 | |
| Venue | Sonoma Raceway |
|---|---|
| First race | 1976 |
| Last race | 2008 |
| Most wins (driver) | James Weaver (3) |
| Most wins (team) | Dyson Racing (4) |
| Most wins (manufacturer) | Porsche (7) |
The Grand Prix of Sonoma was a sports car race held at Sonoma Raceway (formerly Sears Point Raceway and Infineon Raceway) in Sonoma, California. It began in 1976 as an IMSA GT Championship race, before joining the American Le Mans Series from 1999 to 2005. It was a Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series race from 2006 to 2008.
*Daytona Prototypes only.
Sonoma Raceway is a road course and dragstrip located at Sears Point in the southern Sonoma Mountains of Sonoma, California, United States. The road course features 12 turns on a hilly course with 160 feet (49 m) of total elevation change. It is host to one of the few NASCAR Cup Series races each year that are run on road courses. It has also played host to the IndyCar Series, the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series, and several other auto races and motorcycle races such as the American Federation of Motorcyclists series. Sonoma Raceway continues to host amateur, or club racing events with some open to the public. The largest such car club is the Sports Car Club of America. The track is 30 mi (48 km) north of San Francisco and Oakland.
The International Motor Sports Association (IMSA) is a North American sports car racing sanctioning body based in Daytona Beach, Florida under the jurisdiction of the ACCUS arm of the FIA. It was started by John Bishop, a former executive director of SCCA, and his wife Peggy in 1969 with help from Bill France Sr. of NASCAR. Beginning in 2014, IMSA is the sanctioning body of the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, the premier series resulting from the merger of Grand-Am Road Racing and the American Le Mans Series. IMSA is owned by NASCAR, as a division of the company.
Jimmy Adams is an American race car driver.
Road Atlanta is a 2.540 mi (4.088 km) road course located just north of Braselton, Georgia, United States. The facility is utilized for a wide variety of events, including professional and amateur sports car and motorcycle races, racing and driving schools, corporate programs and testing for motorsports teams. The track has 12 turns, including the famous "esses" between turns three and five; and Turn 12, a downhill, diving turn. The track is owned by IMSA Holdings, LLC through its subsidiary Road Atlanta, LLC, and is the home to the Petit Le Mans, as well as AMA motorcycle racing, and smaller events throughout the year. Michelin acquired naming rights to the facility in 2018.
The Los Angeles Times Grand Prix was a sports car race held at the Riverside International Raceway. The race was held throughout the track's existence, from 1957 until 1987. The race was sponsored by the Los Angeles Times to raise money for its charities. The Special Events director was Glenn Davis, the winner of the 1946 Heisman Trophy. During the early 1970s, the event was the season ending race for the Can-Am series.
William Alexander Lester III is an American semi-retired professional racing driver. He last competed part-time in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, driving the No. 17 Ford F-150 for David Gilliland Racing. Lester previously competed full-time in the Truck Series from 2002 to midway through 2007. Lester was the NASCAR's only full-time African-American driver during that time. After that, he moved to sports car racing, competing in the Rolex Sports Car Series from 2007 to 2012. Lester had also competed part-time in the same series from 1998 to 2001.
The 2003 American Le Mans Series season was the fifth season for the IMSA American Le Mans Series, and the 33rd overall season of the IMSA GT Championship. It was a series for Le Mans Prototypes (LMP) and Grand Touring (GT) race cars divided into 4 classes: LMP900, LMP675, GTS, and GT. It began March 15, 2003 and ended October 18, 2003 after 9 races.
IMSA GT was a sports car racing series organized by International Motor Sports Association. Races took place primarily in the United States, and occasionally in Canada.
The Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion is an annual event held at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca in Monterey, California. Its purpose is to provide an event in which historic racecars can compete. It takes place over the course of one weekend every mid-August. It was first established by Steve Earle in 1974 as the Monterey Historic Automobile Races. Earle organized the meeting for his friends to race their cars at Laguna Seca. The event acts as a part of Monterey Car Week, which includes the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance and other events.
Bob Earl is an American former racing driver from Claremont, California. He began racing in Formula Ford in 1972 and was the 1973 national champion. In 1979 he made his professional debut in Formula Atlantic. In 1981 he became the only American to win the Macau Grand Prix, driving a modified Hayashi 320. At the time, the race was contested with Formula Atlantic cars.
Charles Darin Brassfield is a former American racing driver from Los Gatos, California. He attempted to make his CART Championship Car debut in 1985 at the season ender in Miami driving for Wysard Racing. However, he failed to qualify. He returned to sports car racing to gain more experience. He returned to CART for two races at the end of the 1988 season and made his first start at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course but was knocked out by engine failure after 30 laps. He also drove at Laguna Seca Raceway a month later but suffered a broken gearbox 31 laps in. He subsequently returned to sports cars and was a multiple race winner in the IMSA GT Championship. He also made three NASCAR Winston Cup starts in 1989 on the road courses at Sears Point and Watkins Glen, finishing 22nd and 12th, and on the oval at Richmond International Raceway, finishing 30th. He also attempted to qualify for the first race of the 1997 Craftsman Truck Series season at the Walt Disney World Speedway but failed to qualify. He continued to be active in IMSA sports car racing until the late 1990s.
The Sportscar Vintage Racing Association (SVRA) is an American automobile club and sanctioning body that supports vintage racing in the United States. The organization was founded in 1981, and is regarded as the premier vintage racing organization in the U.S.
The Chevrolet Grand Prix is an annual IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship race held every July at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park in Bowmanville, Ontario, Canada. The race originated in 1975 and is currently a two hour and forty minute race in order to fit the event into a television-friendly package. Previous editions of the Grand Prix were part of the World Sportscar Championship, the American Le Mans Series and the IMSA GT Championship.
The Monterey Sports Car Championship is a sports car race held annually at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca by the International Motor Sports Association (IMSA). The event began in 1950 as a race on the roads of Pebble Beach, California. In 1951, it was added to the new SCCA National Sports Car Championship. When Laguna Seca Raceway was built in 1957, the races moved there. The event fell dormant after the National Championship was discontinued in 1957, but was revived by the SCCA's new United States Road Racing Championship in 1963. The race fell dormant again in 1969, and was revived in 1973 with the IMSA GT Championship.
The Portland Grand Prix was a sports car race held at the Portland International Raceway in Portland, Oregon from 1978 until 2006. It began as a round of the IMSA GT Championship, and became an American Le Mans Series race in 1999.
The IMSA SportsCar Championship, currently known as the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship under sponsorship, is a sports car racing series based in the United States and Canada and organized by the International Motor Sports Association (IMSA). It is a result of a merger between two existing North American sports car racing series, the American Le Mans Series and Rolex Sports Car Series. At its inception, the name was United SportsCar Championship, which subsequently changed to IMSA SportsCar Championship in 2016. Rolex SA's Tudor brand was the championship's title sponsor in 2014 and 2015, and since 2016 WeatherTech has served as title sponsor.
The 2015 Toyota/Save Mart 350 was a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race held on June 28, 2015 at Sonoma Raceway in Sonoma, California. Contested over 110 laps on the 1.99 mile (3.2 km) road course, it was the 16th race of the 2015 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season. Kyle Busch won the race, first of the season and first since the 2014 Auto Club 400. Brother Kurt Busch finished runner-up and Clint Bowyer finished third. Kevin Harvick and Joey Logano rounded out the top five.
Irv Hoerr is an American racing driver from Peoria, Illinois. He is primarily known for racing in several sports car racing series. Hoerr was the 1992 IMSA GTO champion. He moved up to the GTS-1 class winning the 1995 and 1996 titles. Hoerr made seven NASCAR Winston Cup Series starts and had two Top 10 finishes.
The 2018 Toyota/Save Mart 350 was a Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race held on June 24, 2018 at Sonoma Raceway in Sonoma, California. Contested over 110 laps on the 1.99-mile (3.20 km) road course, it was the 16th race of the 2018 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season.
The 2021 Toyota/Save Mart 350 was a NASCAR Cup Series race held on June 6, 2021, at Sonoma Raceway in Sonoma, California. Contested over 92 laps -- extended from 90 laps due to an overtime finish, on the 2.52-mile (4.06 km) road course, it was the 16th race of the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series season.
