SONOMA, Calif. (April 21, 2011) – Infineon Raceway will celebrate Earth Day this Friday, April 22, with the completion of a major solar-panel installation that will make the Sonoma Valley facility one of the most sustainable motor-racing facilities in the country. Through a partnership with Panasonic Corporation of North America, the raceway has completed an installation of nearly 1,700 solar panels as well as a new dual-sided, solar-powered LED display board along Highway 37.The installation will offset approximately 41-percent of the raceway’s total energy use. “It has been very exciting to see all of this work unfold and now to look out on this beautiful array of solar panels and think about the power they are generating every minute the sun is out,” said Steve Page, president and general manager of Infineon Raceway. The solar installation, which is a part of the raceway’s Accelerating Sustainable Performance program, included the installation of solar panels atop the Turn 10 Sound Wall, Main Grandstand, Jim Russell Racing Drivers School Tech Center, Raceway Café and Infineon Raceway’s main offices. A total of 1,652 of Panasonic’s Sanyo solar panels were installed, which will be visible to race fans and visitors throughout race weekends and track days. The installation continues the raceway’s march toward sustainability. The raceway has recycled more than 208 tons of materials since 2004, uses more than 3,000 sheep to help maintain grasses and fire lanes around the facility and has built 15 owl boxes around the property to encourage nesting and, thus, eliminating the need for pesticides in controlling rodents. Through the Accelerating Sustainable Performance program, the raceway also looks to feature zero or low-carbon racing at major events and will host a summit of sustainability industry leaders at the Accelerating Sustainable Performance Summit the week of the Indy® Grand Prix of Sonoma, Aug. 24-26. Amyris, an integrated renewable products company focused on providing sustainable alternatives to a broad range of petroleum-sourced products, has signed on as lead sponsor of the summit. In addition to Panasonic and Amyris, other current partners participating in the Accelerating Sustainable Performance program include Safety-Kleen and PG&E, which conducted a comprehensive energy audit of the raceway earlier this year. For more information about Infineon Raceway’s sustainability initiatives or for major event information, visit infineonraceway.com or call 800-870-RACE (7223).