Stacey Kent saw Irwindale Speedway built literally from the ground up. She worked for the team that helped construct the short track circuit in the late 1990s.

Next weekend, Kent and the entire Southern California racing community will see the track take its final bow after 25 years as a staple of the San Gabriel Valley, and a draw for scores of visitors from around Southern California.

On Dec. 21 , Irwindale Speedway will host its “Farewell Extravaganza,” starting at 1 p.m., which will include a NASCAR short-track series, “night of destruction” events like figure-8s and trailer races, a drifting invitational and the ARCA Menards Series West.

It will be another blow for the region’s racing culture, which now adds Irwindale to a roster of now long-lost eulogized sites, such as Ontario Motor Speedway and Riverside International Raceway.