Infineon Raceway

From Free net encyclopedia

Infineon Raceway, formerly Sears Point Raceway, is a road course and drag strip in the 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, as with 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

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