Round 17: GoPro Grand Prix of Sonoma. Sonoma, CA. September, 14 - 16.
So here we are again, as we go into the final round of the 2018 season and it's the last time the final round will be held at Sonoma for the foreseeable future, with IndyCar returning to Laguna Seca, which will host it next season.
Originally known as Sears Point Raceway, the track was built in 1968 by attorney Robert Marshall Jr. and land developer Jim Coleman. The first official race, an SCCA event, was held on Dec. 1, that year. It was sold in 1969 to Filmways Corp., a Los Angeles based entertainment company. In
April 1970, Sears Point hosted the 2nd round of the USAC Championship Car season, the Golden Gate 150, which was won by Dan Gurney in his AAR Eagle-Ford. This would be the first and last AOWR/IndyCar race for 35 years.
With losses of $300,000 the venue closed in May 1970 and Filmways Corp., used it as a tax shelter. The track re-opened in 1973 and in 1974, it was leased to Bob Bondurant, owner of the Bob Bondurant School of High
Performance Driving and eventually bought by Black Mountain Inc., which included Bondurant.
In 1981, When Black Mountain Inc., defaulted on payments, the track was bought back by Filmways Corp., and then subsequently sold at auction to a business group that included the 1964 NHRA top-fuel drag racing champion, Jack Williams. The track came under the control of Brenda Raceway Corp., when business partners Dr. Frank N. Scott Jr. and Harvey "Skip" Berg came on board. It was sold in 1996 to current owners Speedway Motorsports, Inc.
In 2002, Infineon bought the naming rights in a 10 year deal, renaming the track Infineon Raceway. When the deal expired, the new name of Sonoma Raceway was chosen.
AOWR/IndyCar returned on August 28, 2005, after a 35 year absence, with Tony Kanaan wining the IRL's inaugural race at the venue, the Argent Mortgage Indy Grand Prix, for Andretti Green Racing in a Dallara IR05-Honda HI5R. Since then the race has been an IndyCar perennial.
Some trivia:
The driver with the most wins, 3.
Scott Dixon, 2007, 2014, 2015.
Will Power: 2010, 2011, 2013.
The team with most wins, 6.
Team Penske: 2008, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2016.
Track Layout:
The full length road course, is 2.523 miles (4.060 km), with 12-turns and 160 feet change in elevation. It also has a quarter mile (402 m) dragstrip, which was originally part of the start/finish line straight. In 2001, the race track was separated from the drag strip.
The venue also hosts rounds for other series, including AMA Superbikes, NASCAR Sprint Cup, NHRA Championship Drag Racing, SCCA and WTCC, as well as IndyCar and can accommodate different layouts for each series.
Since 2005 the IndyCar track layout has changed. From 2005 to 2007, IndyCar raced on a modified version of the 2.320 miles (3.733 km) layout used by the AMA. This layout was further revised, with the approach to Turn 7 straightened, which was then used from 2008 to 2011. The most notable change though, was in 2012. The section from Turn 10 to Turn 11 was extended by 200 feet, with the hairpin now at Turn 11B, increasing the track length to 2.385 miles (3.838 km) and giving drivers more space
to out-brake each other and set up a passing opportunity, before going into Turn 12. The exit off Turn 9, the Bus Stop, was widened by 10 feet on the driver’s left, giving additional width to what was already a passing zone and Turn 7 became a u-turn similar to Turn 11B.
Original full circuit:
2005 - 2007 IndyCar circuit:
2008 - 2011 IndyCar circuit:
Current IndyCar circuit:
Length: 2.385 Miles (3.838 km)
Turns: 12
Lap record:
Simon Pagenaud,
September 16, 2017. 01:15.5205, 113.691 mph (182.967 km/h).
Team Penske, Dallara DW12-Chevrolet Indy V6.
Verizon IndyCar Series.
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Last year's race:
Going into the race with a three point lead over Dixon, Newgarden took pole, giving him the extra point. From the start Newdarden dominated, taking the lead. However, unlike Penske team mate and the current IndyCar champion Pagenaud, who had opted for a four stop strategy, Newgarden elected for three stops, which would be decisive.
For the first time in Sonoma Raceway history, the race was caution free, with Newgarden and Pagenaud each leading 41 of the 85 laps. Despite the lack of cautions, there were a few incidents as Kanaan and Sato both suffering punctures, with Sato finally retiring with engine issues as did his team mate Rossi. Otherwise, the race was largely processional.
The decisive moment in the race came, when Pagenaud made his final stop while leading on Lap 64. He returned to the track emerging just ahead of the charging Newgarden and held on to first place, as the teammates
battled around the track. Newgarden attempted a pass at the Turn 7 hairpin, to the inside of the tight right-hander but was unable to get past. Pagenaud then encountered slower traffic during the final seven laps, which bunched the field up and brought Newgarden within a few tenths of a second.
Pagenaud won his second and consecutive race at Sonoma, with Newgarden second, giving him the Driver's Championship. Power finished third. However, Dixon finished the race in fourth place, ahead of Castroneves thus preventing Penske from taking a clean sweep of the top four championship positions.
The championship was the 15th for Team Penske, with Newgarden and Pagenaud finishing 1st and 2nd in the Driver's Championship.
Pole position:
Josef Newgarden, 1:15.521. 113.691 mph (182.968 km/h)
Team Penske
Dallara DW12-Chevrolet Indy V6
Winner:
Simon Pagenaud
Team Penske
Dallara DW12-Chevrolet Indy V6
Laps: 85
Distance: 202.725 Miles (326.254 km)
Race Time: 1:55:53
Average Speed: 104.968 mph (168.929 kmh)
Cautions:
0, laps 0.
TV Coverage:
NBCSN, 6:30pm EST.