Infineon Raceway

Motorsport venue
Name = Infineon Raceway| Nicknames = Sears Point Raceway
Sonoma
Time = GMT-8
Location = 29355 Arnold Drive, nowrap|Sonoma, California, 95476


Image_caption =
Capacity = 102,000
Owner = Speedway Motorsports, Inc.
Operator = Speedway Motorsports, Inc.
Broke_ground = 1967
Opened = 1968
Closed =
Construction_cost= $70 million USD
Architect =
Former_names = Sears Point Raceway
Events = AMA Superbike
Supercuts Superbike Challenge

IRL IndyCar Series
Motorola Indy 300

IRL Firestone Indy Lights

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
Toyota/Save Mart 350

NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series
FRAM Autolite Nationals| Miles_first = 1.99 Layout1 = Full Course
Surface = Asphalt
Length_km = 4.05
Length_mi = 2.52
Turns = 12
Banking =
Record_time = 1:21.688
Record_driver = Marco Werner
Record_team = Audi Sport North America
Record_year = 2004
Record_class = LMP1
Layout2 = NASCAR Course
Surface2 = Asphalt
Length_km2 = 3.2
Length_mi2 = 1.99
Turns2 = 10
Banking2 =
Record_time2 = 1:15.950
Record_driver2 = Jeff Gordon
Record_team2 = Hendrick Motorsports
Record_year2 = 2005
Record_class2 = NASCAR Sprint Cup
Layout3 = IndyCar/Motorcycle Course
Surface3 = Asphalt
Length_km3 = 3.57
Length_mi3 = 2.22
Turns3 = 11
Banking3 =
Record_time3 = 1:16.4913
Record_driver3 = Ryan Briscoe
Record_team3 = Chip Ganassi Racing
Record_year3 = 2005
Record_class3 =
Layout4 =
Surface4 =
Length_km4 =
Length_mi4 =
Turns4 =
Banking4 =
Record_time4 =
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Infineon Raceway, formerly Sears Point Raceway, is a convert|2.52|mi|km road course and drag strip located on the landform known as Sears Point in the southern Sonoma Mountains near Sonoma, California, USA. The course is a complex series of twists and turns that go up and down the hills. It is host to one of only five NASCAR races each year that are run on road courses (including two races at Watkins Glen International in Watkins Glen, New York and the Nationwide Series-only races at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez in Mexico City, Mexico and at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal, Quebec, Canada). It is also host to the Indy Racing League, Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series and several other auto races and motorcycle races such as the American Federation of Motorcyclists series. Infineon 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 geographical feature.)

The standard road course at Infineon Raceway is a convert|2.52|mi|km 12 turn course, however the track was modified in 1998, adding "the Chute", which bypassed turns 5 and 6, shortening the course to convert|1.95|mi|km. The Chute was only used for NASCAR events such as the Toyota/Save Mart 350, and was criticized by many drivers, who prefer the full layout. [http://chronicle.augusta.com/stories/062898/spo_LS0366-7.001.shtml] In 2001, it was replaced with the 70° turn, 4A bringing the track to its current dimensions of convert|1.99|mi|km. [http://www.racingwest.com/news/story.php3/2094/index.htm] 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 convert|2.22|mi|km, 12 turn course. This layout, opened in 2003, skips much of the Esses and run from Turn 10 to Turn 11 (the hairpin) for additional safety for motorcyclists, including runoff available in the motorcycle Turn 11 (the main Turn 11 has no runoff, and is a very slow turn, similar to the Loews hairpin at Monaco). The raceway also has a quarter mile (400 m) drag strip used for NHRA drag racing events. The drag strip was originally located on part of the front straightaway of the course. Track changes completed in 2002 separated the road course from the drag strip. [ [http://www.infineonraceway.com/raceway%5Finfo/about%5Finfineon%5Fraceway/history/ Infineon Raceway | Raceway Info | History ] ]

"See Also:" List of NASCAR race tracks

Records

*Most Wins (Sprint Cup Series): Jeff Gordon, 5 ('98,'99,'00,'04,'06)

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race winners

eating capacity

Infineon Raceway has a permanent seating capacity of 47,000 [http://phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?c=99758&p=irol-faqi#14336 SMI Frequently Asked Questions: Track Seating capacity] . This includes the grandstands and terraces around the track. During major races, hospitality tents and other stages are erected around the track, which brings the total capacity up to 102,000 seats. The facility underwent a major expansion in 2004 which resulted in 64,000 hillside seats, 10,000 permanent grandstand seats, a wastewater treatment facility, convert|100|acre|ha|-1 of restored wetlands, permanent garages, new retail space, a go-kart track and a new drag strip.

Major events

* AMA Superbike - Supercuts Superbike Challenge
* Formula D Professional Drifting
* Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series - Sonoma 400k (DP only)
* Indy Racing League IndyCar Series - Motorola Indy 300
* [http://www.winecountryclassic.com/ Wine Country Classic]
* NASCAR Sprint Cup Series - Toyota/Save Mart 350
* NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series - FRAM Autolite Nationals

ee also

*Napa Sonoma Marsh
*Tolay Creek
*Tolay Lake

References

External links

* [http://www.infineonraceway.com/ Infineon Raceway Official Site]
* [http://www.nascar.com/races/tracks/spr/index.html Infineon Raceway Page] on [http://www.nascar.com NASCAR.com]
* [http://www.trackpedia.com/wiki/Infineon_Raceway Trackpedia guide to driving this track]
*High Resolution image from [http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=38.160067,-122.459407&spn=0.019999,0.031586&t=k&hl=en Google Maps]
* [http://www.maximonline.com/articles/index.aspx?a_id=7455&src=maxim_ed NASCAR's Best Races]
* [http://www.etracksonline.co.uk/NAmerica/USA/CA/infineon.html Various track layouts and info]