MEDIA: John Force Visits San Francisco, July 20

 **MEDIA OPPORTUNITY** 16-Time Funny Car Champion John Force Visits San Francisco NHRA Driver Takes Over Fisherman’s Wharf, July 20  WHAT:NHRA Funny Car icon John Force will visit San Francisco’s Fisherman’s Wharf in advance of the Mello Yello Drag Racing Series event at Sonoma Raceway later this month. Force will take over the crab stand in front of No. 9 Fishermen’s Grotto before sitting down for lunch with media members. WHEN:Wednesday, July 20, 11:30 a.m. WHERE:No. 9 Fishermen’s Grotto, 2847 Taylor St, San Francisco VISUALS:Force will join restaurant partner Anthony Geraldi behind the famous Fisherman’s Grotto crab stand to crack crab and visit with locals and tourists. Fishermen's Grotto opened in 1935 as the first sit-down restaurant on San Francisco's world famous Fisherman's Wharf.  ABOUT JOHN FORCE:·         Force is the winningest driver in drag racing history and a 16-time NHRA Funny Car champion.·         The 67-year-old driver is also patriarch of John Force Racing, which includes his two daughters, drivers Courtney (Funny Car) and Brittany (Top Fuel), as well as daughters Adria Hight (CFO) and Ashley Force Hood (President, John Force Entertainment).·         He is a member of the International Motor Sports Hall of Fame (2012) and Motor Sports Hall of Fame of America (2008).·         Force holds the record for pro wins at Sonoma Raceway with seven in Funny Car. He was inducted into the raceway’s Wall of Fame in 2006.·         With 143 career wins, he has a career-best elapsed time of 3.886 seconds and a career-best speed of 329.75 mph. VIDEO:Racing footage of Force is available for download here: https://spaces.hightail.com/space/ISVuj 2015 Epping Win:http://media.nhra.com/2015/video/Force_John_FC_2015_ENH.mov  ABOUT THE TOYOTA NHRA SONOMA NATIONALS:This event is being held in advance of the Toyota NHRA Sonoma Nationals at Sonoma Raceway, July 29-31. This marks the series’ only visit to Northern California and will include professional competition in Top Fuel, Funny Car, Pro Stock and Pro Stock Motorcycle. The weekend will also feature a celebration of 50 Year of Funny Car, including appearances by Don “The Snake�?? Prudhomme and Ed “The Ace�?? McCulloch. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit www.sonomaraceway.com/nhra or call 800-870-7223. RSVP/MORE INFORMATION:Jennifer Imbimbo, Sonoma Raceway, jennifer@sonomaraceway.com or 707-933-3981 ### 29th annual Toyota NHRA Sonoma NationalsWHAT: Toyota NHRA Sonoma NationalsWHEN: July 29-31CIRCUIT: Drag Strip2015 WINNERS: Antron Brown (Top Fuel); Jack Beckman (Funny Car); Chris McGaha (Pro Stock); Eddie Krawiec (Pro Stock Motorcycle)INFORMATION: 800-870-RACE (7223), sonomaraceway.com    2016 Major Events Sonoma Historic Motorsports FestivalJune 3-5 Toyota/Save Mart 350NASCAR WeekendJune 24-26  NHRA Division 7 drag races, presented by Korbel  July 22-24 Toyota NHRA Sonoma NationalsJuly 29-July 31  GoPro Grand Prix of SonomaSept. 16-18 Classic Sports Racing GroupCharity ChallengeOct. 1-2        ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Diana Brennan | Vice President, Media & Community RelationsSONOMARACEWAY| Highways 37 & 121 | Sonoma, Ca 95476O: (707) 933-3918 | C: (707) 334-9822 | F: (707) 938-8691sonomaraceway.com | facebook.com/racesonoma | @racesonoma Please note that our e-mail addresses have changed to @sonomaraceway.com. Please update any contact lists or spam filters as needed.