Sonoma Raceway won’t pursue music festival, event expansion

More than a year after submitting its initial application to the County, Sonoma Raceway has abandoned its effort to modify the track’s use permit to allow for a multi-day music festival.

The change comes after assessing the likely costs and timetable associated with getting the proposal approved, Sonoma Raceway President and General Manager Steve Page announced today.

“As it has played out, we’ve had to face the unfortunate reality that the costs, schedule and overall uncertainty of this process do not match up with the business opportunity we had hoped to pursue,” Page said.

The initial step would have been to pay for an Environmental Impact Report.

The requested modifications would have provided for an annual music festival and a variety of other updates to the raceway’s operating conditions and general plan. The current plan was granted in 1997 and provided, Page wrote in The Sun, “little flexibility to adapt to changes in our industry, variations in consumer demand or the shifting opportunities that any business faces over time.”

About 18 months ago, Page said, the track was approached by a locally-based group that proposed a concept for a branded multi-day music event to be staged at five tracks owned by the parent company, Speedway Motorsports, Inc. Early last year, an agreement was reached to bring the festival concept to the U.S., including Sonoma, contingent on securing a change in the track’s operating permit.

“In retrospect, we had grossly underestimated the costs associated with this effort both in time and money,” he said today. “This is a very disappointing and frustrating development, but ultimately the correct decision for our business.”

The project was also absorbing an unacceptable level of attention from our management team at the expense of our core business mission, he said.

“We are disappointed not to bring this exciting new event to our region, but ready to re-focus our efforts in operating this world class motor racing facility,” Page said.