Infineon Raceway
Infineon Raceway, formerly Sears Point Raceway, is a road course and drag strip in the hills of northern
California, near
Sonoma, north of
San Francisco. The course is a complex series of twists and turns that go up and down the hills. It is host to one of the only two
NASCAR races each year that are run on road courses. It is also host to several other auto races and
motorcycle races such as the American Federation of Motorcyclists series.
With the closure of
Riverside International Raceway in
Riverside,
California after the 1988 season, NASCAR, wanting a west coast road course event to replace it, chose the Sears Point facility.
Encyclopedia
Infineon Raceway, formerly
Sears Point Raceway, is a road course and drag strip in the hills of northern
California, near
Sonoma, north of
San Francisco. The course is a complex series of twists and turns that go up and down the hills. It is host to one of the only two
NASCAR races each year that are run on road courses. It is also host to several other auto races and
motorcycle races such as the American Federation of Motorcyclists series.
With the closure of
Riverside International Raceway in
Riverside,
California after the 1988 season, NASCAR, wanting a west coast road course event to replace it, chose the Sears Point facility. Riverside International was razed for a shopping center development.
In 2002, Sears Point Raceway was renamed after a corporation,
Infineon. However, as with many renamings of sports complexes, many people still call it by its original name. Despite its name, it was in no ways affiliated with
Sears.
The standard road course at Infineon Raceway is a 2.52 mile , 12 turn course, however the track was modified in 1998, adding
the Chute, which bypasses turns 5 and 6, shortening course to 1.95 miles . The Chute is only used for NASCAR events such as the Dodge/Save Mart 350, and is criticised by many drivers, who prefer the full layout; most races, including the Grand American Road Racing Association's Grand Prix of Sonoma, use the full course, while American Motorcyclist Association and
Indy Racing League events use a modified 2.22 mile , 12 turn course. This layout, opened in 2003, skips much of the Esses and run from Turn 10 to Turn 11 for additional safety for motorcyclists, including runoff available in the motorcycle Turn 11 . The raceway also has a quarter mile
drag strip used for NHRA
drag racing events.
See Also: List of NASCAR race tracks
Records
- Fastest Lap: Marco Werner, 110.641 mph, Audi R8
...
, July 17 2004
- NASCAR Qualifying: Jeff Gordon, 94.325 mph , June 24 2005.
- NASCAR Race: Ricky Rudd, 81.007 mph, June 23, 2002.
- IRL Qualifying: Ryan Briscoe, 108.248 mph , August 27, 2005
- IRL Race: Tony Kanaan, 91.040 mph , August 28, 2005.
- Highest speed, Funny Car: John Force, 322.42 mph, 2004.
- Most Wins : Jeff Gordon, 5
Major Events
- Dodge/Save Mart 350
- Infineon Grand Prix of Sonoma
- FRAM Autolite Nationals
- Indy Racing League
- Jaguar Wine Country Classic
Current Races
- May 19, 2006 - AMA Superbike Supercuts Superbike Challenge
- June 23, 2006 - NASCAR Nextel Cup Dodge/Save Mart 350
- July 28 - 30, 2006 - NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series FRAM Autolite Nationals
- August 25, 2006 - Indy Racing League Grand Prix of Sonoma
External links
- on
- High Resolution image from
