Northern California jet team is part of a packed NASCAR race weekend schedule
SONOMA, Calif. (February 21, 2023) – Fans at Sonoma Raceway’s Toyota/Save Mart 350 in June will momentarily shift their focus from track to sky for a dramatic air show as part of the pre-race festivities. As part of an action-packed weekend schedule, the Patriots Jet Team will thrill race fans with 25-minutes of choreographed aerobatics during the fanfare prior to the green flag.
The California-based Patriots Jet Team is the largest civilian-owned aerobatic jet team in the Western Hemisphere, and has been entertaining audiences since 2003. In the cockpits are some former U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds and U.S. Navy Blue Angels pilots and Reno Air Race competitors.
The pre-race demonstration will feature six-L-39 albatross jets strutting their fast-paced formation flying, choreographed aerobatic maneuvers and their signature “Tail Slide,” where the aircraft actually slides backwards toward the ground. This will be the 16th year the team has performed at a Sonoma Raceway major event.
The air show is one of the many great facets of the NASCAR weekend schedule. Fans will be treated to 3 full days of racing action culminating with the NASCAR Cup Series stars in Sunday’s Toyota/Save Mart 350. Saturday’s schedule is jam packed with the NASCAR Xfinity Series’ first visit to Sonoma for the DoorDash 250, preceded by two full hours of Cup Series practice and qualifying. Friday will feature the ARCA Menards Series West General Tire 200 and the Historic Trans Am series will run throughout the weekend.
With so much fun for the whole family, remember kids 12 and under are admitted FREE on Friday and Saturday, and NASCAR race-day tickets for children 12 and under are just $10 with the purchase of an adult ticket. Tickets, camping spots and add-ons can be purchased by visiting sonomaraceway.com or calling (800) 870-RACE [7223]. Weekend racing schedule can be found here: sonomaraceway.com/events
Sonoma Raceway is a 2.52-mile and 12-turn road course and quarter-mile drag strip located at Sears Point in Sonoma County, California. Built in 1968 the track is carved into rolling hills with 160 ft of total elevation change. It is host to one of the few NASCAR Cup Series races each year that are run on road courses. It is one of the world’s busiest racing facilities, with track activity scheduled an average of 340 days a year. A complete and versatile motorsports complex, it is home to one of the nation’s only high-performance automotive industrial parks with approximately 70 tenants.
