Milestone Moment: Ricky Rudd Wins First Race at Sonoma
By Keith Waltz NASCAR stock car racing invaded California’s wine country on June 11, 1989, when Ricky Rudd held off Rusty Wallace to win the Banquet Frozen Foods 300 at the track now known as Sonoma Raceway. NASCAR was forced to find a new Golden State venue for its premier racing series after Riverside International Raceway was consumed by development following the 1988 season. The historic track, located in the Los Angeles suburb of Riverside, had been a regular stop on the NASCAR schedule since the early 1960s. Officials opted to move Riverside’s traditional June race to Sonoma Raceway, located in the…