Sonoma Raceway: Another Grateful Wildfire Survivor

2018 season warms up to National Association of Stock Car Auto Racing annual event

By Marcy Joyce
Wine County Lifestyle / Spring 2018

Narrowly spared in last October’s horrifying wildfires that blazed through the hills with a vengeance, Sonoma’s unique race track with its hairpin turns remains blissfully intact. It peacefully awaits the unfolding of the 2018 season’s events to be graced with the presence of casual spectators and faithful fans alike. Having undergone a $100 million overhaul between 1998 and 2000, its relatively new permanent grandstands and stooped hill seating blend into the pastoral setting that was known as Sears Point Dairy Farm until the raceway was paved in 1968.

Thanks to the heroic efforts of firefighters and volunteers, Sonoma Raceway will reach its 50th birthday this year. But the backside of the property was on fire, threatening the place even as it was serving as a refuge for evacuees.

“We were on the defensive, then we were on the offensive, asking ourselves—once, thanks to CalFire, the raceway was out of danger—how can we help,” says Jennifer Imbimbo, Sonoma Raceway’s director of media and community relations who holds a Master’s in Sports Management and has been on the Sonoma Raceway team for the past 12 years.

“Hopefully, this was just a once in a lifetime thing. The outpouring of support was overwhelming,” she says.

Those who were housed at the raceway during the fires benefitted from donations of food and clothing and were able to take showers. During the fire, people made good use of the 50-acre campground, staying in tents and RVs as they might during a regular Sonoma Raceway happening rather than a terrifying natural disaster.

“Camping is really big,” Jennifer says. “We’ve sold out our camping spots the past few years. It’s a nice place to sit back and enjoy the scenery.”

Though camping spots sell out, seating on the hills where grazing cows can still be spotted in the distance is unlimited and therefore event tickets are sold up to racing day. However, event goers get a discount for buying early. And while there is almost always something going on at the track—Jennifer says it is busy 340 days of the year—the Toyota/Savemart 350 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series in June is the premier event.

“One day it could be simple cars, one day it could be Ferraris, the next day it could be race cars, the next day it could be beautiful vintage lotuses. It really changes from day to day what’s on track so it never gets boring, that’s for sure,” she says.

During the highlight of the summer schedule, retired stock car racing driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. will be broadcasting along with Jeff Gordon. Fans can look forward to seeing all the stars of sponsorship-driven NASCAR, including Jimmy Johnson and the Busch brothers. While some will arrive ahead of the event, pitch a tent and make a camping occasion of it, many others will flock from the roads in all directions. Jennifer says the raceway does all it can to alleviate the traffic.

“It’s absolutely a concern for us,” she says. “We want to get people in, we want them to get parked and in their seats enjoying the show.”

Sonoma Raceway is one of two road courses on the circuit and the first time stock car race drivers take right-hand turns all year. “Most of tracks are ovals but we’re a road course with elevation change,” Jennifer says. “There’s 160 feet of elevation change here so it’s really different than say, racing in something resembling a cereal bowl. They’re going up and down and turning left and right. This is a spot where drivers and their significant others stay and play as opposed to just staying at the track, they come and enjoy the area. There are some serious wine connoisseurs who enjoy Sonoma Valley so this is a treat.”

Other major weekends that draw enthusiastic crowds are the NHRA (National Hot Rod Association) drag racing in July and Verizon IndyCar series Grand Prix of Sonoma in September. Jennifer says that a lot of effort is put into these pre-race shows, including a 25-minute Patriots jet team show, driver introductions when they come out and slap hands and often a driver Q&A session. There are also manufacturer booths, kids’ club displays, concerts and musical rev zones with dueling pianos, and pictures with “Burnin’ Bovine,” the cow statue on top of the marquee at the entrance of the venue.

And like a Giants game when fans can walk onto the field, race attendees can also purchase a pass to explore the the racing apparatus.

“NASCAR and motorsports in general are very fan friendly and try to get people as close as possible to the athletes and personalities. So it’s a spectacle. It’s the sounds, it’s the sights,” says Jennifer. “It’s one of the most accessible sports where drivers are amenable to do things like that, be fan-friendly and fan facing. It’s part of the roving circus that is the series that travels from week to week to different cities so we really want to make sure it’s well-noted for our fans as it’s the only time some of them come to Northern California so we want them to remember it and come back the following year with their friends and family.”

Not only a host of national events, Sonoma Raceway is well connected with the local community and is always “giving back.” Funds are raised through all major events. Speedway Children’s Charities has given out more than $6 million since 2001 to Sonoma County youth groups through a grant process. After the fires last October, employees donated their time at the Redwood Empire Food Bank, and a children’s Christmas party with toys collected at Sonoma Valley Fire Department. Large food drives are held every year during the holiday season, as is “Adopt a Family” and helping senior citizens in need. There is also a gala event the Friday night of NASCAR, John’s March around the track dubbed “No Stomach for Cancer” in memory of the late Sonoma Raceway spokesman John Cardinale who passed away from gastric cancer in 2013 at the age of 47.

Laps for Charity is another fundraiser where 8-10 people do warm laps and hot laps with race instructors. Other community-centric goings-on leading up to peak season are a Wednesday night drag program in a controlled, legal environment and the Top the Cops program where teenagers race against uniformed police officers.

“We want this place to be where people can get their need for speed whether on the course or in the grandstand,” Jennifer says.

Sonoma Raceway’s complete schedule of events can be found online at www.sonomaraceway.com/events/complete-schedule