Darrell Waltrip Named Grand Marshal of Toyota/Save Mart 350

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Legendary driver Darrell Waltrip, a member of the NASCAR Hall of Fame, has been named Grand Marshal of the Toyota/Save Mart 350 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series weekend at Sonoma Raceway, June 21-23. The event marks the series’ 25th annual event in Sonoma.

Waltrip will be honored on Friday, June 21, of race weekend at the Children’s Champions Grand Marshal’s Banquet at beautiful Cline Cellars in Sonoma. The gala is a fundraiser for the Sonoma Chapter of Speedway Children’s Charities. He will also take part in pre-race activities on Sunday, June 23, and participate in the official command of, “Gentlemen, Start Your Engines.”

Waltrip, who currently serves as the lead analyst for NASCAR on FOX, is a three-time NASCAR Cup Series Champion with 84 Cup Series victories, tying him for third with Bobby Allison on all-time list. He is the winner of the 1989 Daytona 500 and the only five-time winner of the Coca-Cola 600 (1978, ‘79, ‘85, ‘88 and ‘89) at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

“I am honored to have my name associated with Sonoma Raceway,” said Waltrip, who was inducted into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame in 2005. “I’ve always loved road racing both as an active driver and as a broadcaster. Sonoma is such an historic race track that when we got to go there with stock cars 25 years ago, it was magical. It’s a great race track in the beautiful Northern California wine country.”

In addition to his success on track, Waltrip has also enjoyed stardom on the movie screen and in the publishing world. He voiced the popular character Darrell Cartrip in the Pixar movies Cars and Cars 2, and played himself in the comedyTalladega Nights. Waltrip also joined the New York Times Best Seller List when his autobiography,DW: A Lifetime Going Around in Circles, was released in 2004.

“Darrell is not only one of the greatest drivers in the history of our sport, but also one of the most popular personalities. He’ll be a terrific addition as we celebrate the 25th running of NASCAR in Sonoma,” said Steve Page, president and general manager of Sonoma Raceway. “He’s been a welcome guest in America’s living rooms during the NASCAR broadcasts and we will be honored to have him as our guest and Grand Marshal in June.”

Sonoma Raceway PR

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