You’ve heard of the Chattanooga Choo-Choo, the Orange Blossom Special and the Wabash Cannonball.
Now you can add the NASCAR Express to the list, as fans attending this weekend’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Toyota/SaveMart 350 race and activities at Sonoma Raceway will have a rather unique way to say they’ve arrived — at the racetrack, that is.
Instead of flying or driving to the race, for the first time fans can hop aboard an actual train that will take them literally right to the main entrance.
How cool is that?
The train will depart on race morning from Sacramento with additional stops in Davis and Suisun City before ending up right in front of the track.
“We couldn’t be more excited to finally offer fans this unique and hassle-free enhancement to their race-day experience,” Steve Page, president and general manager of Sonoma Raceway, said in a statement. “We have worked for nearly two decades to make this happen and we are very grateful for the support and cooperation of all the agencies who’ve come together to make it happen.”
One of the biggest complaints by race fans over the years has been the ingress and egress to the track, with essentially only two main roads into and out of the track. The train option gives an added — and likely much easier and nerve-settling — way to get to and away from the track. If the experiment works out, perhaps we may soon see trains from other venues, including San Francisco (we can only hope, right?).
One other lure: there’s two cars on the train that offer food and drinks!
But this isn’t a $10 roundtrip, unfortunately. The cost is somewhat steep at $199, but there are perks in addition to your roundtrip train fare, including a reserved-seat ticket in the main grandstand, VIP entry to the track, on-track access to driver introductions and pre-race ceremonies (worth much of the price right there) and a commemorative T-shirt.
For more information, call 1-800-870-RACE (7223) or click here.
