In November 1996, O. Bruton Smith, founder, chairman and chief executive officer of Speedway Motorsports, purchased Sonoma Raceway, then "Sears Point Raceway" from owner "Skip" Berg.
Located about one hour north of San Francisco on approximately 1,600 acres, the multi-use complex is the largest motorsports facility in Northern California and features a 2.52-mile road course and an NHRA-sanctioned 1/4 mile drag strip.
The raceway hosts the only NASCAR events held in the Northern California region. In addition to the major NASCAR races, the track hosts several professional racing series, including the NHRA Drag Racing Series, Ferrari Challenge, GT World Challenge America and much more.
Track Records
| NASCAR Cup Series | ||
|---|---|---|
 |
Qualifying: |
Race: William Byron Charlotte, Nc. Chevrolet Camaro 93.339 mph (1 minute, 37.194 seconds) Toyota/Save Mart 350 07/13/1997 |
| NASCAR Xfinity Series | ||
 |
Qualifying: Kyle Larson Elk Grove, Calif. Chevrolet Camaro 91.393 mph (1 minute, 18.387 seconds) DoorDash 250 06/10/2023 |
Race: Kyle Larson Elk Grove, Calif. Chevrolet Camaro 89.594 mph (1 minute, 20.186 seconds) DoorDash 250 06/10/2023 |
| NASCAR Camping World Truck Series | ||
 |
Qualifying: Carson Hocevar Portage, Mich. Chevrolet Silverado 91.137 mph (1 minute, 18.607 seconds) DoorDash 250 06/11/2022 |
Race: Boris Said New York, N.Y. Ford F-150 94.902 mph (1 minute, 14.842 seconds) Kragen/Exide 151 10/11/1998 |
| ARCA Menards Series WEST | ||
 |
Qualifying: Ryan Preece Berlin, Conn. Ford 90.215 mph (1 minute, 19.4 seconds) General Tire 200 06/09/2023 |
Race: Ryan Preece Berlin, Conn. Ford 90.024 mph (1 minutes, 33 seconds) General Tire 200 06/09/2023 |
| NHRA Championship Drag Racing | ||
 |
Pro Stock Motorcycle: Matt Smith King, Nc. Suzuki 205.04 mph 07/24/2021 |
Top Fuel: Brittany Force Yorba Linda, Calif. 337.75 mph 07/24/2022 Funny Car: Robert Hight Yorba Linda, Calif. Camaro 339.87 mph 07/29/2017 |
| Verizon IndyCar Series | ||
 |
Qualifying: Josef Newgarden Nashville, Tenn. Dallara DW12-Chevrolet 113.691 mph (1 minute, 15.5205 seconds) Grand Prix of Sonoma 09/16/2017 |
Race: Simon Pagenaud Montmorillon, France Dallara DW12-Chevrolet 109.575 mph (1 minute, 18.3576 seconds) Grand Prix of Sonoma 09/17/2017 |
| AMA Pro Superbike | ||
 |
Qualifying: Ben Spies Memphis, Tenn. Suzuki GSXR-1000 84.365 mph (1 minute, 34.731 seconds) Kawasaki AMA Superbike Showdown Presented by Supercuts 05/17/2008 |
Race: Cameron Beaubier Roseville, Calif. Yamaha YZF-R1 Speed N/A (1 minute, 35.067 seconds) Sonoma MotoAmerica Round 08/10/2018 |
Track Stats
| Speedway Configurations & Types of Racing | |
|---|---|
| 2.52-mile Road Course (Carousel Configuration) |
Stock Cars, Sports Cars, & Motorcycles |
| 1.99-mile Road Course (Chute Configuration) | Stock Cars, Sports Cars & Motorcycles |
| 1/4-mile Drag Strip | Top Fuel, Funny Car, Sportsman, Pro Stock, Pro Stock Motorcycle |
| Speedway Dimensions | ||
|---|---|---|
| Turns 1-4 | 40 feet wide | T1 banked at 3.3 degrees, T4A banked at 2.8 degrees |
| Turns 5-11 | 40 feet wide | T7A banked at 2.8 degrees |
| Pit Road | 40 feet wide | Pit Road Speed 45mph |
| Speedway Facilities | |
|---|---|
| Facilities |
Main Office Building |
| Tunnels | Two (20 feet in diameter, 135 & 280 feet long) located under Turn 10 and Turn 1 |
| Speedway Firsts | |
|---|---|
| Ground Breaking | August 14, 1968 |
| Official Track Opening | December 1, 1968 as Sears Point Raceway |
| First Professional Race | December 1, 1968 - SCCA Enduro |
| First NASCAR Race | June 11, 1989 - Banquet Frozen Foods 300 (NASCAR Winston Cup) |
| First NHRA National Race | July 29, 1988 |
| Speedway Fast Facts |
|---|
| -The largest motorsports facility in Northern California |
| -The Road Course features more than 160 ft. of elevation change from it's highest point (Turn 3a, 174 ft.) to its lowest point (Turn 10, 14 ft.) - the largest of any track on the NASCAR circuit |
| -More than 10 million viewers in over 90 countries watch events televised from Sonoma each year |
| -The raceway installed nearly 1,700 solar panels, which offset 41% of the raceway's energy usage |
| -More than 500,000 spectators attend Sonoma races/events during a season |
| -Nearly 4,000 sheep that live on track property provide an invaluable service, helping to maintain the grasses and fire lanes around the facility |
| -Drivers who complete the Toyota/Save Mart 350 NASCAR Cup Series race on the Chute configuration will make a total of 1,100 turns around the road course. The race spans 110 laps |
| -The berms on the turns of the road course are painted green and gold to reflect the ever-changing landscape of Sonoma Valley. Gold in the summer/fall and green in the winter/spring |
| -The property on which the raceway was built was a working farm called Sears Point farm in the early 1900s |
| -The raceway houses a motorsports industrial park of more than 70 businesses in 104 shops |
| -In 2011, in a partnership with Panasonic Corporation of North America, the raceway installed nearly 1,700 solar panels, which offset 41% of the raceway's energy usage |
| -Sonoma Raceway and Humboldt Sawmill Company, the leader in environmentally-certified redwood decking, are please to bring shade and comfort to race fans with custom-built fan amenities including the "Real. Strong. Humboldt Sawmill Redwood Deck" above Turn 2 |
| -Mat Mladin (AMA), Josh Hayes (AMA), Doug Kalitta (NHRA - Top Fuel), John Force (NHRA - Funny Car), and Jeff Gordon (NASCAR) are the only riders/drivers to three-peat in a major racing series at Sonoma Raceway |
| -Winners in Sonoma celebrate with a sip from the Champion's Goblet in Victory Lane. The goblet, which is handcrafted by a Bay Area glass blower, was introduced in 2006 and incorporates the raceway's rich wine country heritage |
| -The raceway has collected more than 734 tons of recyclable material (1,469,341 pounds) since the inception of the recycling program in 2004 |
| -The raceway donated 2,655 event tickets valued at nearly $225,417 to Northern California non-profit organizations in 2023. |
| -Levy Restaurants partnered with 14 local non-profits to provide staffing for concession stands and catering events during event weekends in 2023. The non-profits received more than $117,000 for their efforts. Levy also donated more than 3,000 pounds of food to Sonoma Food Runners, which relay excess food to the hungry throughout Sonoma County. |
| -Twenty owl boxes placed around Sonoma Raceway encourage owls to nest and help with natural rodent mitigation |
| Wall of Fame Inductees |
|---|
| 2005: Rusty Wallace (NASCAR), Mark Martin (NASCAR), Warren Johnson (NHRA) |
| 2006: Miguel Duhamel (AMA), Rich Oliver (AMA), Jeff Gordon (NASCAR), O. Bruton Smith (Speedway Motorsports), John Force (NHRA) |
| 2007: Mat Mladin (AMA), Ricky Rudd (NASCAR), Bob Piccinini (Save Mart Supermarkets), Gary Scelzi (NHRA), Joe W. Huffaker (Huffaker Engineering) |
| 2008: Ken Clapp (NASCAR), Doug Kalitta (NHRA) |
| 2010: Rick Hendrick (NASCAR) |
| 2011: Don Prudhomme (NHRA) |
| 2013: John Cardinale (Sonoma Raceway) |
| 2015: Ron Capps (NHRA), Roger Penske (IndyCar & NASCAR) |
| 2016: Tony Stewart (NASCAR), Ernie Irvan (NASCAR) |
| 2018: Georgia Seipel (NHRA) |
| 2019: Joe Gibbs (NASCAR), Robert Marshall (NASCAR) |
| 2020: Jere Starks (Sonoma Raceway) |
| 2021: Steve Page (Sonoma Raceway) |
| 2023: Kevin Harvick (NASCAR) |
