Fernley 95A Speedway: Northern Nevada's Short Track Revival
Fernley 95A Speedway is Northern Nevada's home for short track racing, and after years of split ownership it is finally back under one roof. The complex sits off Highway 95A about 30 minutes east of Reno and roughly an hour from Carson City, where a slightly banked 3/8-mile clay oval and a 2.4-mile, 15-turn asphalt road course rise out of the sagebrush at nearly 4,400 feet. On a Saturday night the air smells like clay dust and race fuel, and the grandstand fills with families cheering on modifieds and sprint cars.
A Lakebed Town's Racing Roots
The story begins in 1998, when a natural terrain bowl on a large parcel south of Fernley was reshaped into the dirt oval with help from California track builder Fred Nagle, the same designer behind venues in Chico and Susanville. The facility long operated as Reno-Fernley Raceway, and a road course opened in 2004 alongside a drag strip, skidpad, and motocross areas. Around 2012 the property took on the Fernley 95A Speedway name.
The Comeback Under One Owner
For a while the complex was split between two owners, one holding the clay oval and the off-road areas and the other running the road course. In January 2024 the property was reunited under owner Dan Shore, who rebuilt the 1960s-era grandstand with about 2,000 aluminum seats and reopened the oval for the 2024 season. That revival gave Northern Nevada's racing fans a genuine home track again after the long uncertainty.
What Races at the Track
On any given weekend the oval hosts IMCA Modifieds and Northern SportMods, Hobby Stocks, Super Stocks, Dwarf Cars, and winged sprint cars, with national touring series like the Sprint Car Challenge Tour and ASCS making stops through the season. Midget racers show up through the Bay Cities Racing Association, and the motocross and UTV areas keep the off-road crowd busy. Between the oval, the road course, and the drag strip, there is nearly always something with an engine turning laps.
Race Night Worth the Drive
For car people across Carson City and the Carson Valley, race night at Fernley 95A is an easy drive up Interstate 80 and a budget-friendly evening out. Tickets run just a few dollars, you can park near the fence, and the paddock is open enough that you can watch teams wrench between heats. It is grassroots racing at its most honest, and the high desert setting, with the Virginia Range to the south, makes it a genuinely scenic way to spend an evening.
Every Racer Needs a Home Shop
Racing and garages go together. Every weekend racer at Fernley 95A starts the week in a shop somewhere, hauling a project car home to work between heat races, so it is no surprise that garage space is one of the first questions car people ask when they consider a move to Northern Nevada. If you want a place to keep a project car between race weekends, Browse homes with 3+ car garages and see what the region offers. And if the idea of living close to this much short track action sounds right, Browse homes in Northern Nevada and start picturing a Saturday night at the track that is only a short drive from your own garage door.
