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Track guaranteed to run only through July before it could be demolished

Irwindale Speedway Auto Racing

FILE - In this Oct. 2, 2013 file photo, a car speeds around Irwindale Speedway in Irwindale, Calif. The sights and sounds of high-performance cars racing around an oval track could soon be replaced by those of minivans searching for parking spaces after the City Council approved plans to demolish the popular Irwindale Speedway and replace it with an outlet mall, Wednesday, March, 25, 2015. (AP Photo/San Gabriel Valley Tribune, Walt Mancini, File) MAGS OUT; NO SALES; MANDATORY CREDIT

AP

Irwindale Event Center, which appeared would be closed after last season, has assurances it can run through at least July, according to a report in the Pasadena Star-News.

The track held its first event of the season last weekend.

The track’s future has been in doubt since a real estate and investment firm purchased the 63-acre site in Oct. 2013. Pasadena, California, officials approved development plans for a 700,000-square foot outlet mall last year. Construction was expected to have begun this month, but that date has been pushed back for at least six months, the newspaper reported.

The Star-News also reported that the track’s contract to operate would continue to renew until the developer secured 65 percent of its tenants.

The track’s schedule includes a NASCAR K&N Pro Series West on March 19. Defending series champion Chris Eggleston won last year’s event. The track also will host NASCAR Whelen All-American Series races.

“We’re very excited about being back for 2016,” Irwindale Event Center President/CEO Jim Cohan said in a statement on the track’s website. “Our fans have been great and very patient, and we hope that they’ll have a wonderful time with all of the exciting motor-entertainment that we’ve got lined up for them this season. And the same goes for all of the competitors and crews that put on the show. They’ve been very understanding and loyal, and we couldn’t have asked for more.”

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