Louie Vermeil Classic Calistoga Speedway

For nearly two decades, Tommy Hunt and his family have kept the Louie Vermeil Classic alive at Calistoga Speedway, hauling in equipment, rebuilding infrastructure, and staging one of California’s richest non-wing sprint car races. This year’s event drew more than 3,000 spectators and produced a new track record, but Hunt announced it would be the final Classic promoted by his family’s HMC Promotions. As Calistoga seeks a new speedway operator, racers, longtime locals, and members of the Vermeil family are left considering what it will take to preserve a track whose history reaches back to 1937.