Willow Springs Raceway Is Evicting Tenants Ahead of New Ownership

Regulars at Willow Springs International Raceway are reporting the first signs of change ahead of its acquisition by a private equity firm. While the most disruptive changes for customers so far appear to amount to little more than schedule adjustments, the news is a bit more grim for the businesses and residents at the track itself. Earlier this month, tenants were served eviction notices informing them that they would need to vacate within 30 days or be forced to surrender any remaining property to the new owners, CrossHarbor Capital Partners.

One frequent visitor described the mood at Willow as “bleak,” but he was quick to note that it only represented a slight downgrade from the norm. Despite its proximity to Los Angeles and its high profile in the enthusiast community, the facility hasn’t been a hotbed of new activity. The Huth family, which operated the facility for more than six decades, was not exactly known for extravagant investment; in fact, most would describe their ownership style as parsimonious, to put it delicately.

Willow Springs is home to several entities that are dependent upon the track, but not financially intertwined with its operations. They include several high-performance driving schools and various support businesses, including a tire shop (though the same visitor from above noted to us that he’s never once seen the shop open).

Willow Springs officially has a buyer. Businesses at Willow Sorings are being asked to leave. Rumor is that it’s going private.
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Photos of the eviction notices have been circulating on social media since last week. They list the agent acting on behalf of the Willow Springs landlord as Rick Romo, who is part of the existing operations team; he’s listed on the track’s website as the operator of the aforementioned (and perhaps existing in name only) tire shop. We reached out to Romo for comment, but as of the time of publication, we had not received a response. A representative for CrossHarbor Capital Partners told The Drive that the notices are real, but they were served by the existing ownership, not by CrossHarbor. Take it from somebody who recently went through something similar; it’s a distinction without a difference, but it’s a distinction nonetheless.

We also inquired about the schedule adjustments being reported by organizations that run at Willow, and CrossHarbor confirmed that some shuffling is ongoing.

“A few bookings for 2025 have been shifted either to accommodate potential work on-site or as a course of normal calendar adjustments that happen during the year to accommodate specific date requests,” the spokesperson told The Drive. “CrossHarbor is honoring all current bookings subject to normal course of business adjustments.”

Willow Springs Raceway was listed for sale in June of last year. The asking price was never revealed, though the listing included everything within the venue’s 600 acres, including its seven individual tracks, cinder block office and garage buildings, maintenance equipment, and snack bar.

We’ll be keeping a close eye on the transition over the coming weeks. If you’re a local and you spot something noteworthy, please let us know!

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