NHRA - National Hot Rod Association

Sonoma Raceway will host a series of special events in conjunction with the annual Toyota NHRA Sonoma Nationals this week at the California raceplant, including the annual Eric Medlen Nitro Night Charity Dinner and a Starting Line Party.

 

Eric Medlen Nitro Night Charity Dinner, July 28
 

Race fans are invited to enjoy a festive evening with NHRA racers, all in the name of charity, at the 10th annual Eric Medlen Nitro Night Charity Dinner at Bay Club Stone Tree on Thursday, July 28.
 
In addition to raising funds for Speedway Children’s Charities (SCC), the charitable arm of Sonoma Raceway, the evening is dedicated to the memory of Oakdale’s Eric Medlen. Medlen, a native of the San Joaquin Valley, won the Funny Car event title for John Force Racing at his home track in Sonoma in 2006. In 2007, he succumbed to injuries sustained from a testing accident.
 
A number of popular NHRA personalities have been confirmed for the evening, including Jack Beckman, Ron Capps, Ashley Force Hood, Courtney Force, Scotty Pollacheck, and J.R. Todd.
 
The racers will kick off the evening with an invitational Texas Hold ‘em charity poker tournament, presented by McDonald’s and the Costa Organization, starting at 6 p.m. The evening will also feature a reception, sponsored by First Republic Bank, a New York steak dinner, charity drawing, and Q&A with all of the racers.
 
Bay Club Stone Tree is in Novato, less than 5 miles from the raceway, providing easy access for fans and race teams. The raceway has also added a free shuttle for campers to and from the event.
 
Tickets for the evening are $125 and include wine/beer and dinner.  All proceeds go to qualified youth groups in Sonoma County in Medlen’s name through SCC.
 
The event, which has been sold out each of the last nine years, typically boasts a healthy contingent from Medlen’s hometown of Oakdale, including his mother, Mimi, and his father, John.
 
For more information or to purchase tickets to the Eric Medlen Nitro Night Charity Dinner, log on to http://bit.ly/29l21Ax or contact Cheri Plattner, 707-933-3950, cplattner@sonomaraceway.com.

 

Sonoma Raceway joins NHRA in celebrating 50 years of Funny Car racing during the Toyota NHRA Sonoma Nationals and has put together this special event to get fans close to these racing veterans.

 

Drag racing fans can join NHRA Funny Car legends Don “the Snake” Prudhomme and Ed “the Ace” McCulloch at a special pre-race Starting Line Party at the Toyota NHRA Sonoma Nationals.

 

The legendary racers will be featured as part of the Starting Line Party ticket package, which includes a reserved seat in the main grandstand and access to a special Q&A with Prudhomme and McCulloch prior to eliminations Sunday, July 31. The Q&A will be followed by the SealMaster NHRA Track Walk down the dragstrip. The package also includes a Thunder Alley pass, offering the closest access to the strip for race fans.

 

Prudhomme, a four-time NHRA Funny Car world champion, was the first Funny Car driver to exceed 250 mph. He is the only driver to win in two Pro categories in Sonoma: Funny Car (1989) and Top Fuel (1992). He retired in 1994 to manage his own racing team and went on to win two Top Fuel championships (2002, 2003) with driver Larry Dixon.

 

McCulloch, who scored 22 wins in his driving career (18 in Funny Car and four in Top Fuel), traded his firesuit for wrenches in 1995 and began a second career as a winning crew chief, racking up 27 more wins, including 16 with Ron Capps.

 

The Starting Line Party ticket package runs from $80 to $85, depending on seat location, or just $20 as an upgrade to a reserved-seat purchase.

 

Sonoma Raceway has a rich history of Funny Car racing. From Mark Oswald’s victory at the first NHRA national event in Sonoma in 1988 to Jack Beckman’s record-setting victory in 2015, Sonoma has hosted the best Funny Car drivers in NHRA history. And you simply can’t say Funny Car without mentioning John Force, who boasts seven Funny Cars wins in Wine Country – the most of any professional NHRA racer.

 

 

For the second year in a row, a collection of nostalgia dragsters will light up the night as they fire up their engines for a can’t-miss Cacklefest Friday, July 29. More than a dozen dragsters, including Rough & Ready Racing’s Happy Hour Funny Car and Don DeCero’s Dago Express, are confirmed to participate in the show, which will take place in front of the main grandstand.

 

These dragsters and many more will also be on display in the 7th annual Nostalgia Get-Together, which will be hosted throughout race weekend. This year’s Get-Together will feature nearly 40 vintage racing machines and hot rods in the garages in the main paddock. Entry to the Get-Together is free with admission into the raceway.

 

The area will feature vintage front-engine nostalgia Funny Car floppers, Top Fuel dragsters, A/Fuel Dragsters, Gassers, and more. Plus, you’ll get to talk with the owners of these historical machines and get autographs. Some of the highlighted cars include Mike Morel’s Little City 'Cuda Funny Car, Steven Densham’s Teacher’s Pet, and many more.

 

Car enthusiasts will also enjoy the 6th annual Blast on the Grass Car Show, on the Piccinini Plaza lawn behind the staging lanes. Featuring fan-owned hot rods, muscle cars, Rat rods, and exotics, it’s a great chance for fans to show off their rides.

 

These elements and many more round out a jam-packed weekend of racing at the Toyota NHRA Sonoma Nationals. This marks the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series’ only stop in Northern California and the only chance to witness 10,000-horsepower dragsters rocketing down the dragstrip. For more information or to purchase tickets for the Toyota NHRA Sonoma Nationals, log on to SonomaRaceway.com/NHRA or call 800-870-7223.