New Drag Strip Gets Great Reviews

Contact: John Cardinale
Sears Point Raceway
707-938-8448, xt. 107

Drag Strip Gets Great Reviews at "Test & Tune"

SONOMA, Calif. (IMMEDIATE RELEASE) - Sears Point Raceway officially opened its drag strip to the public on Tuesday night for a "Test & Tune" session and the public had rave reviews of the new quarter-mile strip, as well as the improved Sears Point Raceway.

Nearly 900 people, including 350 competitors, turned out for the session, which served as a tune-up for next week's official opening of the "Wednesday Night Drags." This will mark the 14th year of the highly-successful program.

"I wasn't going to miss tonight for the world," said Mike Moak, a Santa Rosa resident who has been drag racing at Sears Point for three years. "I was real curious as to what this place was going to look like and I can't believe it. The drag strip is great, but there is so much more around."

"Wednesday Night Drags" is open to the public, and allows participants to drive almost anything down the drag strip, provided it passes a simple technical inspection. The program begins next Wednesday, April 17, and spans almost weekly through Nov. 13. Gates open at 3:30 p.m.

Competitors got their first glance of the totally refurbished drag strip on Tuesday night, complete with a 660-foot concrete launch. The strip has also been separated from the road course and features a Musco Lighting System for night racing, as well as a Compulink Timing System. The "Test & Tune" ran from 4-7 p.m.

"The track is really smooth compared to last year, and the car hooked up well," said Crash Lowry, a regular competitor from Walnut Creek. "The track will get better with more rubber and as it gets hotter. It's going to be great with the cool night air."

Tony Shatara, a 10-year veteran of "Wednesday Night Drags" from Santa Rosa, said: "The track is so much better I can't believe it. I think it is going to be one of the best in the country. I was pretty in awe when I came out here tonight."

The "Wednesday Night Drags" program is one of the most successful grass-roots drag racing programs in the country. The program was created to encourage racing on the track, not the street.  Everything from Mini-Vans to supercharged Dodge Vipers will be seen on the track, as well as lawyers, farmers, grandmothers and high school students competing on the world famous drag strip.  For more information, visit www.searspoint.com.