| | | | | | | | | | Infineon Raceway | Racin' in the Hills |
| | Sonoma, CA Infineon Raceway, located in Sonoma, California, is host to one of the only two NASCAR races each year that are run on road courses. The track has played host to some of the racing world’s top events including AMA and AFM motorcycle racing, exotic IMSA sports car events, vintage cars and of course, the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup.
The 1.99-mile road course is a complex series of twists and turns that go up and down the hills of Sonoma. With track activities schedule an average of 340 days a year, Infineon Raceway may be one of the busiest racing facilities in the world.
Constructed in 1968, the track held its first official event – an SCCA Enduro - on December 1 of the same year. The track was sold a year later to Filmways Corp., a Los Angeles-based entertainment company, and from 1969 to 1970, the raceway hosted all sorts of events including USAC IndyCar races, NASCAR stock car races, SCCA races and drag races. The track closed in May 1970 after losses of $300,000 were reported, becoming a tax shelter for Filmways. Hugh Harm and Parker Archer arranged to lease the track for $1 million in 1973, and Bob Bondurant, owner of the Bob Bondurant School of High Performance Driving, announced that he would move his school to Infineon. Also, the Pacific Region of the Sports Club Car of America decided it would hold a driver’s school, as well as a series of non-spectator races at the track.
A group called Black Mountain Inc., which included Bondurant, William J. Kolb and Howard Meister, bought the track from Filmways for a reported $1.5 million in 1975, adding an additional partner – the Long Beach Grand Prix Association - five years later, in hopes of improving public relations and marketing.
Harvey “Skip” Berg, took control of the track in 1986 and became a major stockholder in Brenda Raceway Corp.
A new high-speed straightaway called “The Chute” opened on May 5, 1998. The Chute connects existing turns 4 and 7.
The road course’s redesign shortened the circuit from 2.52 miles to 1.949, increasing the event’s distance from 300 to 350 kilometers. The redesigned course is used solely for NASCAR events.
In 2001, $60 million in improvements got under way, including the construction of hillside terrace seats above turns 2-4, 40 garages for competitors, expanded entrance and access roads to reduce traffic congestion and increased run-off on the road course at Turns 1, 2, 3, 3a, 4, 6 and 7. 2002 and 2003 saw even more improvements, including a new permanent grandstand at the start/finish line and underground pedestrian tunnels.
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