Buttonwillow Raceway Park
Buttonwillow, CA
Length
3.1 miles
Turns
13
Direction
Clockwise or Counter-Clockwise (both available)
Elevation Change
80 ft
Elevation (ASL)
269 ft
Surface
Asphalt
Grip
Good grip when clean; slippery when dusty/windy
Brake Severity
Moderate-High - heavy braking at T1, T5, T8, T12
Sound Limit
103 dB — Varies by organizer; typically 92-103 dB measured at track edge
FIA Certification
SCCA regional facility
Nearest Airport
LAX (126 mi), BFL Bakersfield (35 mi)
Nearest Trauma Center
Kern Medical Center, Bakersfield (~30 mi)
Track Character
Flat, dusty, and bumpy. Multiple configurations — the most common (Config 13CW) is fast and demanding. No elevation change means no free energy from gravity. The surface is abrasive and can chunk soft tires. Setup for ride compliance over bumps and tire conservation. Dust off-line is significant — stay on the racing line.
“Bumps and potholes in the road shift the weight bearing down on your tires. Your suspension does its best to iron this out, but bumps nevertheless reduce road holding and make the curves less predictable. As long as you are delicate with the wheel as you go through them, then there is no drama.”
How to Drive — Ben Collins
Buttonwillow's significant bumpiness demands smooth inputs. Collins' principle of being "delicate with the wheel" over bumps applies throughout the circuit. Avoid aggressive steering corrections over the rough patches — let the suspension work, and accept a slightly wider arc rather than fighting the car over every undulation.
“Race track features like bumps, curbs, hills, and banking can affect the race car's behavior. The results may be good or bad, but they will show up in data. In bumpy corners lateral G's vary more than usual as the chassis struggles for grip. Steering corrections, if present, are out of phase with the G graph.”
Data Power — Buddy Fey
On Buttonwillow's bumpy surface, Fey's data analysis principle reveals why the car feels unpredictable: the bumps create lateral G spikes that the driver cannot control through steering. The solution is softer compression damping that keeps the tires on the surface, combined with a driving style that accepts slight understeer through the rough sections rather than chasing the grip with rapid corrections.
“The three secrets of high performance driving are: Smoothness, Smoothness and, Smoothness. Upon closer examination of this driver, you would discover that he or she makes no unnecessary movements of the steering wheel which would unbalance the car by shifting weight back and forth on the vehicle's suspension.”
High Performance Drivers Manual — Scott Blazey
Buttonwillow's bumpy, dusty surface punishes aggressive inputs more than almost any other track. Blazey's emphasis on eliminating unnecessary steering movements is the key to survival here: every correction over the bumps adds another weight transfer event that compounds the instability. Drive with the minimum steering angle that keeps you on line, and let the car move beneath you through the rough sections. Smooth drivers are consistently faster at Buttonwillow than aggressive ones.