Sonoma Raceway — Attraction in Novato

8/26/13

I miss when the days when this track was Sears Point and my dad was racing his Shelby, but its still fun to come out for the races a few times a season.

The multi-turn track has great views at turn 2 if you like cars spinning out and crashing. Turns 7 and 9 on the opposite side usually have discounted tickets for seating during the NASCAR race, and aren't terrible spots either. We moved around a lot during the Indy car races this weekend. Mostly in search of some shade.

The track allows you to bring in your own food and drinks (alcohol is allowed, but no glass bottles!) If you forget food, there are lots of options: typical track food like hot dogs and garlic fries, but also some healthier options like gluten free chips and sandwiches or taco salads. I like the selection of food and its all pretty good. Drinks are also typical prices: $7 for a domestic beer, $4 for a bottle of water. Since there aren't a lot of drinking fountains around (or any?) and its mostly unshaded seating, $4 is crazy in my opinion. I had my waterbottle with me and refilled it a couple of times in the bathroom sink.

Parking is free for a lot of events (but can be as much as $10). A shuttle picks up and drops off from the furthest lots, and the closer lots aren't a bad walk. They are dirt though so don't wash your car before race weekend - we were surprised to see a McLaren parked by us in the dirt lot, when you can pay for preferred parking. Lots of security around (CHP Explorers were in force this weekend!) - keeping you safe and directing traffic.

The track is a lot of fun if you enjoy watching car racing and checking out cars and sometimes new car products. Bring sunscreen and a hat on the warm days. 79 degrees can feel...

I was fortunate enough to attend the racing experience performance driving classes. Absolutely worth the money!

You're taught by professional race car drivers who have tons of experience not only on this track but on every track in the nation. The EDUCATION and professional support (including the support of fire and rescue during your classes) that you get from these guys I can't say enough about. Anybody who is considering purchasing a car nowadays that has the horsepower and has the capabilities that they do it's absolutely imperative that you take some sort of driving course because these cars are so fast and so able to cause harm if not driven properly not to say that you should be driving at their limit on streets that's why you learn how to drive on these courses. All I can say is do it it's well worth the money!

So I've mentioned how good the classes that I've taken are now let's talk about the scenery absolutely beautiful in the middle of the wine country what more could you ask for? You develop friendships that last at these courses and on track days. This is actually my Mustang here yes I know everybody's got a car that's much faster than my car I understand but the whole idea is to get out and have fun and do it safely the right way so that you know what you're doing and so that the money you put into your car doesn't end up wrapped around something and or worse your or someone else being being injured.

Do it safely everyone! This is one of the best places in the nation learn just how to do it...

Not great for kids... I'm not sure which disappointments can be attributed to NASCAR and which are owned by Sonoma Raceway, but this one example seems to be on Sonoma Raceway, as the Lego bin is not NASCAR-branded. We went to the NASCAR race on June 9 2024. The previous year, they had an almost-full Lego bin and kids could create cars and then race them down a short-hilled track. This year, very early in the race, the kids were all excited, and then their faces fell as they saw that Sonoma had not replaced the Legos that undoubtedly get stolen over a number of weeks or months. There is NO WAY that this amount of Legos was stolen in just an hour or two. If you are going to have something like this for the kids, keep it stocked! If you have to have an attendant there to make sure parents stop their kids from stealing them, then do so. You had a teenaged Sonoma employee/volunteer sitting in a chair at the bottom of the stairs of one of the tunnels for some unknown reason, just sitting there for hours. She could have been the Lego race car attendant. I watched child after child run up to the Lego bin, only to then be so disappointed and have their parents try to explain why Sonoma would keep the empty bins and racetrack there if there were no Legos. "Just don't really care about gaining young fans, I suppose" is the...