WESTFIELD, Mass. -- When Dale Quarterley last raced at the twisty road course in Sonoma, California, the year was 1995, the track was known as Sears Point Raceway, and his racing vehicle was a motorcycle. In 2007, Quarterley will return to the track, now known as Infineon Raceway, in a NASCAR Grand National Division, West Series stock car. On June 23rd, he'll strap into his No. 32 Carpet One Chevrolet with the goal of adding to his impressive road racing record in the Blue Lizard Australian Suncream 200.
Quarterley, a six-time winner in NASCAR Grand National Division, Busch East Series competition including two wins on Lime Rock Park's road course, will be racing under the banner of Kosmo Racing, owned by Kerrie Kosmides. Quarterley's experience at Infineon Raceway began in the 1980s, and it was the first track where he put his Superbike in the winner's circle.
The Carpet One Chevrolet that Quarterley will be driving at Infineon Speedway has an impressive track record. It's won poles and led hundreds of laps at both Lime Rock Park and Watkins Glen in NASCAR Grand National competition. Luck hasn't always been on its side as it's suffered flat tires and extended races where it ran out of gas while leading. But Quarterley is confident that it can return to winning form far from his Westfield, Massachusetts home.
"The car always runs up front," he said. "It wants to run up front every time it gets on the track. I hope it likes being on the west coast as much as it's liked racing back east."
And while the race track may have changed since he was on it last, Quarterley maintains that it won't be as much as a challenge in a car as it was on a motorcycle.
"If you spin out in a car, you just pop it into reverse, get back on the track, and drive away," he said. "ON a bike you're usually not that lucky."
