Sonoma Raceway notebook: Drag racing returns to track

Wednesday Night Drags returned to Sonoma Raceway this week after NASCAR's annual stop in Wine Country this past weekend that saw Martin Truex Jr. take home the checkered flag in the Toyota/Save Mart 350.

This week's rendition saw two sweeps of the top spots in two divisions from Redwood Empire racers and one runner-up honor in the finals on the quarter-mile drag strip.

In an all-Petaluma final in the high school final, Bryan Ochoa once again took his 2002 Toyota Camry and defeated Jessica Rue Coulman and her 1996 Chevrolet by a little more than one second.

In the gear jammer division, two Santa Rosa residents battled neck-and-neck for top honors, with Tony Shatora racing his 2014 Ford Mustang against Barrie Beffa and winning by .011 of a second. In the jackpot division, Mark Scheuer of Santa Rosa in a 2011 Chevrolet lost to American Canyon's Lisa Caldwell in a 1973 Dodge Dart.

MEDLEN NITRO DINNER

The Sonoma Raceway division of Speedway Children's Charities will be honoring Ron Capps during the Eric Medlen Nitro Dinner at Viansa Sonoma winery on Thursday night before the Sonoma Nationals.

“It's an unbelievable honor. Not just the fact that it's the inaugural Eric Medlen Spirit Award, but the fact that it came from Steve Page and his group in Sonoma, and I consider them family,” Capps said in a statement. “My dad took me there as a kid, and whenever someone asks me what my favorite racetrack is, it doesn't take long for me to say Sonoma.”

The raceway said this year's event will focus on honoring someone within the drag-racing community who shares Medlen's qualities and has made efforts to contribute to charities.

Medlen was an Oakdale native who won the Funny Car championship for the John Force Racing team at Sonoma in 2006 before passing away during a testing accident in 2007.

Tickets start at $150 per person or $1,500 per table and include wine/beer and dinner. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit sonomaraceway.com or contact Cheri Plattner at 707-933-3950 or cplattner@sonomaraceway.com.

WEDNESDAY NIGHTS AT THE TRACK

The Wednesday Night Drags program runs almost every Wednesday. Currently in its 30th year, it runs from March 14-Nov. 4. Fans can race their vehicles down the quarter-mile drag strip in a controlled environment away from city streets. Gates open at 3:30 p.m. with racing from 4-10 p.m.

Competitors must have a driver's license to compete, their car must pass a technical inspection and all vehicles must have mufflers. Up to 300 cars are allowed to enter.

Running alongside the drags will be Sonoma Drift, where pros and amateurs can swing wheels to perfect their drifting techniques. Speed is secondary as competitors are judged on the style and execution of their drift through a marked course in the raceway's paddock. Cars must pass a technical inspection before being allowed to drift.

Drifting starts at 4 p.m. Drivers pay $25 and high school students with ID can race for $15 at the gate. Spectators can watch for $10.

MAJOR EVENTS COMING UP

With the Toyota/Save Mart 350 in the rearview mirror, Sonoma Raceway will be hosting the NHRA Sonoma Nationals during the last week of July and IndyCar will have its season-ending race - the Grand Prix in Sonoma - in mid-September. In addition to the bigger pro-series events, the NHRA will host a Division 7 event the weekend before the Sonoma races.

Cycle Gear's Moto America Road Race Championship will also host a race weekend during the second week of August.