Return of Ascot Fueling Quite a Debate

What’s in a name? Quite a lot, apparently, if it’s Ascot.

Ascot died as a racetrack in 1990, but now the heirs are squabbling over rights to its name.

Harry Schooler, who gave the track its name when he leased the dump site property at 182nd Street and Vermont Avenue to promote motor races in 1958, claims proprietary rights. He and Gene Woods, a former speedway motorcycle champion, are opening a track in August on the San Bernardino County Fairgrounds that they plan to call “Ascot Races at Victorville.”

Chris Agajanian, whose family ran Ascot Park from 1976--after taking over the lease from Schooler--until it closed, also claims rights. He and his brothers are opening a track in November on the Los Angeles County Fairgrounds that will be called either “Ascot at Pomona” or “Fairplex Ascot.”

Schooler says, “After I entered into a 50-year land lease with Max Ziegler in early 1958, I formed New Ascot Stadium, Inc., with Tom Haines as co-owner. J.C. Agajanian came to me later that year to promote motorcycle and midget races, but he did it as a licensee, not as a part owner. The track--and the name Ascot--was mine.”

Says Agajanian: “When Dad [J.C.] bought out the lease [from Schooler], we took over the name as well as the property. Harry could have an Ascot Motel or an Ascot Restaurant, but he can’t use that name within the motor racing industry because it belongs to us.”

In reality, the Ascot name has been around as long as racing in Southern California--long before the Schoolers or the Agajanians.

In 1907 the first Ascot track was built near Florence and Central avenues, where the old Goodyear tire plant stood for years. Barney Oldfield won the first race there, Dec. 26, 1907, driving a 120-horsepower German-built Benz.

The most famous of the early Ascots was Legion Ascot Speedway near Soto Street and Valley Boulevard in East Los Angeles. It was called the “killer track” because of the many racing fatalities. It burned down in 1934. Southern Ascot, in South Gate, was built in 1938 but closed during World War II.

Then followed Ascot Park, which was razed after the 1990 Turkey Night Midget Grand Prix to make way for a furniture mart--which never materialized. The Ascot property remains vacant, but without a track.

Now it’s take your pick--Pomona or Victorville.

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The 1 1/2-mile Las Vegas Motor Speedway track opened this week for testing by Indy Racing League cars. The opening race, 500 kilometers for IRL cars, is scheduled Sept. 15.

Buddy Lazier, winner of the Indianapolis 500, was the fastest driver on the track Wednesday with a lap of 217.383 mph in the Hemelgarn Racing Reynard.

“It’s a very, very impressive facility,” said Lazier, who has spent most of his time since Indy recuperating from a back injury suffered in an accident at Phoenix in March. “Today was a very forgiving, cool day compared to what we might see in September. Conditions were favorable for fast speeds.”

Lazier has a busy schedule ahead of him. On July 4, he and Hemelgarn and the winning Indy car will take part in a Fourth of July parade in Hemelgarn’s hometown of Toledo, Ohio. Four days later, the two of them, plus team manager Lee Kunzman and engineer Ron Dawes, will travel to Europe to meet with officials of G Force and Dallara, the two IRL chassis builders for 1997, to select a car for the next year.

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While Las Vegas is already being used for testing, Roger Penske’s California Speedway is rapidly taking form in Fontana.

The configuration of a two-mile tri-oval track has been defined by barrier walls and work has begun on the 110-car garage that will house Winston Cup and Indy car teams next season.

“We have said all along that we will be ready to open next spring with a NASCAR Winston Cup race, and we’re close to being right on schedule,” said Les Richter, general manager of the $80-million speedway.

No date has been set for the stock car opener, but the 1997 Championship Auto Racing Teams schedule lists Sunday, Sept. 14, as the date for an Indy car race. That is the same weekend the rival Indy Racing League is programmed to run at Las Vegas, but IRL officials said the date may be moved to October because of hot weather in the desert.

The San Bernardino Associated Governments canvassed Metrolink riders about their using train service to California Speedway events.

“We do not expect to have results tabulated for a couple of weeks, but I can say that the response has been more than we ever imagined,” said Victoria Baker of the SBAG. “And from what I’ve seen, it has been a positive one.”

Motor Racing Notes

SPRINT CARS--Richard Griffin of Silver City, N.M., has won the last two Sprint Car Racing Assn. main events and will try to make it three in a row Saturday night when the SCRA troupe returns to Ventura Raceway. Griffin closed to within 72 points of SCRA leader Ron Shuman, 901-829. . . . Arizona winged sprint cars and IMCA modifieds will share the billing Saturday night at Perris Auto Speedway. . . . On July 4, the wingless SCRA cars will be at Perris and the IMCA sprints and U.S. Auto Club three-quarter midgets will be at Ventura.

The 11th annual Quaker State Classic, which has been held at Imperial Raceway in El Centro for 10 years, is moving to Bakersfield Speedway in Oildale. This year’s SCRA event will be Nov. 1-2.

STOCK CARS--Track record holder M.K. Kanke of Granada Hills will be among the favorites in the Wrangler Jeans Firecracker 100, a NASCAR Southwest Tour event, Saturday night at Mesa Marin Raceway in Bakersfield. Kanke set the one-lap qualifying record of 100.587 mph on the half-mile paved oval in a Pontiac last April 13, then won the 100-lap race. . . . Winston Racing Series sportsman and street stocks will race Saturday night at Cajon Speedway. . . . Kern County Raceway will feature late models, dwarf cars and daredevil drags on Saturday night.

MOTORCYCLES--Legends of speedway will return to Costa Mesa Speedway on Friday night at the Orange County Fairgrounds. . . . The Southern California Trials Assn. will host the 30th Big Bear Trials this weekend at Little Pine Flats campground, about 10 miles from Fawnskin.

POWERBOATS--The annual Fourth of July Regatta for closed course circle race boats will be held next Thursday in Long Beach Marine Stadium. Featured will be Formula One outboards capable of 140 mph and the 100-mph two-man crackerboxes.