Sears Point changes its name
Sears Point Raceway has been renamed Infineon Raceway as part of a long-term strategic partnership with one of the world’s top semiconductor manufacturing companies.
The new Infineon Raceway name and logo were unveiled at a Winner’s Circle press conference attended by senior executives of Speedway Motorsports, Infineon Technologies.
The agreement is the second such deal in America. Charlotte Superspeedway was renamed the Lowe's Superspeedway several years ago after the naming rights were acquired by a home improvement store.
“Proximity to the business centers of the Silicon Valley and the San Francisco Bay Area, combined with first-class motorsports and conference facilities, make the new Infineon Raceway the perfect venue for a technology and communication company like Infineon,” said Julian Hawkins, vice president of sales for Infineon Technologies North America Corp.
“By using the facilities here to showcase our products to customers, partners and the general public, we gain both broad exposure and direct business-to-business marketing opportunities. This is a superb starting point for business development and customer relationship programs to grow our business in North America.”
Infineon Technologies, the second-largest European-headquartered semiconductor company, is a leader in chips for computer memory, wireless communications, broadband networking, security and smart cards, and automotive applications. It has its North American headquarters close to Sears Point in San Jose, California.
Modernisation programme
The naming rights agreement comes at a time when the Sonoma raceway is nearing completion of a $50 million modernisation project. The extensive remodeling includes new grandstand and terrace seating that afford great views of the twisting and challenging 2.52-mile and 2-mile road courses and championship quarter-mile drag strip.
“We are delighted to welcome a world-class company like Infineon Technologies to the Speedway Motorsports family,” said Bruton Smith, chairman and CEO of Speedway Motorsports Inc. “The investment we’ve made in this facility is meant to create a quality environment for our race fans and corporate partners. The relationship with Infineon extends this quality brand image.
Infineon hopes the naming deal will be worth an estimate $60 million in in advertising and promotional exposure alone.
Two annual events will now also be renamed. The American Le Mans Series racewill be retitled the Infineon Grand Prix of Sonoma, and beginning in 2003, Infineon Raceway will host the Infineon Mountain Bike Challenge, a world-class competitive biking event.
As a result of the name change, the official website can now be found at: www.infineonraceway.com.
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