The Chuckawalla Valley Raceway is a motorsports park located in Desert Center, California. It is a 3-1/2 hours road trip away from all the major population centers in the area. The town gained historical relevance in 1942 when General Patton used it as a desert combat training ground for the American tank battalions assigned for fighting in the Sahara during WW2. Temperatures as high as 120 °F and only occasional winter rains configure a barren climate where only the most resilient forms of life can thrive. But even in this harsh location, passion for racing has been going strong and well since its inception in 2010.
The road course is full of exciting corners with different banking angles. There are 17 turns in total on the 2.68-mile trajectory of the track. It can be run both clockwise and counterclockwise, and elevation changes are constant, as in the 24' vertical gain in the main 1330-feet straightaway. A famous feature in Chuckwalla Valley is The Bowl in turn 13, a 10-degree banked fishbowl-shaped corner that drivers can take at high speeds to feel the G-forces working. The racetrack designer Ed Bargy used the concept of a challenging, fast-to-drive, yet secure racetrack that makes the trip to Chuckwalla Valley more than worth it.
Racing the Chuckawalla Valley Raceway clockwise, get the vehicles into top speeds almost right before entering The Bowl in turn 13. In the 1330-feet straight run heading to sweepers 11 and 12, velocities higher than 130 mph are very common. Then drivers take the bowl at 90+ mph and gradually increase their speed until turn 14, after a 749-feet straightaway. The remaining turns in the track take the average velocity of the CW circuit down to 79 mph, with an average lap time of 2:01.716.