9/16/03 -- Every Wednesday through November, drag racing at Infineon Raceway is available to all that want to participate. For $20 ($15 for students) you can race the family sled down the same quarter-mile strip that the likes of Gary Nixon, John Force and Warren Johnson race every year. Or for $10 you can be a spectator.

Either way, the Wednesday Night Drags provide a pretty cheap night out. Instead of going to a two-hour movie, you can create your own racing reality from 5 to 9:45 p.m. Gates open at 3:30 p.m., so you can get your car, truck or motorcycle certified. Then it's off to get into line for the category you've chosen. The categories are jackpot, comp. rod, super rod, motorcycle, street, sport street and high school. Drag racing aficionados from all over the Bay Area, young and old, male and female, experienced through beginner, will test their reaction to the Christmas tree set of lights that will launch you down the quarter-mile of asphalt.

Since 1989, the Wednesday Night Drags have provided students, parents, grandparents and business people the opportunity to race on the track, not on the street. Sabrina Pecora, a recently licensed 16-year-old California driver who resides in Sonoma, takes her newly acquired 1970 Chevy pickup to the track in search of future fame and fortune. Having worked the summers of the previous three years, Pecora saved enough money to purchase the truck of her dreams, in order to learn the ropes of drag racing. Every Wednesday night, grades permitting, she will be lined up in the high school staging lane waiting for her chance to qualify for that night's event.

Last Wednesday, Pecora got as far as the semis and won a trophy.

In order for her to learn the art of racing safely, her father wisely put a throttle control on this 350 cu. in. small block V-8 that restricts her speed to 80 m.p.h. in 16 seconds. Gradually the throttle control will be rolled back as her experience deepens. Another opportunity that's available for the high school set is the chance to race against the men in blue with their stock patrol cars.

Infineon Raceway, along with the Santa Rosa Police Department, created this unique program in 1997, and it has grown in both scope and importance. Law enforcement agencies from Sonoma, Napa and Marin counties are participating in this year's program.

What's unique about the program is that it's up to the police officer as to who is going to race against him or her. This way everyone racing in the high school category has an opportunity to "Top-the-Cops."

At the recent Fram/Autolite Nationals held at Infineon Raceway, several cops were invited to show the 50,000 fans what the program was all about and gave a demonstration during the event.

Pecora was recently invited to compete in the event by sergeant T.J. Van Bebber of the Sonoma County Sheriff's Department. During the Friday night qualifying, the first demonstration round was run and Pecora went too fast beating officer Van Bebber. She broke out of the dialed-in-time that she set for herself. During Sunday's show, Pecora was a little nervous on the starting line in front of the huge NHRA crowd and red-lighted, giving the win to Van Bebber.

For more information on these and all future events at Infineon Raceway, call (800) 870-RACE, or visit www.infineonraceway.com on the Web.

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