New Faces Head Race Operations for Sonoma Speed Festival

The Sonoma Speed Festival has made several additions to its race operations team in an effort to ensure maximum focus on safety, authenticity and vehicle provenance at its inaugural event, according to event officials.

Steve Earle, considered the founding father of American vintage auto racing, has been appointed senior consultant to the Race Committee, while Dan Radowicz and Tim Pendergast were appointed race directors.
Earle was the founder of both the Wine Country Classic and the Monterey Historics, helped create what is now known as Monterey Car Week and is considered by many a pinnacle of vintage racing the U.S. and around the globe, according to Sonoma Speed Festival officials.

Radowicz is an expert in historic motorsports with credentials that include overseeing the California Mille, along with working in race operations for the Wine Country Classic and Monterey Historics.

Pendergast serves as the director of operations for the Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance, has run race operations for the Porsche-centric Rennsport Reunion IV, V and VI events and has organized the Daytona Heritage Exhibition at the Rolex 24 at Daytona, according to Sonoma Speed Festival officials.

Together, this team will scrutinize every competing entry to ensure the vehicles are as accurate to their original time period as possible and that race groups will be sorted for both vehicle competitiveness and class. They will also enforce rigid safety standards on both competitors and the event venue.

“Our primary goal is to bring the greatest authentic historic race cars to the track where they belong,” said Jeff O’Neill, founder of the Sonoma Speed Festival. “We want to showcase the evolution of speed in real time and create an environment where people can enjoy these cars in their element without worrying about safety or authenticity issues. With these gentlemen at the helm we are confident that the Sonoma Speed Festival stands among the best racing events in the world.”