Following more than three years of elevating the business performance of the largest motorsports facility in Northern California, Flynn was promoted from Executive Vice President and General Manager to President of Sonoma Raceway
SONOMA, Calif., Oct. 26, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Accomplished motorsports executive Brian Flynn has been promoted from executive vice president and general manager to president of Sonoma Raceway. Speedway Motorsports President and Chief Executive Officer Marcus Smith made the announcement Monday.
EDITOR’S NOTE: A high-resolution image of Flynn is available here.
For more than three years, Flynn has elevated the business performance of Northern California’s largest motorsports facility while continuing to expand Sonoma Raceway’s reputation and event calendar as a race fan, tourist and corporate event destination in wine country. Sonoma Raceway annually hosts thousands of guests from around the world for signature events such as the Toyota/Save Mart 350 NASCAR Cup Series race, the Ferrari Challenge North America, the DENSO NHRA Nationals and the Velocity Invitational. Under Flynn’s leadership, Sonoma Raceway has earned the Speedway Motorsports Acceleration Award for the past two years, recognizing year-over-year gains in financial performance.
“Brian has built a team that is operating at the highest-level hosting internationally recognized motorsports and high-performance automotive events,” stated Smith. “He and his team have also established the facility’s exclusive Turn 11 as a premium hospitality venue amongst global brands.
“Sonoma Raceway is located in the heart of California’s wine country, one of the premier tourism destinations in the world. It’s a place that fans and corporate customers should feel relaxed yet energized at the same time by the experiences the historic road course has to offer. Brian’s doing a superb job of delivering that experience while managing the facility with discipline and leading his team with care. It’s an honor to name Brian president of Sonoma Raceway.”
In addition to leading Sonoma Raceway, Flynn serves in an executive leadership role for Willow Springs Raceway in Southern California, while also staying active in the greater San Francisco community. Flynn serves on the board of directors for the North Bay Leadership Council and the Sonoma chapter of Speedway Children’s Charities.
With 30 years of senior motorsports and business management experience, Flynn joined Sonoma Raceway as general manager in 2023 after consulting since 2020 on its high-performance driving, karting and hospitality experiences.
From 2009 until 2018, Flynn served as CEO of Petty Holdings LLC, which included the Richard Petty Driving Experience (RPDE) and Petty Enterprises where Flynn had served as president of the NASCAR race team from 2000-2005. From 1996 to 2008, Flynn served in various capacities including general manager, chief operating officer and president of RPDE. During Flynn’s tenure, RPDE became the largest consumer operator of stock car riding and driving experiences in the world. As CEO, Flynn also managed private investment partnership opportunities for the company as well as Richard Petty’s intellectual property rights. He served for 15 years as a founding board member of the Victory Junction Gang Camp, an 84-acre complex that provides camp experiences for children with serious medical conditions. Before joining the Petty operations, Flynn led the NASCAR race team of Diamond Ridge Motorsports as president and COO from 1993 until 1996.
Flynn earned a bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of Pennsylvania where he was a two-sport varsity athlete in football and baseball and is a member of the Penn Baseball Hall of Fame.
About Speedway Motorsports:
Speedway Motorsports is a leading marketer, promoter and sponsor of motorsports entertainment in the United States. The Company, through its subsidiaries, owns and operates the following premier facilities: EchoPark Speedway, Bristol Motor Speedway, Charlotte Motor Speedway, Las Vegas Motor Speedway, New Hampshire Motor Speedway, Sonoma Raceway, Texas Motor Speedway, Dover Motor Speedway, Nashville Superspeedway, North Wilkesboro Motor Speedway and Kentucky Speedway. Speedway Motorsports provides souvenir merchandising services through its SMI Properties subsidiaries; manufactures and distributes smaller-scale, modified racing cars and parts through its U.S. Legend Cars International subsidiary; and produces and broadcasts syndicated motorsports programming to radio stations nationwide through its Performance Racing Network subsidiary.
About Sonoma Raceway
Sonoma Raceway, located in the Sonoma Valley, is Northern California’s premier motor-sports destination, featuring a world-class 12-turn, 2.52-mile road course, drag strip and karting center. Its annual race schedule is headlined by the NASCAR Cup Series and the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series. Sonoma Raceway operates the high-performance driving courses, racing programs, corporate outings, manufacturer showcases, go-karting, car shows and more. Sonoma Raceway also boasts a motor-sports industrial park, which is home to more than 70 businesses.
SOURCE Sonoma Raceway
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