Infineon Raceway
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Infineon Raceway, formerly Sears Point Raceway, is a road course and drag strip in the golden 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 is run on a non-oval track. It is also host to several other auto races and motorcycle races such as the American Federation of Motorcyclists series.
In 2002, Sears Point Raceway was renamed after a corporation, Infineon. However, like many renamings of sports complexes, many people still call it by its original name.
The standard road course at Infineon Raceway is a 2.52 mile (4.05 km), 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 (3.14 km). The Chute is only used for NASCAR events such as the Dodge/Save Mart 350; the American Le Mans Infineon Grand Prix of Sonoma uses the full course, while American Motorcyclist Association events began using a modified 2.22 mile (3.57 km), 12 turn course in 2003. The raceway also has a quarter mile (400 m) 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, 94.303 mph, June 26 2004.
- NASCAR Race: Ricky Rudd, 81.007 mph, June 23, 2002.
- Highest speed, Funny Car: John Force, 322.42 mph, 2004.
External link
- Infineon Raceway Official Site (http://www.infineonraceway.com/)
- Google Maps Aerial Image (http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=38.160067,-122.459407&spn=0.019999,0.031586&t=k&hl=en)
Current Races
- May 15, 2005 - AMA Superbike Supercuts Superbike Challenge
- June 26, 2005 - NASCAR Nextel Cup Dodge/Save Mart 350
- July 17, 2005 - American Le Mans Series Infineon Grand Prix of Sonoma
- July 29 - 31, 2005 - NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series FRAM Autolite Nationals
- August 28, 2005 - Indy Racing League