Somewhere in the dark, hard to see, area of your dad's closet is a wire coat hanger filled with the world's ugliest ties. The type of neckline fashion accessories that should not be worn even on Halloween night.

Then there's the Inertia Nut Cracker, that dad keeps stored in a box, which broke its rubber band the first time he tried to crack a walnut with it.

Let's not even talk about the solar powered jogging shorts.

What exactly are these items? They are the ebb and flow of past Father's Day gifts. They are the element of truth that rings through that old saying: it's the thought that counts.

So, here we are with another Father's Day fast approaching and it's time to go shopping. If by chance the main man at your house is a racing fan, then here's a few special ideas from the Auto Club Speedway in Fontana-California.

Here's something the racing dad at your house will really love: race tickets, especially if those tickets are for the September 15th IZOD Indy Car World Championship Final. For the first time in seven years, the series will be returning to the Auto Club Speedway and the speed spectacle of some of the finest drivers in the world, piloting the most exotic race cars in the world, on this speedway's massive, D shaped, oval is something every race fan needs to see.

The world speed record, 241.428 MPH on a closed race course, was set by Gil de Ferran driving an Indy Car at the Auto Club Speedway. That record, set in October of 2000, still stands today.

The Auto Club Speedway's ticket office has designed a special Father's Day package for the IZOD Indy Car Championship. The budget priced package will get you two general admission tickets to the race, two pit and paddock passes and a scanner rental with two sets of headphones. If you purchased those options separately, the total cost would be $155.

However, there's a very important limitation here. This Father's Day package concludes at the close of business on June 17th. However, there's still plenty of time and all you have to do is dial up www.autoclubspeedway.com or call 1 800 944 RACE (7223) to sign up for this very good deal.

Here's yet another Father's Day consideration for the racing fan at your house. Send Dad to racing school. The Auto Club Speedway offers it fans the ride of a life time in a variety of racing formats. If Dad is a stock car fan, there's the famed Richard Petty Driving Experience, the Rusty Wallace Racing Experience and the NASCAR Racing Experience. For the open wheel fans there's the Mario Andretti Racing Experience and the Allen Berg Racing School. For those who like to seek their thrills on two wheels, there's the Fastrack Rider Motorcycle School. A gift certificate from any of these organizations will thrill a racing Dad.

All of these Father's Day ideas are courteousy of the Auto Club Speedway: the organization that is willing to think and work outside of the box to insure their fans have a good time when they come to visit.