Endurance racing for $500 cars returns to Sonoma Raceway this weekend as the 24 Hours of Lemons squeezes into wine country, March 9-10.

The Sears Pointless at HooptieCon, confusingly Presented by Yokohama, marks the series' first of two annual stops in Sonoma for a race unlike any other. More than 150 low-powered heaps will struggle around Sonoma's famed circuit over the course of two seven-hour sessions on Saturday and Sunday.  Spectators may wonder what exactly they are watching when not-so-classics and rusto-mods attempt to complete one of the world's most unique endurance races.

While the 24 Hours of Lemons occupies the twists and turns of Sonoma Raceway, the paddock will become home to HooptieCon, a collection of weird, wonderful, and outrightly tubular automobiles in a brace of off-kilter car shows. These include Radwood ('80s and '90s cars with period-correct dress), Billetproof (pre-1965 traditional hot rods and customs), Concours d'Lemons (celebrating the oddball, mundane, and truly awful of the automotive world) and the Gambler 500 (off-road navigation challenges and stupidity), capped off by a parade lap around the road course at 5 p.m. for car show participants and the Soggy Lemons Night Cruise, a Lemons-grade paddock cruise on Saturday beginning at 6 p.m.

While all this foolishness is primarily done in the name of fun, it's also done in the name of charity, as a portion of proceeds benefit Sonoma County non-profit organizations through Speedway Children's Charities, the charitable arm of Sonoma Raceway.

The weekend will feature racing from 9:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. on Saturday and 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m. on Sunday.  All-access, full weekend spectator tickets are $30 each at the gate or $20 for a Saturday-only HooptieCon pass. Kids under 16 are admitted free all weekend. For more information on this wild and wacky weekend, visit www.24hoursoflemons.com.