Great race track. I trekked all the way down there from San Jose in my Miata. A lot farther than it seems! I was really concerned that it would not be worth it. However, I had a great time running with NCRC for this track day. Even though the area is basically flat they do have a small hill. The track is a lot of fun to drive. The "S's" are a unique feature that most tracks don't have (I haven't run Infineon yet). The commissary was pretty good. Unfortunately they didn't plan the corner workers lunches very well so lunch was delayed with huge lines as they had to finish all the CW meals first. The help was really friendly and genuinely interested in how I liked the place as well as making sure I was having a great time. It was fun to see some new cars/drivers as well since the track attracts people from Nor and So CAL. Worth the Drive! Hotels in the area suck. I reviewed the Red Roof Inn seperately. read more

Awesome track. Challenging, good mix of slow and high speed stuff, actual berms, good run off makes for a safe environment. Gas is only about 40-50 cents (per gallon) more expensive than regular gas stations, so need to worry about filling up elsewhere. There is also an on-site race shop that will do repairs (I had wheel stud repair done), and a tire shop for mounting/balancing tires. The cafeteria is also decent with the all beef hot dogs being a nice lunch without being too over priced. The biggest downer is the restrooms; awkwardly placed on either end of the paddock with nothing in the middle (there is one in the cafeteria, but is usually closed during the race day....) Overall an excellent track and worth the trip. read more

I'm much older now. But after a long 7 years hiatus from motorcycle track days, I finally signed up with LetsRideTrackDays to get back out to the tracks. Yes I had to get the rust out of my system. But after the first lap, it was like I was never away. It was nirvana to be back doing what I enjoy. And surprisingly I was still faster than many regulars. Thank goodness I'm a young 45 yrs old. The track layout is still the same but it's an improvement from when I was last there. Cotton corner has been repaved and is way smoother going through there. We camped on the east side of the club house. The heat and dust was to be expect being out in the middle of no where. The bathrooms in the east were acceptable. Clean. I plan on making more visits and doing more track days. Been too long. read more

Vara Vintage Car Cub I attended there safety /driving school on Jan 19 & 20 at Buttonwillow Raceway Park My first time to race and learn about safety driving with my car. I learned a lot and it was a speed rush when I got out on the track. The staff was l very knowledgeable and very friendly. I cant wait to go back next year. A big thank you to The Vara Auto Racing Club and the General Manager Jeanette Bourke read more

Fun track with multiple viewing points (e.g. bleachers, inside cafe, near restrooms, second floor). Phil hill has to be my favorite part of the track to run through. Restrooms are clean, staff is pleasant, and food from the cafe is on point. read more

This is a great track, especially this time of year when it's sunny but cool. This part of the state can get extremely hot in the spring and summer months. The track is built in a flat central valley, but they've managed to include some elevation changes. It's a fast track and because there isn't a lot to cause damage if you go off, it seems like there are a lot of offs throughout the day. There's a great little cafe at the track that serves awesome breakfast burritos, burgers and sandwiches, sodas and water, and some other treats. There are plenty of restroom facilities and I think there are also showers on the property. Just down the freeway about five minutes you'll find a small selection of budget motels, some restaurants and Starbucks. We always enjoy our track days here and look forward to going back soon! read more

I love this track!! I did my first motorcycle track day here and had a blast. I enjoyed how technical the track is. Staci of Let's Ride Track Days was great and she knew just who to recommend as a coach. A lot of people were complaining about the bumps, but I thought it was helpful as it forced me to focuse on where I was putting the bike. Now I find myself applying my Buttonwillow lessons to my riding on California's less than perfect roads! I didn't think the food was that bad either. The balconies on the clubhouse give you a place to see the entire track from when your friends are out. Vanhap got my pictures in such a way that I just had to buy them. Now I can't wait for winter to be over so I can go again. Oh yeah, the drive is not that bad. Especially compared to Chuckwalla. read more

I attended a Buttonwillow Track Day and was impressed with the facility and staff and the well organized process they have developed. The entry fee includes classroom instruction by professional racing drivers, plenty of track time and a good buffet lunch. A vendor also takes digital pics of each car at different locations on the track and offers them for sale, available via an internet link in a day or so, and a gift shop is attached, stocked with everything from T shirts to racing suits. After a brief safety check, cars are separated into several manageable "new to the track" and "previous Buttonwillow experience" groups to maximize the track time for each group, with each group limited to a reasonable number of drivers to minimize track congestion. Helmets are required and available for a reasonable rental. All drivers attend a half hour-ish safety and track configuration briefing, then the experienced drivers take the track for their first runs while the newbies get an instructional briefing on how to run the track and some basic performance driving skills. Questions are encouraged and the Q&A is very useful for improving driving knowledge and theory. After the safety briefing, the new drivers run the track with an instructor driving the car to point out the hints of running the track, and thereafter each group runs in rotation with the others - about 20 minutes of track time and about an hour or so in between runs. depending on the number of groups that are running. On later runs, instructors are available to ride with the student and provide real time feedback and driving hints. Conclusion: The event was very well organized with safety as the number one priority. The instructors clearly love their vocation/hobby and enthusiastically share their knowledge and skill. Highly recommended to learn how to get the best from your vehicle. read more

I love buttonwillow. Very technical slow speed track that really separates skill from horsepower.

i like it here, for a car its a good track. lots of change ups and the track can be configured many different ways. cheap track time, and not to far from me ( LAX ). it does get windy here and very hot in the summer, and very cold and windy in the winter. the only time i left early was a day the wind blew in from the toxic dump or some manure farm or something near by and it smelled so bad i was getting sick. Not many places to eat or stay at , you are kind of stuck in the small town of Buttonwillow, but its ok. If you are in the so cal area,, its a track you need to run. read more

ahhh buttonwillow. the out-in-the-middle-of-no-where track. with slight-to-no elevation change at all and high winds that sweep across the field.. yea.. what's not to love? hahaha.. in all seriousness.. buttonwillow is a pretty fun track. a large track at that. i personally like running this track clockwise.. it bugs me running it counter for some reason. i think it's because of that sharp L-shape right at sunset. this track is nice because you have a couple chicanes.. couple highspeed and one lowspeed (at the bus stop). couple minor elevation changes that make you feel like you're out at sea.. depending how how the track is setup.. you could either have a very highspeed back straight or a moderately highspeed backstraight if they open up lost hill. this is another fun track to be at.. just as long as the wind isn't blow like a hurricane. the main building is nice.. has a snack bar.. upstairs balcony with a great view of most of the track. well maintained and overall clean. the padlock is an open air padlock that basically looks like a giant parking lot. dusty most of the time which kinda sucks but it's understandable seeing how they are out in the middle of a freaking desert. they have on-site fueling stations and tire center which is convenient. can't really complain about the raceway other than maybe the location.. most of the time it's hot, windy and dry. but it's ok.. just as long as you keep moving on the racetrack.. you'll be fine with that cool breeze.. =P read more

Great, great track, on first drive it doesn't seem like much but there is a perfect line to it and once you find it, it really is fantastic. A really top notch track crew, they just needed lit flags or flag stations for all night driving. Amenities were above average and clean, garbage cans were not over flowing, good gas prices. I can't wait to get back here. read more

Came here today to go kart driving, the track was closed without any notice. We called here this week to make sure it's open, they told us it is. We came from far away to drive and no notice. Complete failure from the management. Be aware that they can close the track without any notice and not let you know until the morning you're supposed to go driving. Everybody in our group is so pissed out about how this has been handled. read more

This track is ingeniously designed with so many possible configurations. There are long versions perfect for enduros, versions with wide turns perfect for powerful cars, versions with tight turns for low horsepower cars, and short versions that let you run two events at a time. The pit wall is inside two turns, leaving minimal risk of hitting it. Almost everything else out there to crash into is dirt. Wow is it hot out here, so bring lots of water. read more

Really fun track with lots of space to run off. Very forgiving track with a very nice long sweeper leading into a few back to back turns.

If you found yourself in an 89 Isuzu i-mark in the 24 hours of lemons... you would enjoy yourself quite a bit. The track offered some good chances for this car to excel through momentum. Too bad the car accelerated like shit on the straights. Fun course. read more

About 3 hour drive north from LA, this track has a great road course. There is a main building with a grill and good food for a racetrack. There are garages and open pit areas. Restrooms are in a separate building. Gas for sale and a tire shop on premise. Good location to rent out for a private track day. read more

Neat track for time attack, looking forward to driving the course myself soon. The cafe is way overpriced for the teeny sad looking food they serve, you're better off driving back to town to get fast food. read more

My favorite place to waste a day. And if I had a few grand to blow... I'd be VARA racing on this track.

The golden goose. The giant diamond. The gold medal. The first place trophy. The highest award. This is the premiere track in Southern California. Nothing better, nothing compares. What a track. Tons of configurations and layouts for all sorts of different drivers and groups. Great facilities, although the restrooms could really use some freshening up. But they did freshen up the whole track. Repaved the whole thing! See, a track that cares, and that maintains their facilities. Decent food, cold water misting in the patio during hot days, air conditioned interior, reasonably priced gas on track, AND 100 octane that doesn't cost a kidney! Parts shop and tire shop on track as well. If only they ran more events here. A+ all the way. read more

Pro's: Great track layout Ample Paddock Area Observation Tower (for spectators) Gas on site Frequent events Con's: Local Hotels suck In the middle of nowhere Not really that close for us South of LA (can be a long drive w/ traffic) Not scenic by any stretch of the imagination Overall it's worth it, but just wish there was another alternative around the Orange County/LA/SanDiego area read more

I am writing this review as a first time spectator (never been here before either). The car racing event was through Speed Ventures and it was an overall enjoyable experience. Weather: Dry and very sunny (October). Bring a hat and/or sunscreen Location: Isolated and compact area, but not overly dense in population If you are into taking pictures, there is a great lookout view on second floor of the tower located next to the pit row. You can also go down to the raceway level and shoot pics from next to the pit wall. As for seating, most of it is near the base of the tower where the cafeteria is and is also under shading (the tower blocks your view of the raceway). Bring your own chairs if you have rented a garage or are on the far east/west ends. The bathroom facilities were okay, but they did have a lot of daddy-long-legs spiders in and around them like other reviewers have posted about. read more

My 1st full track experience is here. It's also one of my favorite courses. I love that sound limits arent a problem here!

fun track but the rules seem way to strict

motorcycle trackdays with lets ride trackdays are awesome at this track. track surface is bad comparing to the aaa fontana speedway. it is pretty cheap. the only disadvantage for me is it is faraway from LA. read more

one of the best tracks in so cal. nice facilities & technical track layout. they also just REPAVED last month!!! best part of the track is that there is plenty of runoff, so if you mess up there is less liability you'll damage your vehicle. don't miss out read more