A major motorsport festival returns to Northern CA this weekend. What to know
One of Northern California’s biggest car culture celebrations is returning this weekend after taking a year off in 2025.
Velocity Invitational, hosted at Sonoma Raceway just off Highway 121 in Sonoma, will run once again starting this Friday through Sunday, with some major figures from across the motor racing world participating. The yearly motorsport festival features drivers demonstrating a litany of race cars on track and displaying their machinery on the racetrack’s grounds.
Drivers from Formula 1, the American Rally Association, Formula Drift and other major championships are hitting the track this weekend and meeting California fans while they’re at it.
Last year, organizers postponed the Velocity Invitational event, citing “economic climate” effects on the event experience, according to Sports Car Digest. Now, the motorsport festival returns with a number of new unique ride-along experiences and a Porsche championship race to accompany the hundreds of cars from every class imaginable shown on- and off-track.
This year’s event comes less than two weeks after the sudden death of NASCAR legend Kyle Busch, with the motorsport world still mourning. Though event organizers as of Tuesday had not announced any formal tributes to honor Busch, he raced at Sonoma 20 times over his career, with three wins in the NASCAR Cup Series and the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series.
Pre-sale tickets and hospitality packages are still available for the motorsport invitational as of Tuesday. Here’s everything to know about Sonoma Raceway’s big weekend.
Formula 1 drivers to hit the track at Sonoma
Sonoma Raceway and Velocity Invitational are no strangers to hosting drivers at the top levels of motor racing on its hallowed grounds.
In previous years, Formula 1 champions Lando Norris, Jenson Button and Mika Hakkinen, and IndyCar drivers Pato O’Ward and Northern California native Alexander Rossi have showcased cars at Velocity. Even racing legend Mario Andretti took laps at Sonoma during the invitational.
For 2026, even more drivers from the Formula 1 world are participating in the invitational. Former Red Bull Racing and Racing Bulls driver and current Red Bull Racing reserve driver Yuki Tsunoda is slated to run a historic race car at Sonoma Raceway on Saturday.
In a news release, Tsunoda said he was “really excited” for the invitational event.
“I’ve always wanted to drive the Sonoma track, so this is the perfect excuse for me to do it in some amazing cars and with great people,” Tsunoda said in the release.
On Sunday, former F1 Academy racer and American Rally Association champion Lia Block — daughter of the late rally legend Ken Block — will demonstrate performance vehicles at Velocity.
Friday evening, “Fast & Furious” actor Sung Kang will screen his new self-directed film “Drifter,” while showcasing the drift car he built for his upcoming film with Formula Drift champion Dai Yoshihara.
All three headlining drivers will meet fans around the Sonoma Raceway paddock during their respective days in attendance, according to the Velocity Invitational website.
Ride on track, bid on cars at Velocity
Attendees will have a number of activities and interactive experiences to enjoy throughout the weekend.
Sonoma Raceway developed an off-roading track for the racing festival, purpose-built to accommodate ride-alongs in a rugged Ultra4 side-by-side utility terrain vehicle. Tickets for the ride-alongs were still available Tuesday, costing $199 per person on top of a general admission pass.
Porsche fans can watch the inaugural Velocity Invitational appearance for the Porsche Sprint Challenge USA West, a series in its fifth season running. The series already ran at Sonoma Raceway in April, but this will be the first appearance for the racing series at the motorsport festival.
Car collectors with wallets burning a hole through their pockets will also have an opportunity to bid on a number of specialty cars as part of the “Velocity Collection” on vehicle auction site Cars&Bids. The auction — which features a diverse set of vehicles, from vintage Formula 1 to rare muscle cars — will run online and in-person at the event through Saturday.
Where to get Velocity Invitational tickets
The final round of pre-sale tickets were still available on the invitational’s site as of Tuesday.
Single-day general admission tickets were priced at $129 plus fees for Friday, and $179 plus fees for each of Saturday and Sunday. A weekend-long general admission pass costs $229 plus fees, according to the website. Youth ages 15 and under can gain admission to the festival for $5 plus fees each.
Families with two adults and two children under 15 can save on their tickets with a bundled discount, costing $319 plus fees for single-day tickets on Saturday or Sunday, or $419 plus fees for a whole weekend pass.
General admission tickets provide access to general parking areas and full paddock access throughout the day or weekend.
Luxury hospitality packages and couple’s weekend bundles, featuring suite access and other perks, are priced at up to $1,999 plus fees per person.
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