History opens Sonoma Raceway season, popular NASCAR next

It was another historical start to Sonoma Raceway’s 2014 Big O Tires major events season when 350 vintage and historic race cars traversed the famous 12-turn, 2.52-mile road course over the weekend in the 28th annual Sonoma Historic Motorsports Festival, setting the stage for the Valley’s biggest spectator-attended event.

The popular NASCAR Toyota/Save Mart 350 weekend will take place Friday through Sunday, June 20 to 22, with two new formats being implemented to enhance the fan experience.

A new group-qualifying format will put greater emphasis on winning NASCAR races all season long.

It will also expand the current “Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup” field to 16 drivers, and will implement a new round-by-round advancement format that ultimately will reward a battle-tested, worthy champion.

New for 2014, Sonoma Raceway is offering Buy-Early-and-Save options for the four biggest major event weekends. By purchasing in advance of NASCAR, NHRA, IndyCar and WTCC, fans can save up to 20 percent on event tickets. In addition, all Toyota/Save Mart 350 weekend pass holders will receive a complimentary Friday and Saturday Cold Pit Pass.

The Valley raceway is also offering new levels of value for the Toyota/Save Mart 350, as tickets start at $49 for race day. Prices have been restructured in all seating areas around the facility to offer better value to race fans, and the raceway will continue to offer camping around the facility, as well as many popular ticket upgrades, including the Pre-Race Pit Pass for Sunday morning.

For the first time, the raceway will offer kids’ pricing for NASCAR weekend, with children ages 12-and-under admitted free on Friday, June 20, for $10 on Saturday, June 21 and for half the price of regularly-priced tickets ($69 and above) for the Toyota/Save Mart 350.

Sonoma Raceway’s best ticket package is the 2014 Track Pass, which includes tickets to all major events; season-long VIP parking; a NASCAR Pre-Race Pit Pass; an INDYCAR garage/pit/pre-race pass; an NHRA Thunder Alley pass; and plenty of additional benefits.

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Seven of Sunday’s Sonoma Historic Motorsports Festival races were won by Bay Area drivers, with Alamo’s Jeff Abramson continuing his winning ways in Sonoma for the third consecutive year, winning Group 9 (1962 - 1967 Production/GT Cars over 2000cc) in his 1964 Corvette.

Fellow Alamo resident Carl Moore also posted a victory in his 1962 Lotus (Group 4, 1956 - 1963 Formula-Jr., F-2, F-1 Cars).

The other Bay Area winners on Sunday included Hillsborough’s Dick Jeffery (1937 Triumph, Group 1, Pre-1927 Sports, Touring Cars); San Francisco’s Charles McCabe (1936 ERA, Group 2, 1925 - 1941 Racing Cars); Fairfield’s Ron Myska (1969 Ford Talladega, Group 8, 1963 - 1973 Grand National Stock Cars); Emeryville’s Spencer Trenery (1970 McLaren, Group 12, 1966 - 1974 Historic Can-Am Cars); and Petaluma’s Randall Smith (1971 Chevron, Group 13, 1970-1979 IMSA GT & 1971-1979 FIA Cars).

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Sonoma Raceway’s 2014 Big O Tires major events schedule continues after NASCAR with the annual NHRA Sonoma Nationals the weekend of July 25 through 27, which are preceded by the NHRA Division 7 Drag Races July 18 through 20.

The IndyCar Series, featuring the GoPro Grand Prix of Sonoma, arrives in the Valley the weekend of Aug. 22 through 24, with the FIA World Touring Car Championship taking place Sept. 13 and 14, and the Classic Sports Racing Group Charity Challenge on Oct. 4 and 5.

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To purchase major event tickets, including the all-encompassing Track Pass and the Buy-Early-and-Save options for all four of the major event weekends, for details on the Wednesday Night Drags, or for general Sonoma Raceway information, call 800-870-RACE (7223), or visit racesonoma.com or ticketmaster.com.

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