BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) — Kevin Harvick's Kern County Raceway will celebrate 160 years of Kern County history with a night of racing with multiple races and a demolition derby on Saturday night.
Since its purchase in 2024, co-owner Tim Huddleston says he and the group have been working to restore Kern County as a premier racing destination, while celebrating its storied history.
“We strive someday to have a top-three national series event here at Kevin Harvick's Kern Raceway. We're working hard every day. We're improving the place. Last year, we added 1000 more grandstands. Later on this year, we're going to try to add 1000 more over there. We are literally going to do everything we can," said Huddleston. "The old story: build it and they will come, that's what we're hoping.”
With Bakersfield native and NASCAR Cup Series Champion Kevin Harvick saying the layoff between the demolition of Mesa Marin and building of this raceway was where he saw racing popularity in Kern County wane, and they hope to change that one race at a time.
“I think a lot of people just weren't reintroduced to the facility when it was, when it was new, and the racing was actually happening out here. So, you know, it's important for us to be able to let people know that the track is here and how nice of a facility that it actually is, to be able to come out here and enjoy all the events that we put on throughout the year,” said Harvick.
Friday morning, 23ABC Senior Reporter Mike Hart caught up with County Supervisor David Couch, who said he’s excited to see the growth of the track because not only is it something for residents, but it’s also a financial generator for the county.
“What communities need to truly thrive is they need to draw people to their community, have them spend some money, hopefully a lot. It's sales tax. It generates, you know, transient occupancy tax or hotel tax, and that's what local governments need to provide services," said Couch.
Huddleston also noted that 23ABC viewers are eligible for a discount on their tickets for the Kern County 160 by using the promo code '23ABC' when purchasing their tickets.
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