SONOMA, Calif. (June 10, 2016) - The Toyota/Save Mart 350 is sure to feature its usual high-intensity action on Sunday, June 26, and Sonoma Raceway has teamed up with Friedman's Home Improvement to assemble an unforgettable pre-race show featuring everything from jets to aeronautical aerobatics to live musical entertainment.
There will be plenty of on-track action throughout the day, so fans should be sure to arrive early, as pre-race entertainment gets underway at 8:30 a.m. on Sunday, June 26. For even more access, the Pre-Race Pit & Track Pass includes a pre-race Cold Pit Pass and access to the track for the Friedman's Pre-Race Show and driver introductions. New for 2016, youth 18 and under are allowed on-track access with the Pre-Race Pit & Track Pass.
Friedman's' Home Improvement will also give one lucky fan the chance to be introduced on stage with the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stars during pre-race ceremonies. Race fans can enter at participating Friedman's Home Improvement stores through June 16 for the chance to win grandstand tickets, Pre-Race Pit & Track Passes and this center-stage experience.
Here is what to expect during the Pre-Race Show Powered by Friedman's Home Improvement:
Pre-Race Concert by Jackson Michelson
American Country singer/songwriter Jackson Michelson has always been drawn to entertaining performances, inspiring him to place his focus on creating an intimate, entertaining live performance for fans. Raised on country, rock, reggae, & soul music, Jackson will make you smile with his raw country jams like "The Good Life" and melt your heart with the heartfelt "Fire Burns For You."
NASCAR Drivers' Meeting Concert by Toree McGee
Blessed with a rafter-reaching soprano range and a voice that emanates grit and fire, Toree McGee describes her music as a blend of "Woodstock rock 'n' roll, and sparkly country." Behind the Northern California native's powerful, edgy vocals is a candid, bubbly personality, along with a natural, effervescent stage personality inherited from a family lineage filled with performers.
Aerial Stunt Performance by Brad Wursten
Utah's Brad Wursten is an accomplished pilot with over 1,500 hours of flying time in various aircraft. Wursten will take to the sky in one of the most highly-sophisticated airplanes in the world, the MXS-R, made by MX Aircraft. This plane features a complete carbon fiber airframe that weighs an impressive 1,100 lbs. The Lycoming engine has 385 HP and can reach a top speed of over 300 MPH, a roll rate at 420 degrees per second, and "G" loading at +/- 15 Gs.
Patriots Jet Team Air Show
The Patriots Jet Team will electrify race fans with a 25-minute air show just one-hour before the green flag drops! The demonstration will feature six-L-39 albatross jets strutting their fast-paced formation flying, choreographed six-jet diamond-formation aerobatic maneuvers and their signature "Tail Slide," where the aircraft actually slides backwards toward the ground.
25 Years of Save Mart Supermarkets
To honor Save Mart Supermarkets' long-running sponsorship in Sonoma, the raceway has put together a video to highlight the top 10 on-track moments from the past 25 years. Ranked by the fans, these moments include Jeff Gordon's historic victories, Dale Earnhardt's only Cup Series road-course win and Ernie Irvan's last-to-first run for the checkers.
Driver Introductions
The field of NASCAR Sprint Cup Series drivers will walk the "cat walk" before taking their pre-race parade lap. Be sure you've purchased your Pre-Race Pit & Track Pass to get an up-close look at driver introductions.
Save Mart Giant Shopping Cart
Save Mart Supermarkets will take its giant 12-foot shopping cart "Big Red" for a lap around the road course.
Team Fastrax
Team Fastrax Professional Skydiving Team is an ambitious professional parachute demonstration. Four skydivers will parachute through the sky with large flags as Toree McGee sings "God Bless America."
National Anthem performed by Q. Smith
Broadway star, Qiana "Q" Smith, will salute our county by performing the national anthem before the Toyota/Save Mart 350. Smith, a native of Omaha, will appear in concert in Transcendence Theatre's "This Magic Moment" at Jack London State Historic Park, July 1-3.
Anthem Flyover Provided by Oregon National Guard
The Oregon National Guard will provide two F-15C jets that will soar through the sky immediately following the national anthem. The jets will be flown by pilots from the 114th Fighter Squadron out of Kingsley Field in Klamath Falls, Oregon.
Drivers, Start Your Engines!
Following all of this incredible entertainment, it's time to fire up the engines for 110 laps on the Sonoma Valley road course!
Tickets, parking and transportation are all still available for the Toyota/Save Mart weekend, June 24-26. For more information, call 800-870-7223, visit www.sonomaraceway.com.
