Sonoma Raceway — known for much of its history as Sears Point International Raceway and later as Infineon Raceway — occupies approximately 1,600 acres of land in Sonoma, California, served by State Route 37 and State Route 121. The complex features multiple road course layouts (the main layout running 2.520 miles with 12 turns, and a shorter 1.990-mile NASCAR configuration using a straight section called the Chute) alongside the drag strip. The drag strip measures 0.250 miles and is known to competitors and track officials alike for its uphill gradient, which affects vehicle tune and performance relative to flat-surface strips.
The facility is owned by Speedway Motorsports, LLC (SMI) and has permanent seating for approximately 44,000 spectators across its combined facilities.
Planning for the Sonoma facility began in late 1967 when Sears Point Properties, Inc. filed a permit for a road course, with the drag strip included in the initial design documents alongside two road course layouts. Groundbreaking took place on August 14, 1968. The drag strip opened to the public on March 8, 1969, hosting an NHRA event, making it the first part of the complex to welcome spectators. Don Garlits won the inaugural Top Fuel feature at the strip on March 9, 1969. The road course opened later the same month.
The NHRA had been involved in plans for the facility even before opening, with promoter Ken Clapp securing rights to hold NHRA-sanctioned events as part of the track's original commercial agreements.
The NHRA sanctioned its first national event at Sonoma Raceway in 1988, and the NHRA Sonoma Nationals has run annually at the facility since then, with the exception of 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Prior to the national event designation in 1988, the NHRA had sanctioned local races at the strip since its first year of operation in 1969, with the 1969 San Francisco National Open being the complex's inaugural event of any kind.
The strip was fully repaved in March 2015 as part of ongoing facility investment by Speedway Motorsports. The drag strip area was also physically separated from the road course as part of a broader renovation project completed around 2002, which included the installation of a concrete pad for the strip.
The facility recorded a drag racing fatality in January 1994 when competitor Ronald E. Dees was killed after crashing during a solo run, sustaining severe head injuries. In March 2018, drag racer James Rambo died in a crash at the strip after hitting a protective wall at over 100 mph during a Wednesday Night Drags event, a recurring amateur racing program at the venue.
The uphill gradient of the Sonoma drag strip is one of its defining characteristics and the feature most discussed by competitors. Unlike the altitude-related density adjustments made at high-elevation tracks, the physical slope of the Sonoma surface changes the mechanical loading on race cars during the run and requires specific tuning accommodations. This makes the strip a genuine outlier on the NHRA circuit and gives the Sonoma Nationals a distinct flavor among West Coast national events.
The drag strip sits within a larger motorsport complex that has hosted NASCAR Cup Series racing since 1989, IndyCar racing from 2005 to 2018, and a wide variety of sports car, touring car, and amateur series. The multi-discipline character of the facility means the drag strip calendar operates alongside road course events throughout the season.
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