Race fans are invited to join a celebration of Sonoma Raceway's 50th anniversary with three NASCAR legends during the Toyota/Save Mart 350 at Sonoma Raceway on Sunday, June 23.

Ernie Irvan, Richard Childress and Hershel McGriff will be the featured guests during the pre-race Legends Chat, which will serve as the centerpiece of the Pre-Race Show Powered by Friedman's Home Improvement just hours before the green flag falls on the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series main event in Sonoma.

Irvan, Childress and McGriff have each left indelible legacies in NASCAR and at Sonoma Raceway:

  • Ernie Irvan: A two-time Daytona winner, Irvan earned two Sonoma victories, including one of the road course's most memorable. In 1992, he won the Save Mart Supermarkets 300 after being black-flagged for crossing the starting line ahead of pole winner Ricky Rudd. He came back to pass 41 cars to take the checkered flag. Just two years later, Irvan became the first two-time winner of a NASCAR Cup event in Sonoma. Irvan was inducted into the raceway's Wall of Fame in 2016.
  • Richard Childress: Richard Childress Racing (RCR) also celebrates its golden anniversary in 2019. RCR has accumulated 15 championships and more than 200 victories across NASCAR's top three series, including three Daytona 500 wins. The NASCAR Hall of Famer has two Sonoma victories, including Dale Earnhardt's only Cup Series road-course win in 1995.
  • Hershel McGriff: McGriff competed in the 1969 Sta-Power 150 Pacific Coast Late Model Division race during Sonoma's inaugural season. He'd go on to make 31 starts in Sonoma in the Cup Series (5), Southwest Tour (6) and West Series (20); garnering three wins. In 2018, McGriff became the oldest racer to compete in a NASCAR-sanctioned event when he drove in the K&N Pro Series West event at Tucson Speedway at the age of 90.

The best way to secure stage-front access for this special celebration is to purchase the raceway's NASCAR Total Access pass. This package includes the Q&A session with NASCAR legends, as well as a Sunday reserved seat, NASCAR Drivers' Meeting access, Pre-Race Pass for driver introductions and festivities, plus a FanVision unit for as little as $149; a savings of 20%. For fans who have already purchased their NASCAR tickets, the Pre-Race Pass can be added for $75 each.

As an additional element of its 50th anniversary celebration, Sonoma Raceway will return to its historic 12-turn, 2.52-mile road-course layout for the Toyota/Save Mart 350 NASCAR weekend. The full track layout, which was originally unveiled when the raceway opened in 1968, incorporates the raceway's signature sweeping downhill corner known as "The Carousel."

The Pre-Race Show Powered by Friedman's Home Improvement will also feature the popular Patriots Jet Team six-jet air show, an aerial stunt performance by Brad Wursten, skydivers, driver introductions and a dynamic anthem flyover by F-15s from the Oregon National Guard. The Total Access pass also includes exclusive access to the NASCAR Drivers' Meeting, which will be held on Turn 11 of the road course prior to the Legends Chat.

For more information or to purchase your tickets today, call 800-870-7223 or visit www.sonomaraceway.com/nascar.