Looking Forward to Visiting Santa’s Speedway

Irwindale Speedway hosts one of the best lightshows in SoCal, and there’s still a chance for you and your family to enjoy it!

There’s lots you’re not going to do this Christmas:  No Messiah sing-a-long. No Santa at the mall taking the tots onto his lap for a picture. But if you are willing to stay in your car and marvel out the window, there’s an event that’s all-new, and it looks to be spectacular. It’s the Santa’s Speedway Light Show at Irwindale Speedway.

Truth be told, I reached out to the Speedway to ask about getting a ticket to the show because I drove past there the night before American Thanksgiving, and thought WOWZA! What is this? I couldn’t believe the enormity of the display at what would normally be a quiet and dark racetrack at this time of the year. What in the WORLD? I asked myself, and I knew I had to see it up close.

I’ll be going this weekend and reporting back on how much fun I have, but you might think of this as a way to extend the holiday well past the time Santa has come down your chimney, because if you can’t get there before December 25^th, that’s cool—the show goes on until January 10^th. Think about that as one of the great gift-certificate giving opportunities of this Covid Christmas.

This is especially perfect for those of you like me who love all things Christmas and never want it to end. Christmas never, ever stops for me on the 25^th of December. Rather, it goes on until it feels like it should end. That’s usually sometime around the middle of January, when I play through the music playlists just one more (read: five more) times and am ready to let it go.

If that’s your way, too, here’s an idea: instead of trying to pack the Irwindale spectacular in before Christmas (I know, we’re on lockdown, but there still seem to be Christmasy things to do, and there’s never enough time before the 25^th), give the family something to look forward to in the days to follow.

It’s $59 for a carload, and you should expect to be there about an hour, stuffing your eyes with spectacularity (a made-up word, but a good one) as you circle the track in your own car.

You race fans (many in the audience of LACar.com) can also think of it as a way to support local short-track competition. Like other live sporting venues, the Speedway was devoid of fans this whole last season, and even though it is now owned and well-supported by the folks who bring you Lucas Oil products, it doesn’t run itself on air. Your money, well spent I’m going to venture, can also be counted as a way to keep the racing running once life as we used to know it prevails again.

Visit https://www.santasspeedway.com/ for information and to purchase tickets.