|| *Comments on Sonoma Raceway:* View the most recent comment <#37> | Post a comment <#post> 1. TeamPlayersBlue posted: 02.27.2010 - 10:30 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) Currently, one of the NASCAR sprint cup's two road course racing. The old layout was awesome with the carousel but the new layout is okay. Hopefully NASCAR gets more road courses like Montreal, Road America and Laguna seca 2. Cooper posted: 03.14.2010 - 3:35 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Infineon Raceway, formerly Sears Point Raceway, is a 2.52 miles (4.06 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 national 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 Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal, Quebec, Canada and Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin). It is also host to the Indy Racing League 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. 3. Anonymous posted: 06.19.2010 - 9:06 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Good road course for NASCAR. The IndyCar races there are just ok. 4. martin-n-rusty posted: 05.24.2011 - 9:14 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Infineon. Bumper Cars on a Road Course! 5. Anonymous posted: 05.11.2012 - 8:12 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Good track. Some of drivers don't have the sense to shift to 4th gear on the front strait though. 6. RaceFanX posted: 09.23.2012 - 11:50 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Sonoma hosted the first-ever United States round of the FIA World Touring Car Championship (WTCC) in September 2012. The Chevrolet factory team won both races. 7. Walleyewhacker posted: 06.23.2014 - 6:10 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Both Ricky Rudd and Carl Edwards won their 23 Cup race at Sonoma. 8. RACE34 posted: 07.01.2015 - 4:46 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) Either this track should get a second date and be in the Chase or another road course needs to be added to the Cup schedule. 9. Tylor Thaber posted: 08.12.2015 - 9:27 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Recently found this track has a short course, accessible by going straight down the drag strip and making an early right hand bend just before the split, skipping turn 7. Not sure how much of the track it cuts off, though I tried my best to measure it on gmap pedometer, and found the full course with the cutoff is 2.2 miles, so it cuts off about 0.32. Doubt the short course is used for much though. 10. JRacingFast posted: 08.13.2015 - 8:45 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) @9 I think that track is used for go-karts 11. RaceFanX posted: 01.17.2016 - 11:50 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) The track was built in the fall of 1968 and opened in December of that year. The Bob Bondurant School of High Performance Driving moved here in 1973 and stayed until 1990 when it moved again to a purpose-built facility in Arizona. 12. Mile501 posted: 12.13.2016 - 11:21 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Something I'm curious about...since Infineon dropped its naming rights a few years ago, does anyone know why the track chose to rename itself Sonoma Raceway instead of going back to Sears Point Raceway? 13. Seibaru (Tylor Thaber) posted: 10.09.2017 - 11:50 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Is currently on fire. No really. 14. RaceFanX posted: 10.12.2017 - 3:23 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) The reports of the violent 2017 wildfire engulfing the track thankfully proved false, although vegetation on the hills behind it were burnt none of the track's structures or areas have been damaged. Sadly that provides little solace given how many lives, homes, and businesses in the Sonoma area have been destroyed by the flames. 15. Canadianfan posted: 09.29.2018 - 12:18 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Just announced they will be returning to using the full 2.5 mile circuit with the famous Carousel next year in NASCAR. 16. Timothy Eklund posted: 09.29.2018 - 3:29 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Woohoo! I have wanted to see the modern cars on that layout! 17. Thomas posted: 09.30.2018 - 7:36 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) The return to the original layout with the carousel for NASCAR in 2019 is a very small step in the right direction for the sport. The racing at Sears Point was better before they went to the short course. 18. RaceFanX posted: 12.23.2018 - 5:40 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) A 2005 episode of the popular television show "Mythbusters" was filmed here, unsurprisingly given the show was based in nearby San Francisco. Rather than use the track itself the hosts and driving school instructors used its parking lots to test the myth that driving while distracted on a cell phone is just as dangerous as driving drunk; with flip phones of the day they confirmed that was the case. 19. 66LongFan posted: 04.10.2019 - 4:20 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) According To Bob Pockrass, Nascar is returing tho the 2.52 carousel road course that they ran until 1997, race is 90 laps stages 20-20-50, i love this 20. Texas posted: 04.10.2019 - 5:59 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) This was announced several months ago, but for some reason, it flew right over a lot of people's heads. I think it's F'ing Baddass, I can't wait. 21. MSportRev posted: 04.10.2019 - 7:42 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) @19 and @20 It was announced at the Roval. I was actually covering the race for Motorsports Tribune. Sonoma is doing this as an 'anniversary celebration.' However, with the changing schedule, I would not be surprised to see the Carousel course to become a fixture on the Cup schedule once again. 22. Bayne&BowmanFan posted: 04.10.2019 - 9:31 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I hope so. Sonoma's current layout doesn't have a long, sweeping carousel. Also, it will make turn 7 a great passing zone, perhaps better than it was before. 23. Canadianfan posted: 04.11.2019 - 1:32 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) In addition because of the longer layout the race will be a little bit longer 21 miles in fact. 24. Sandy posted: 05.26.2019 - 10:35 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Celebrating their 50th anniversary this season 25. RaceFanX posted: 02.14.2020 - 2:00 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) The infamous Altamont Free Concert in December 1969 was almost held here at Sears Point. The concert, which was to be headlined by Jefferson Airplane and the Rolling Stones, was initially planned to be held in San Jose and then San Francisco's Golden Gate Park but fell through at both locations due to outside factors. Sears Point Raceway's management agreed to host the event but arguments over money paid up front and rights to film of the concert led to the location being switched to the Altamont Speedway, later known as Altamont Motorsports Park, just two days before the concert was to be held. Given what a disaster it turned out to be Sonoma really lucked out with that change. 26. JSPorts posted: 04.20.2020 - 1:00 pm Rate this comment: (1) (1) Top 10 drivers since 2017: 1st: Denny Hamlin 2nd: Brad Keselowski 3rd: Kevin Harvick 4th: Jimmie Johnson 5th: Kyle Busch 6th: Clint Bowyer 7th: Martin Truex, Jr. 8th: Kyle Larson 9th: Kurt Busch 10th: Chase Elliott 27. Sector posted: 04.20.2020 - 3:13 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) What are these Top 10 based off of? I find it hard to believe Martin Truex, Jr not being any better than anyone else at Sonoma since 2017. He dominated the last two years and led the most laps before engine blew in 2017. 28. Corey posted: 04.20.2020 - 3:27 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) Probably straight up points. The problem is that Truex pits just before the stage breaks to gain track position afterwards. Because of that he forgoes stage points to be in a better position for the race win. 29. Jimmie4life posted: 06.09.2020 - 4:03 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) I now just realized that Sonoma's road course took inspiration to Riverside Raceway's shape, With similar turns on the far end of the tracks, and a start/finish line that's on a straightaway with a turn in the middle. 30. NascarLeadLapPoints posted: 06.13.2020 - 1:00 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Question should we split Sonoma or keep it the same Races from 1969-1997, Indycar races, and 2019 races as Sonoma Races from 98-20 for Featherlite, Trucks (1998),and Cup/West named as Sonoma Raceway (Chute Course) 31. Corey posted: 06.13.2020 - 7:44 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) @30 Keep them the same. Even the longer circuit the Indycars used is different to the Cup cars. 32. Danish_Pie posted: 06.13.2020 - 8:03 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Keep it the same. No need to overcomplicate. 33. TheDewCrew posted: 06.22.2020 - 9:57 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) According to Sonoma track president, Steve Page, a piece of twine tied in what appeared to be a noose was found on the property Saturday. This was before yesterday's finding at Talladega 34. BOBO83329521 posted: 06.22.2020 - 10:14 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Why would you do that at Sonoma racist fan? NASCAR isn't even going to Sonoma this year! 35. NotSure posted: 06.23.2020 - 4:52 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) People who want to find "nooses" tend to find them. 36. RaceFanX posted: 01.12.2021 - 7:15 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Sonoma is in the heart of Wine Country so it is only fitting that the traditional trophy at this track for all the major races here is a giant wine glass. Unsurprisingly they usually get filled up with some of the area's famous wine for pictures and a ceremonial sip in victory lane. The NASCAR trophies here usally include a wine bottle placed above some miniature casks in addition to the glass. 37. RaceFanX posted: 01.12.2021 - 10:23 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) The World Touring Car Championship would end up running here for two years in 2012 and 2013 with this being the only track it ever visited in the United States. The post-race ceremonies were kind of neat since it was a nice mix of the traditional European and North American celebrations with both a victory lane and a podium. The winner got to pull their car into the same victory lane used by NASCAR and IndyCar where their car would be parked in front of the WTCC podium that was set up there for the series' usual celebration. The 2012 WTCC races here were won by Yvan Muller and Rob Huff driving for Chevrolet while Chevy's Tom Chilton and Honda's Gabriele Tarquini won the 2013 races. The 2012 races saw Robb Holland make his lone WTCC appearance, becoming the first American driver to race in the series. The WTCC was scheduled to return to Sonoma in 2014 for more races but the round was canceled for logistical reasons and replaced by a third Chinese race at Beijing's Goldenport Park Circuit, a race that only lasted one year. With Mexico already off the WTCC schedule at this point and the series never visiting Canada these were the series' last races in North America. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *Post a comment:* Your comment may not appear immediately - all comments must be approved by the moderator. Name: Comment: