Flashback Friday: The Inaugural California Nationals In Sonoma

This weekend, the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series heads to the California wine country to the Infineon Raceway in scenic Sonoma, which is the second stop on the grueling annual Western Swing, for the 24th running of the FRAM/Autolite NHRA Nationals.

Infineon, which was known as Sears Point Raceway prior to 2002, was constructed in 1968 with a 2.52-mile road course laid out on 720 acres by owners Robert Marshall Jr. and land developer Jim Coleman. The pair devised the plan to build the facility while on a hunting trip, and ground was broken in August of ’68, with the surface paving completed in November of that year. The first official event on the road course was an SCCA Enduro, held on December 1, 1968.

https://youtu.be/MGGx4kAUU7M

The following year, the facility was sold for $4.5 million to a Los Angeles Entertainment company, but after mounting losses, was closed in May of 1970. In the years that followed, multiple parties leased the facility before it’s eventual purchase a group of individuals, including former Top Fuel champion Jack Williams. Under yet another operator, several new buildings were constructed on the property in 1987, including a quarter mile dragstrip with a five-year commitment to the NHRA to host the California Nationals.

https://youtu.be/CEYHmyk9lDg

Even before NASCAR arrived on the scene in 1989 following the closure of the Riverside International Raceway road course, the stars of the NHRA graced the beautiful Sears Point Raceway with the inaugural Motorcraft Ford California Nationals in 1988. Since that time, Sonoma has been a regular summertime stop on the NHRA trail, and in 2002 work was completed on a modernization project that separated the dragstrip from the road course, no longer making the strip part of the front stretch of the road course.

https://youtu.be/g_UWv1_Olqw

In order to not ruin it for those who never saw that inaugural NHRA event, we’ll forego mention who walked way from wine country victorious in 1988, so enjoy the classic Diamond P coverage on this Flashback Friday!

https://youtu.be/KXPn9NBe6Ko

https://youtu.be/4cC-UcgR4ak

https://youtu.be/hp_MiLw_v_w