Sonoma Raceway notebook: NASCAR weekend finally arrives

The Sonoma Raceway NASCAR Monster Energy Cup Series Toyota/Save Mart 350 weekend is finally here, with 100,000 fans expected to attend Sunday's race at the 10-turn, 1.99-mile road course.

The pageantry of a NASCAR weekend in Wine Country, the celebrities who attend, the events surrounding the race and the amenities can be as noteworthy as the action on the track itself.

Here are some of the things to keep an eye on if you'll be at Sonoma Raceway this weekend:

SONOMA RISING

The raceway will be honoring first responders and other local heroes as part of its Sonoma Rising program to remember victims of October's wildfires. The raceway said race fans have submitted nominations for Sonoma County residents who performed heroic deeds during the fires, and the winning heroes will be honored during Sunday's pre-race ceremonies.

In addition, first responders who responded to North Bay firestorm will be introduced along with the top 10 drivers on race day.

PRUETT TO DRIVE PACE CAR

Former road racer, NASCAR driver and current Northern California resident Scott Pruett will be driving the Toyota Camry ahead of Sunday's race.

According to the raceway, Pruett retired following January's Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona after 50 years of racing in several different formats, including NASCAR, IndyCar, SportsCars and Australian SuperCars.

He led 5,262 laps across his career.

In the Cup series, Pruett has earned three top-five finishes, two of which came at road courses, including a third-place finish at Sonoma in 2004.

GOLD MEDALIST

U.S. Olympic gold medalist and Bay Area resident Jonny Moseley will be the race's Grand Marshal. He will be giving the command for drivers to start their engines on Sunday.

Moseley's love of motorsports started at the raceway when he attended and watched a race from the back tailgate of a friend's 1973 Toyota FJ Cruiser.

“I'll never forget the sound and the speed with which the cars navigated the hill and turns in that section. The image is burned in my mind and I have been a fan ever since,” Moseley said in a statement.

Moseley won the gold medal at the 1998 Nagano Winter Olympics in the moguls freestyle skiing competition and is known in the sport as being one of the most influential skiers of all time.

In addition to his race-day duties, Moseley will be honored Friday at a charity event for the raceway at Cline Cellars in Sonoma.

NASCAR BANQUET

Moseley will be one of several guests of honor - along with 16-year-old NASCAR K&N Pro Series driver Hailie Deegan, two-time Daytona 500 winner Michael Waltrip and current Cup series driver and Northern California native Matt DiBenedetto (Grass Valley) - at the Children's Champions banquet at Cline Cellars.

The gala dinner is a fundraiser for the Sonoma chapter of Speedway Children's Charities.

For more information about the banquet, contact Cheri Plattner at 707-933-3950 or by email at cplattner@sonomaraceway.com.