David Eshleman

David Ross Eshleman (born February 20, 1947 ) is a former American local politician and racing driver.

politics

Eshleman was elected to his hometown of Fontana , California , City Council in 1990. In 1994 he won the mayoral election, 34% of the votes were enough for him to prevail against three strong competitors. Eshleman succeeded William Kragness who was no longer running . At the end of 1998 Eshleman was re-elected with a clear majority. In early 2000, the Democrat ran for the California Senate seat of Joe Baca, who had been elected to the US House of Representatives the previous November . However, Eshleman only got 12% of the vote, and his party colleague Nell Soto moved into the Senate . He also lost the mayoral election at the end of 2002, succeeding Mark Nuaimi, who was defeated by Eshleman eight years earlier.

During David Eshleman's reign, the Auto Club Speedway was opened in 1997 on the site of the former Kaiser steelworks near Fontana. Eshleman's contacts with important figures in the motorsport scene such as Roger Penske were helpful in the implementation of the project.

Racing

David Eshleman's enthusiasm for motorsport - especially stock cars - began in 1968 when he was involved in a racing car project at Chaffey Community College in Rancho Cucamonga . In 1971 Eshleman drove his first race at Ontario Motor Speedway . In the following decade, he won various regional championships for the Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) in both touring cars and formula racing . After the Ontario Speedway and the Riverside circuit were closed in the 1980s , Eshleman temporarily ended his racing career and turned to politics.

David Eshleman found his way back to racing after the lost mayoral election in 2002. Until 2009 he competed in various regional races and led his own small team with his sons. In 2004 Eshleman took part in a NASCAR - Nationwide race . At the Nashville Superspeedway , he finished 40th out of 43 participants.

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Inland Empire State Senate Race Tight . Los Angeles Times . January 12, 2000. Retrieved April 6, 2014.
2. ↑ Short biography
3. ^ Results from David Eshleman from 2003

predecessor	Office	successor
William Kragness	Mayor of Fontana 1994–2002	Mark Nuaimi