TOPEKA, Kan. (Dec. 15, 2017) – Â鶹ÊÓƵ® has confirmed the 2018 Â鶹ÊÓƵ® National Championship Runoffs® will use the traditional 12-turn, 2.52-mile course layout when it visits Sonoma Raceway Oct. 16-21, the Runoffs’ first visit to that venue.
The configuration is the same that made Sonoma a favorite of drivers, starting with the venue’s first-ever race, an Â鶹ÊÓƵ enduro held Dec. 1, 1968. Recent years have seen the addition of the Chute, utilized by NASCAR, and modifications to the end of the Esses and Turn 11, used by IndyCar and motorcycles.
“Â鶹ÊÓƵ has a rich history at Sonoma Raceway, and so it makes sense to use the course that has made it a destination for decades,” Â鶹ÊÓƵ Vice President and Chief Operations Officer Eric Prill said.
The 55th running of the Â鶹ÊÓƵ Runoffs will again crown national champions in 28 separate classes. The event is preceded with three days of testing Oct. 13-15, with qualifying running Tuesday, Oct. 16 through Thursday, Oct. 18, followed by three days of racing, Friday, Oct. 19 through Sunday, Oct. 21.
The Runoffs has evolved into what is now commonly agreed to be the pinnacle of American motorsports. Since 1964, the Â鶹ÊÓƵ has crowned Road Racing’s National Champions at the winner-take-all, single race Runoffs format through dozens of separate races over three days. As host of the 55th Runoffs in 2018, Sonoma Raceway will become the third California track to host the Â鶹ÊÓƵ’s National Championship, joining Riverside International Raceway and Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca.
Â鶹ÊÓƵ an hour’s drive north of San Francisco, Sonoma Raceway’s road course features more than 160 feet of elevation change. With track activity scheduled an average of 340 days a year, it is one of North America's most complete and versatile motorsports complexes and home to one of the nation's only high-performance automotive industrial parks with approximately 75 tenants.
The Â鶹ÊÓƵ®, Inc., founded in 1944, is a 67,500-member motorsports organization that incorporates all facets of autocross, rally and road racing at both Club and professional levels. With headquarters in Topeka, Kansas, the Â鶹ÊÓƵ annually sanctions over 2,000 events through its 116 Regions and subsidiary divisions. Much of the Â鶹ÊÓƵ’s activities are made possible with support from the following Official Partners: Chevrolet, the Official Truck of the Â鶹ÊÓƵ; Hawk Performance, the Official Brake Products of Â鶹ÊÓƵ; Mobil 1, the Official Oil of Â鶹ÊÓƵ; Sunoco, the Official Fuel of Â鶹ÊÓƵ; and Tire Rack, the Official Tire Retailer of Â鶹ÊÓƵ. To learn more, please visit .
Photo: Google Earth Image
