Sonoma, CA — Entries for Classic Sports Racing Group’s Charity Challenge this weekend have topped 200, exceeding even what group leader Locke de Bretteville had considered would be an “amazing” response.

Photo: Sonoma Raceway

“We have close to 80 more cars registered for Saturday and Sunday racing than what we had estimated,” de Bretteville said. “I’d thought that if we got to 180-190 cars, it would be amazing, so this is definitely good news. Our number for the Friday Test Day is also higher than we anticipated.”

Event officials are continuing to monitor the Sonoma-Napa County wildfires, and said that as of Tuesday evening, the fires seem to be moving away, not toward, the town of Sonoma and the track.

“Also, the Air Quality Index, as unpredictable as it can be, looks okay for the weekend,” event organizer Petey Thornton said. “The track has a cut-off point for that, but at present, we are far below that point.”

He said that Sonoma Raceway, CSRG volunteers and the vast majority of entrants are enthusiastic about running the event.

“Any money we raise for the Sonoma charities via the Speedway Children’s Charities is sorely needed,” he added. “Simply put, if we run, we can raise some money.”

Between 250 and 280 cars typically enter the CSRG Charity Challenge. In its first 16 years, the event has raised $910,000 for charity.

This year’s weekend will feature the usual nine CSRG race groups and will welcome the Crossflow Cup with a field of close to 40 historic Formula Fords competing in the series’ final race of an abbreviated 2020 season.

Also on tap is the Morton Cup, a championship series created for small bore sedans and touring cars of the 1960s and 1970s in honor of racing champion John Morton.

“It’s also good news that we’re seeing more CSRG members who are younger, along with a noticeable shift in interest about car types,” de Bretteville said. “There’s growing interest in what were recently considered modern cars.”