INFINEON RACEWAY
Among one of the leading road racing venues in the
country, Infineon Raceway is one of the few on the NASCAR Winston Cup Series
circuit. Opened in 1968, the Infineon Raceway is a gateway to the picturesque
beauty of Sonoma Valley, one of the top wine-producing regions in the world.
Apart from the Watkins Glen International, Infineon Raceway is the only road
course on the NASCAR Winston Cup Series circuit left. HISTORY OF INFINEON RACEWAY
Since its inception
from 1968, Infineon Raceway has presented the best in motorsports action.
Infineon Raceway has been the host to many of racing’s greatest events and
stars, from the hair-raising action of NASCAR Winston Cup and NHRA Drag Racing
to the grassroots SCCA road races and AFM motorcycle events. Racing legends like Mario Andretti, Al
Unser, Dan Gurney, Kenny Roberts, Dale Earnhardt, Shirley Muldowney and Don
"The Snake" Prudhomme, as well as modern day stars including Jeff
Gordon, Rusty Wallace, Ron Hornaday Jr., Miguel DuHamel and John Force, have
all performed at this unique and historic track. Today, Infineon
Raceway has become the world's busiest racing track with scheduled activities
on an average of 340 days a year and is one of the high-performance automotive
industrial parks in the country. Owned by Speedway Motorsports Incorporated,
Infineon Raceway has reached new heights in track development and transformed
into one of North America's most complete and versatile motorsports complex. Built in 1968, the
2.52-mile road racing course on 720 acres by Marin County owners Robert
Marshall Jr., an attorney from Point Reyes, and land developer Jim Coleman of
Kentfield. The dirt track of Infineon Raceway was broken in August and
resurfaced into the paved one in November. On December 1, 1968, an SCCA Enduro,
the inaugural event at Infineon Raceway held. But, the Raceway was sold to
Filmways Corp., a Los Angeles-based entertainment company for $ 4.5 million
next year. Since 1969 to early 1970, Infineon Raceway was host to many events,
including USAC IndyCar races, NASCAR stock car races, SCCA races and drag
races. In 1970, Dan Gurney emerged as the winner of a 150-mile USAC IndyCar
road race with a field that included Mario Andretti, Mark Donahue and Al Unser.
The Rcaeway transformed into a tax shelter for Filmways after the loss of $
300,000. Hugh Harn of
Belvedere and Parker Archer of Napa managed to lease the track from Filmways
vice president Lee Moselle for cost of $ 1 million in 1973. In the same year,
Bob Bondurant, owner and operator of the Bob Bondurant School of High
Performance Driving, decided to move his school from Ontario Speedway in
Southern California to Infineon Raceway. Subsequently, the Pacific Region of
the Sports Club Car of America declared to hold a driver's school and series of
non-spectator races at the track. Eventually, in 1974, Bob Bondurant and
partner Bill Benck took over the leased raceway from Archer and Harn. American
Motorcycle Association national motocross races in the hills north of Turn 7. After 11 years, the
track was resurfaced with donation from the "Pave the Point" fund
raising campaign, in 1985. Same year, the first shop spaces, buildings A, B, C
and D, in the main paddock area were constructed. Infineon Raceway got a
five-year contract with the National Hot Rod Association for the California
Nationals in 1987. In the summer of 1988, the first event was organized. More
than 700,000 square feet of the space was added in the additional buildings. Again in 1994, the
beautification project and construction of a 62-foot-high, four-sided
electronic lap leader board in the center of the road course was launched with
the total cost of more than $1 million, including a medical facility and an
18-nozzle Unocal gasoline filling station. Next year, comprising posh tower VIP
suites and a two-story driver's lounge/emergency medical facility, a major $3
million renovation plan was approved. Trans-Am and SportsCar races returned to
Infineon Raceway with the addition of the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series to the
major-events schedule. In 1998,
reconstruction started at Infineon Raceway with the construction of "The
Chute," an 890-foot high-speed stretch that will be used for all
NASCAR-sanctioned events. On May 5, the stretch was opened by NASCAR star Jeff
Gordon, which joins the existing Turns 4 and 7. The shortened road course from
2.52 miles to 1.949 miles increased the Winston Cup race from 74 to 112 laps.
The Chute will be used for Winston Cup, Winston West, Southwest Series and
Craftsman Truck Series events. In June, NASCAR celebrated its 10-year
anniversary with Infineon Raceway, where Vallejo native Gordon won the Save
Mart/Kragen 350 Winston Cup race. The Sonoma County Board of Supervisors approved the $ 35 million Modernization Plan to make the Infineon Raceway into one of the leading motorsports venues of the country. The entire project will take two years to complete adding 64,000 Hillside Terrace seats, repaving of both the road course and drag strip and increased run-off around the entire track. Infineon Raceway was also host to its annual events along with the Dodge/Save Mart 350 NASCAR Winston Cup event and NHRA FRAM Autolite Nationals and the inaugural NHRA Summit Sport Compact Drag Racing Series event. The new drag strip surface was successfully proved at the NHRA event, with track records reset in three classes and Pro Stock Motorcycle rider, Angelle Savoie, posting the second quickest time in history. TRACK INFORMATION The Infineon Raceway
has a 2.52-mile road course, a 1.949-mile road course and a quarter-mile drag
strip. In 1988, the Raceway has been hosted its final Winston Cup Series event
and the 11-twisting turns, ranging high to low elevations at Infineon Raceway,
were added to the schedule the following year. The track was reconstructed, and Turns 4 through 7
(the carousel and hairpin turn 7) were eliminated
Including Turns 1-3,
6-8 and 11, some portions of the road course were resurfaced with paved road.
As the raceway is just 15 feet above sea level and is based at the bottom of a
mountain range that borders the Sonoma Valley, more than 3,000 feet of French
Edge Drains were also set up to keep water from draining under the track.
Moreover, additional curbing was added at Turns 2, 6, 8 and 10. The track of
the Infineon Raceway was paved with 5,400 tons of polymer-modified asphalt, designed
to withstand the heavy usage. Turns 4-5, 9-10, 12 and the Chute were resurfaced
prior to the 2003 season. More than $60 million has been spent over the last
three years for renovation including a new permanent grandstand at
start/finish, hillside terraces around the perimeter of the raceway,
underground pedestrian tunnels, a 16-turn go-kart facility, a new system of
shuttle roads and a new drag strip, complete with a 660-foot concrete launch
pad at the Raceway. Safety improvements including increased runoff at virtually
every turn, and pit stalls to accommodate a 43-car starting grid has been
added. TRACK
TIDBITS v Michael
Waltrip has set the record for most Winston Cup laps completed at Infineon
Raceway. Through 14 races, or 1,224 laps, Waltrip has completed 1,218. v During
the 2002 Dodge/Save Mart 350, Terry Labonte started 39th and finished third and
completed the greatest overall position improvement from start to finish. v Jeff
Gordon is the top NASCAR Winston Cup money winner at Infineon Raceway with
total earnings of $ 847,710 in 10 races. v Since
the AMA first visited Sonoma in 1977, Honda has won the most Superbike main
events at Infineon Raceway with nine. v Tom
Kristensen has set the record for the fastest lap ever recorded on the 12-turn,
2.52-mile Infineon Raceway road course with a 110.246-mph lap in his Audi R8. v With
a pass at 320.74 mph in his Top Fuel dragster (2002), Tony Schumacher set the
quarter-mile speed record at Infineon Raceway. v Most
career victories at Infineon Raceway have been recorded by John Force, with six
in the Funny Car class (1990-92, 1994, 2000-02). SEATING ARRANGEMENT
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as it halting the
usual passing and side-by-side competition by stockcars. Now, a straightaway
starts at the top of the highest point and runs downhill to what used to be
Turn 7. In the San Francisco Region of the Sports Car Club of America (SCCA)
event, the new track will be used for first time on Friday, August 22. The
track is closed since August 4. Including the repairing and even existing
pavement with new drainage and repaving portions of the road course of $ 1
million project, had not been resurfaced over the last two years. This marks
the first time the surface has been repaved since 1986.
 © 2003 K & J Productions |