Yahoo Autos Sonoma Raceway Carries a Unique History
Sonoma Raceway is a classic natural terrain road course that dates back to the late 1960s, but it was not a staple of the golden ages of American road course racing. Trans-Am raced just once at the track in its pony car-dominated era. Top-level open wheel racing visited once in 1970, but did not come back again until 2005. Can-Am did not arrive until 1977, the second iteration of the series. While IMSA, Grand-Am, and American Le Mans Series sports cars consistently ran at the track, Sonoma owes much of its major global profile to years hosting two series not closely associated with road courses: NASCAR and the NHRA.
NASCAR's Cup Series has been visiting the track since 1989, when the then-Sears Point Raceway was granted the west coast road course date that had long belonged to Riverside Raceway. Racing every year since (except the pandemic-addled 2020 season), Sonoma Raceway has become an anchor for road course racing in a series that has in the past three years embraced the discipline more and more. From that 1989 season through the 2010s, Sonoma was one of just two road courses that hosted the top-level Cup Series every year. Next year, the series will race on six separate road courses, including a debut street circuit event in Chicago.
Sonoma has also long hosted drag racing with the NHRA, with their event running continuously since 1988. The track's event calendar expanded in the 2000s and 2010s, adding a consistent IndyCar race that ran from 2005 to 2018 and two brief years of an American round of the World Touring Car Championship in 2012 and 2013. Now, though, the calendar is largely anchored by those same two events, a NASCAR Cup Series race and an NHRA drag racing weekend.
The famed road course will be featured as a part of Road & Track's upcoming Route to Vine, a rally through California's wine country. In addition to a day at the track, the rally features scenic road drives, tastings at local vineyards, and a tour of Bruce Canepa's legendary museum. The rally is in February, with sign-ups open now. Hope to see you there.
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