Buttonwillow Raceway 13CW

Buttonwillow Raceway's 13CW configuration establishes itself as California's premier technical circuit, combining the facility's East and West loops into a 4.310-kilometer clockwise layout featuring 21 turns that test every aspect of vehicle dynamics. Located in Kern County's agricultural heartland, 45 kilometers northwest of Bakersfield, this configuration earned its reputation through time attack series like Super Lap Battle that demand absolute precision across varied corner types. The track's 40-foot width accommodates multiple racing lines through corners ranging from tight hairpins to sweeping banked turns, while frequent elevation changes create blind entries and off-camber sections punishing mid-corner mistakes.

The 13CW layout's defining characteristic lies in its diversity—on-camber and off-camber corners, positive banking up to 10 percent and negative banking sections, hairpins, chicanes, and the infamous Bus Stop chicane connecting the East-West sections. Lost Hill (also called Phil Hill) crowns a 4.5-meter elevation rise where drivers commit blind over the crest before dropping into technical combinations below. The configuration's average speed of 82 mph reflects constant direction changes rather than sustained straights, rewarding chassis balance and driver feel over raw power. California's Central Valley climate creates extreme track temperature variations—summer sessions can see asphalt exceeding 60°C while winter track days operate in near-freezing conditions. This technical character attracts serious track day enthusiasts, club racers, and professional time attack competitors seeking the ultimate setup challenge across Buttonwillow's unforgiving 21-turn puzzle.