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.

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: Allan McNish, 112.440 mph, Audi R8, 2000
• NASCAR Qualifying: Rusty Wallace, 99.309 mph, 2000.
• NASCAR Race: Ernie Irvan, 81.412 mph, June 7, 1992.
• Highest speed, Top Fuel: Doug Kalitta , 325.77 mph, 2003.

External link

• Infineon Raceway Official Site