Stephen Ellison

Man, 75, Dies After High-Speed Crash at Sonoma Raceway Event

A 75-year-old Napa man died during a sanctioned racing event Wednesday evening at Sonoma Raceway, according to California Highway Patrol and raceway officials.

The death was reported at about 6:15 p.m. at a Sonoma Drags & Drifts program at the raceway at 29355 Arnold Drive. The man was driving a 1976 Ford Pinto, raceway officials said in a statement.

Sonoma County sheriff's officials said the racer died after slamming into a wall at more than 100 mph. It's the first on-track fatality in the 30-year history of the Wednesday Night Drags program, raceway officials said.

The racer’s name is being withheld until it is released by the Sonoma County Coroner’s Office.

The Sonoma Drags & Drifts program gives people including teenagers and working professionals a place to race their vehicles in a safe, legal and controlled environment rather than on city streets, according to a release promoting the event.

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