The biggest names and fastest cars in NASCAR hit the track today to practice for this Sunday’s Toyota/Save Mart 350 at Infineon Raceway. Their hardcore fans arrived Wednesday night, lining up to get camping spots and transform an empty field into a small city of RVs, flags and beer coolers.
Tickets are available for the weekend events, including today’s practice and qualifying. Saturday’s highlight is the Bennett Lane Winery 200, part of the NASCAR West Series of rising star drivers including Sonoma’s Paul Pedroncelli, Jr. On Sunday, June 21, the NASCAR Sprint Cup series makes its only Northern California stop of the season for the Toyota/Save Mart 350.
“This is our biggest weekend of the year,” said Steve Page, president and general manager of Infineon Raceway. But between track employees, service and security personnel, and volunteers, he says, “we’ve got a couple of thousand people to help pull it off.”
Infineon’s 1.9-mile circuit is one of only two “road courses” – a track with both left and right turns, – on NASCAR’s 36-race Sprint Cup schedule. (The other is Watkins Glen, N.Y.) The 10 turns, plus the changes of speed (1,500 transmission shifts) and elevation (equal to a 16-story building) marks a radical change from the usual oval track.
“There are drivers who love a road course, drivers who hate a road course and everything in between,” Page said. Overall, drivers have accepted the challenge, and have worked to become better on the different track. “Look at Jeff Gordon. When he first came here, he had no clue,” Page said. Vallejo’s Gordon has since won the race a record five times.
Page said the track itself has come a long way since NASCAR’s 1989 debut. “Eighteen years ago, the facility was in bad shape,” admitted Page. Amenities were bad and the garages were sub-par. “It was not a favorable stop.” Several multi-million-dollar upgrades later, the track is a marquee stop on the NASCAR circuit. “We’ve grown up the facility,” Page said, “and we take good care of the drivers.”
The track does not release attendance figures, but Page said last year’s crowd was down about 10 percent from the 2007 event. The culprit then was high gas prices, Page said, which peaked last June. “This year we’re feeling it in a different way.” Ticket sales are on a nice pace, but corporate sponsorships are down. The sea of corporate tents that line the hillsides “has been reduced to an ocean,” as companies cut entertainment and marketing budgets.
“You don’t have to be a NASCAR fan to be at the track this weekend,” said Diana Brennan, senior manager, media and community relations. “There’s so much more going on. We’ve got air shows, a live concert, charity auctions and more. Plus, if you think you’re not a race fan because you’ve only seen it on TV, it’s totally different in person. You’ve definitely got to be here to get the full experience.”
Oakland Raider great Kenny Stabler will be the Grand Marshal for the Toyota/Save Mart 350, which starts at 2 p.m. on Sunday. There will be 43 cars in the starting field. At 350 kilometers, the race distance is 218.9 miles. Prior to the race, Jeff Gordon will host a free Q and A at Turn 11.
The 4th annual Track Walk will follow the race, allowing fans to walk the same twists and turns taken by the drivers. “It’s fun for fans to take a little stroll where they’ve just seen their heroes compete,” Page said.
For the NASAR June 19-21 weekend, tickets cost $25-$135 per day. A weekend pass is $99-$180. Parking is free. For information and tickets, go to infineonraceway.com.
Sonoma driver to make Infineon debut
Staff Report
He grew up just a few miles from Infineon Raceway and now, after five years of building his racing resume, he finally gets to race on his home track. It may only be a 1.9-mile circuit, but getting on it “has been a long road,” said 19-year-old Paul Pedroncelli. Jr. “We finally made it.”
The Sonoma Valley High graduate will compete in Saturday’s Bennett Lane Winery 200. The race is part of the Camping World West Series, one of NASCAR’s premiere development racing circuits, said to feature the top racing stars of tomorrow.
The goal for Sunday’s race, his sixth in the series and first on a road course, “is to finish and stay in one piece.” Pedroncelli said that between the quality of drivers, and the difficulty of the twisting, turning course, “it will get pretty wild out there.” Just finishing the race should earn a top 20 finish, he said.
His best finish at this level, 12th, was in the series’ last outing earlier this month in Roseburg, Ore. His earlier career in stock cars includes a number of wins and top-five finishes.
Pedroncelli, one of the youngest drivers in the Infineon field, will be driving a black Chevrolet Monte Carlo. Behind him is “a family-based team,” including his father, Paul Sr., a Sonoma fireman; a former race car driver, he is head mechanic and crew chief. Mother Elaine, who handles sponsorships, said she will be in the pits on Saturday “doing whatever I can to help.”
