Sonoma Raceway – NASCAR Road Course & Wine Country Guide
Originally published March 2016. Last updated September 2026: expanded Tier B circuit guide, facts table, table of contents, labelled layout map, internal links, FAQ schema, and editorial refresh while preserving legacy images and story.
Sonoma Raceway is a permanent road course and drag strip in the Sonoma Mountains of California wine country, and one of NASCAR Cup Series’ longest-running road-course stops. Opened in 1968 as Sears Point Raceway, it hosted IndyCar from 2005 to 2018, NHRA drag racing since 1988, and stock cars since 1989 under names including Infineon Raceway before returning to the Sonoma Raceway identity.
The track matters because elevation change, tight hairpins, and a short NASCAR layout with “The Chute” reward car control over raw horsepower. Jeff Gordon’s five Cup wins, Dan Gurney’s 1970 USAC victory, and Scott Dixon’s championship-clinching 2015 IndyCar weekend all anchor the venue in American road-racing folklore.
Sonoma sits in the same West Coast cluster as Watkins Glen International on the other coast and oval neighbours such as Daytona International Speedway — but only Sears Point combines wine-country scenery with a Cup weekend that still feels like a specialist’s exam.
Contents
Sonoma Raceway facts
| Location | Sonoma, California, United States (Sonoma County, north of San Francisco Bay) |
|---|---|
| Circuit type | Permanent road course with NHRA drag strip |
| Opened | December 1968 (first SCCA Enduro) |
| Full road course | 2.52 miles (4.06 km), 12 turns |
| NASCAR layout | 1.99 miles (3.20 km) with Turn 4A “Chute” bypass |
| Elevation change | About 160 ft (49 m) |
| Owner | Speedway Motorsports (since 1996) |
| Former names | Sears Point Raceway; Infineon Raceway (2002–2011) |
| Main events | NASCAR Cup Series road race; NHRA Sonoma Nationals; club and vintage meetings |
| Notable corners | Turn 2 carousel; Turn 7 hairpin; Turn 11 hairpin; The Chute (NASCAR) |
Lap record note: NASCAR, IndyCar, and club sessions use different layouts and tyres. Compare lap times only within the same configuration and series.
Sonoma Raceway — full road course layout — Map: Stl66dmk / CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Sears Point opens in 1968
Attorney Robert Marshall Jr. and developer Jim Coleman broke ground in August 1968 on the southern Sonoma Mountains. Paving finished that November, and the first official race — an SCCA Enduro on 1 December 1968 — christened Sears Point Raceway.
Sears Point Raceway was opened in 1968
Formula 5000 and Trans-Am races followed. The landmark early open-wheel event was a 150-mile USAC Indy car race on 4 July 1970, won by Dan Gurney ahead of Mario Andretti, Mark Donohue, and Al Unser.
Dan Gurney was the winner of 1970 USAC Indy Car race at Sears Point Raceway
Ownership changes and Pave the Point
Filmways Corp. bought the track in 1969, then closed it as a tax shelter before Black Mountain Inc. and later Harvey “Skip” Berg stabilised operations. Berg repaved the surface in the 1980s with help from the Pave the Point fundraising campaign and added the first permanent paddock workshops.
A map of the original Sears Point racing circuit
NHRA drag racing arrived in 1988. NASCAR Cup stock cars followed in 1989. Bruton Smith’s Speedway Motorsports purchased the property in 1996 and funded hillside seating, repaving, and the 1998 addition of The Chute — a high-speed bypass that shortened the NASCAR layout.
Layouts, The Chute, and the drag strip
Most sports-car and motorcycle events use the full 2.52-mile, 12-turn course with significant elevation change. NASCAR employs the 1.99-mile configuration with Turn 4A instead of the Carousel section. A 440-yard drag strip hosts NHRA national events alongside the road course.
Early NASCAR races used the full course until 1998. Pit-road growing pains — including the landlocked auxiliary lane nicknamed Gilligan’s Island — ended when the main pit lane expanded to 43 stalls in 2002.
NASCAR at Sonoma
Ricky Rudd won the inaugural Cup race in 1989 in a King Racing Buick. Jeff Gordon remains the all-time Cup leader with five victories (1998–2006). Tony Stewart, Kyle Busch, and other road-course specialists have repeated the trick on a layout that still invites “road course ringers” for one-off entries.
Ricky Rudd’s #26 Buick took the victory in the first ever NASCAR race at Sears Point
Jeff Gordon is the most successful NASCAR driver at Sonoma Raceway
A detail from 2005 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series event at Sonoma Raceway
IndyCar and open-wheel history
IndyCar returned in 2005 after a 35-year gap. Tony Kanaan won the first modern race; Marco Andretti became the youngest IndyCar winner here in 2006. Scott Dixon and Will Power each claimed three Sonoma wins before the series left the calendar after 2018.
Grand Prix of Sonoma was a decisive race of the 2015 IndyCar season. Scott Dixon won and took the title
Sports cars, IMSA, and WTCC
IMSA GT ran consecutively from 1976 to 1997. American Le Mans Series and Grand-Am visited in the 2000s. The FIA World Touring Car Championship held its first US round here in 2012–2013 with wins for Chevrolet and Honda drivers.
WTCC cars competed at Sonoma in 2012 and 2013
Today’s calendar
NASCAR Cup, NHRA, Ferrari Challenge, Pirelli GT events, drift and motorcycle meetings still fill most summer weekends even without IndyCar or international prototypes. Speedway Motorsports also owns Charlotte Motor Speedway and other US tracks from the same corporate family.
Visiting Sonoma Raceway
The venue sits on Arnold Drive in the town of Sonoma, within easy reach of Napa and Sonoma Valley wineries. Track experiences, drag racing, and major race weekends sell through racesonoma.com.
Frequently asked questions
Frequently asked questions about Sonoma Raceway
Where is Sonoma Raceway?
Sonoma Raceway is in Sonoma, California, in the Sonoma Mountains north of San Francisco Bay. The facility is commonly reached via Arnold Drive through wine-country towns such as Sonoma and Napa.
What was Sonoma Raceway called before?
The track opened as Sears Point Raceway in 1968. Infineon Technologies held naming rights from 2002 to 2011 as Infineon Raceway before the venue returned to the Sonoma Raceway name.
How long is the Sonoma Raceway road course?
The full permanent road course measures 2.52 miles (4.06 km) with 12 turns. NASCAR Cup Series races use a shorter 1.99-mile layout that includes the Turn 4A “Chute” bypass.
When did NASCAR first race at Sonoma?
NASCAR Cup Series stock cars debuted at Sears Point in 1989. Ricky Rudd won the inaugural race driving the King Racing Buick.
Who has the most NASCAR wins at Sonoma Raceway?
Jeff Gordon leads Cup Series wins at Sonoma with five victories between 1998 and 2006. Several drivers, including Tony Stewart and Kyle Busch, have won twice.
Does IndyCar still race at Sonoma?
No. IndyCar ran the Grand Prix of Sonoma from 2005 to 2018, including several season finales, but left the calendar after 2018. Open-wheel history at the track dates back to Dan Gurney’s 1970 USAC win.
What is The Chute at Sonoma Raceway?
The Chute is a high-speed straight added in 1998 that bypasses turns 5 and 6 (the Carousel) on NASCAR weekends. It defines the shorter Cup layout distinct from the full sports-car course.
Does Sonoma Raceway have a drag strip?
Yes. A 440-yard drag strip hosts NHRA national events. NHRA competition at Sears Point began in 1988, one year before the first NASCAR Cup road race.
Who owns Sonoma Raceway?
Speedway Motorsports has owned the track since 1996 when chairman Bruton Smith bought it from Skip Berg. The same company operates Charlotte, Atlanta, and other US motorsport venues.
How do you visit Sonoma Raceway?
Track tours, driving experiences, and race tickets are sold through racesonoma.com. Major NASCAR and NHRA weekends fill hotels across Sonoma and Napa counties.
Related reading
- Watkins Glen International — American road-course heritage
- Circuit of the Americas — modern US Grand Prix venue
- Charlotte Motor Speedway — Speedway Motorsports hub
- Daytona International Speedway — NASCAR temple
- Phoenix Raceway — desert NASCAR oval
Address: 29355 Arnold Drive, Sonoma, CA 95476, United States
Phone: +1 707 938 8448
Official website: racesonoma.com