodapp to Ryan Cavalieri, Josh Numan and Mike Truhe. For many years club races there featured 5 or 6 Mod Nats A main-ers every week.  The place was open every day and lots of dedicated racers were there most days.

The final club race was Friday May 25.  In recent months attendance at SoCal has been reduced, but an huge crowd turned out for the last real event, requiring 18 heats.   Racing began at 7 PM and the final truck main was run at about 3 AM.

In its heyday SoCal was a great place to race.  Excellent challenging lay-outs, a good drivers' stand, wonderful well-lit pit tables with plenty of power, and a well-stocked hobby store.   We hope these photos bring back memories.