Sonoma Raceway

Sonoma Raceway opened in 1968 as Sears Point Raceway and joined the Cup Series schedule in 1989. The 1.99-mile, 11-turn natural-terrain road course in the California wine country is one of two traditional road-course venues on the Cup calendar and is widely considered one of the most technically demanding tracks in the series. The course features significant elevation changes, a tight Carousel turn, and a series of slow-speed corners that brutally expose any handling imbalance. Cup races at Sonoma use a slightly modified short configuration that adds a chute to bypass a section of the longer IndyCar layout, producing a 12-turn 1.99-mile track. Sonoma races often reward road-course specialists and drivers willing to accept significant tire wear in pursuit of better corner exit.