Sonoma Raceway, formerly
Sears Point Raceway and
Infineon Raceway is a 2.52-mile (4.06 km) road course and drag strip located on the landform known as
Sears Point in the southern
Sonoma Mountains in
Sonoma, California, USA. The road course features 12 turns on a hilly course with 160 feet (49 m) of total elevation change. It is host to one of only two
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races each year that are run on road courses (the other being
Watkins Glen International in
Watkins Glen, New York). It is also host to the
Verizon IndyCar Series and several other auto races and
motorcycle races such as the
American Federation of Motorcyclists series. Sonoma Raceway continues to host amateur, or club racing events which may or may not be open to the general public. The largest such car club is the
Sports Car Club of America.
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 corporate sponsor,
Infineon. However, as with many renamings of sports complexes, many people still call it by its original name. (It was never affiliated with
Sears, Roebuck and Company, having been named for the nearby Sears Point Ranch founded in the 1850s by settler Franklin Sears.) On March 7, 2012, it was announced that Infineon would not renew their contract for naming rights when the deal expired in May, and the track management is looking for a new company to take over naming rights. Until it can find a new corporate sponsor, the course is simply identifying itself as "Sonoma".
Category:Sports
Subcategory:Motor Sports
Subcategory Detail:NASCAR
Keywords:D1606SR, Sonoma Raceway, Toyota SaveMart 350
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