NASCAR Brings Carnival Atmosphere at Infineon's Big Day

While the stars of NASCAR were taking the turns at Infineon Raceway at full speed, some of the fans took a more leisurely turn around the Sonoma Valley.

Hot air balloons took off from the hillside overlooking the race course during Sunday's Toyota/Save Mart 350 for those looking for a thrill. Other fans found their thrills in the pit area, within arm's reach of the super-powered race cars.

Fan favorite Dale Earnhardt Jr. was knocked out of the field halfway through the race, but the capacity crowd stayed to watch Kurt Busch take the checkered flag. Nearly 100,000 fans passed through the gates at the track during the three-day event.

Grand marshal John Ratzenberger took in the scene at a track he claimed as one of his favorites. Ratzenberger, the voice of Mack Truck in Disney Pixar's Cars and Cars 2, picked Vallejo native Jeff Gordon to win. Gordon finished second.

"Start at the beer tents and go from there. It gets pretty interesting at the track," the former Cheers star joked after doing some people-watching.

There was plenty of beer, soda, popcorn, tri-tip sandwiches to keep the belly satisfied.

Most fans came in to the track ready to support their favorite driver. Campers flew the flags of Jimmie Johnson, Earnhardt Jr., Gordon and others all weekend, declaring their allegiance. There was no shortage of t-shirts, hats and other gear for the faithful and the novices to choose from.

Longtime fans left flowers at the Turn 2 memorial site for the late Dale Earnhardt Sr., who was one of the most dominating NASCAR drivers before his death.

Things got interesting even before the race, with members of Beach Blanket Babylon singing the National Anthem in full costume and aerial stunts by the Patriots Jet Demonstration Team. Oversized, engine-powered shopping carts added to the carnival feeling, with one lucky fan even riding around the track with his groceries to delight the crowd.