As the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series heads to Sonoma Raceway this weekend after coming of an idle-week, the wine region of California has much more to offer fans than just racing.
The weekend will be packed with fans from near and far looking forward to the many events and things to do.
The view of the wine region is a treat within itself and gives way to a 1.99-mile, 12-turn road course that races as aggressively as a short track. Because of the unique and compact layout of the course, fans in the stands can see almost all the bumping and hitting that takes place after the green flag flies.
Sonoma Raceway has provided many unforgettable moments in racing. Two moments that stick out are Tony Stewart’s move on Denny Hamlin for the win in 2016 and Kyle Busch’s win in 2015 that pushed him into championship contention. This complicated road course has sent numerous frustrated drivers off-course and into the tire barriers in the battle for position.
The winner receives something only a Northern California track can provide – an iconic and over-sized “Champion’s Goblet” of red wine in Victory Lane.
Sonoma Raceway to Honor Heroes, Provide Fan Entertainment
Sonoma Raceway will honor first responders and local heroes as part of the “Sonoma Rising” program. Race fans have submitted nominations for Sonoma County residents who stood out during devastating fires of 2017 and the winning heroes will be recognized during pre-race ceremonies. In addition, the top 10 drivers will be introduced alongside first responders from North Bay agencies that responded during the fires.
Food, Drinks and Fun for Everyone
Race fans will not be disappointed by the large array of food they can indulge in this weekend at Sonoma Raceway.
Levy Restaurants will provide new food at the track, such as loaded fry bread nachos with Dungeness crab, pulled pork or impossible meat, and Farmstand Deli sandwiches including the Racer Banh Mi – a Wine Country Baguette with Parisian ham, brie, Dijon aioli and arugula.
That’s the just beginning of the menu on tap.
Fans 21 and over can enjoy race-themed drinks like Tito’s Texas Bloody Mary, Raceway Lemonade and American Mule. The raceway has also installed 100 feet of Humboldt Redwood stand-up bars in front of the Raceway Café, which is a cool and easy spot to sit down and enjoy your food and drinks.
Sonoma Raceway, in an effort to keep fans cool during the long, hot race weekend, has collaborated with Portacool to provide ten Portacool Cooling Stations spread throughout the raceway. Along with this, the RevZone at Turn 7 will feature more than twice the amount of shade and picnic tables as previous years. There is now a 9,000-square foot shade tent with more than 70 picnic tables for fans to enjoy the entertainment and relax in the shade.
For the fourth year in a row, Save Mart and Lucky will host the Breaking Zone in the main paddock area. This is a popular fan destination aimed specifically at social media activity. There will be a photo booth and virtual-reality ride around the track. It will also include Q&As with drivers and NASCAR personnel, as well as music to keep the party going.
There will be several DC Solar Power Stations placed around the track for fast and easy charging of phones and other electronics.
A Total Access Pass to Get Behind the Scenes
Sonoma Raceway has partnered with Friedman’s Home Improvement to host a pre-race show before the Toyota/Save Mark 350 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race on Sunday, June 24. The entertainment starts at 10 a.m. Fans looking to be involved in all the action should purchase the Total Access pass, which includes access to the NASCAR Drivers’ Meeting, Pre-Race Pass, a reserved seat in the Main Grandstand or Turn 2 Terrace and FanVision controller rental.
The Drivers’ Meeting will be held at 10 a.m. inside Sonoma Raceway’s famed Turn 11 hairpin. At 10:15 a.m., “Wild Thing” Steve Stavrakakis will amaze fans from the sky in his rare ex-Romanian Military IAR-823 aircraft. Martin Truex Jr. will do a “Chat with the Champ” at 10:25 a.m. on the pre-race stage.
The Patriots Jet Team Air Show will be at 10:45 a.m. – just one hour before the green flag drops. At 11:15 a.m., Sonoma Raceway will begin their Hometown Hero Recognition.
Legendary road racer and Northern California native Scott Pruett will pilot the Toyota Camry pace car to lead the Toyota/Save Mart 350 field.
Grand Marshal Jonny Mosley and special guests of Toyota will give the most famous words in motorsports — “Drivers, start your engines! — to begin the 110 laps of the race at Sonoma.
Catch the Action for Yourself
Tickets, parking and transportation are all still available for the Toyota/Save Mart 350 weekend, June 22-24. For more information, call 800-870-7223, visit www.sonomaraceway.com.