Sonoma Raceway president Steve Page talks charity, 2017 California wildfires

We recently had the opportunity to interview Sonoma Raceway president and general manager Steve Page about what he did to help those in need during the 2017 California wildfires.

Sonoma Raceway president and general manager Steve Page was nominated as one of the three finalists for the 2018 Comcast Community Champion of the Year Award, which is an annual award that was created to recognize the philanthropic efforts of individuals within the NASCAR industry.

Page is a member of the Sonoma chapter of Speedway Children’s Charities, and he opened the gates of Sonoma Raceway during the 2017 California wildfires to provide a refuge for those who were forced to evacuate from their homes.

This was the case in conjunction with the fact that Page and his family were also forced to evacuate their home.

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Page served meals to evacuees in addition to sorting donations and providing clothing to them during these devastating wildfires.

Joey Logano, who drives full-time for Team Penske in the Cup Series, ended up winning the 2018 Comcast Community Champion of the Year Award before going on to win the 2018 championship at Homestead-Miami Speedway. We had the opportunity to interview him as well.

Ryan Newman, who drove full-time for Richard Childress Racing in each of the last five seasons but is set to drive full-time for Roush Fenway Racing in the 2019 season, was the other finalist for the award.

We recently had the opportunity to ask Page several questions, some pertaining to his philanthropic efforts and some about the racing aspect of his track itself.

Here is what Page had to say in this Q&A interview.

NOTE: This interview was conducted prior to the 2018 season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

Beyond the Flag: In the wake of the wildfires last summer, you opened up Sonoma Raceway as an evacuation center and provided clothing, meals and other necessities to evacuees. Especially considering the fact that your family was actually one of the families who were forced to evacuate, what were some of the challenges you faced when you ultimately made the decision to provide such vital services for so many people going through terrible times?

Steve Page: The initial challenge was just anticipating how many people we would need to accommodate. At one point the county emergency services director told us they were going to issue mandatory evacuation orders for as many as 17,000 people in Sonoma Valley based on the wind forecast. Although that was ultimately dialed back to an advisory, there were still lines of traffic streaming out of the valley all afternoon and into the evening. We probably had a thousand or more with us that first night and several hundred who stayed with us throughout the week.

BTF: Can you share some of your experiences that you have had in terms of giving back to the community that have come from your involvement in the Sonoma chapter of Speedway Children’s Charities?

Page: Our philosophy of giving back to the community has not changed after the fires, but what we have come to appreciate is the breadth of commitment people have to one another both in the face of an immediate crisis and in the longer term effort of rebuilding lives and infrastructure moving forward.

BTF: What are your early thoughts on the prospective competition in the NASCAR Cup Series race at Sonoma Raceway next season now that the full course is set to be utilized again? Do you think this will draw in more fans/viewers with it being something new?

Page: The buzz around our announcement has been very strong. We’ve had fans ask for this change over the years, but we really didn’t have a sense for how intense that sentiment was. The change has been very well-received and we’re excited about what it will bring to the competition in 2019.

BTF: Do you believe Sonoma Raceway will remain on the Cup Series schedule for the long run?

Page: Easy answer……yes.

BTF: Is there a chance that the Truck Series will return to Sonoma Raceway or perhaps that the Xfinity Series will make its first visit to the track in the future?

Page: We have no current plans to pursue a date with either series.

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BTF: On the IndyCar front, the departure from the schedule was disappointing for a lot of fans, including myself, even though many people tried to mask that with their excitement over the addition/return of Laguna Seca. Is there a possibility and/or is it a goal that IndyCar will return to the facility in the future, or is it too early to tell whether or not the track will get back to hosting both a Cup Series race and an IndyCar race once again?

Page: We love the IndyCar series and have always enjoyed working with the series, the teams and the drivers. If there were a future opportunity for us to host a race that made good business sense, we’d be all in.

Thank you to Steve Page for being willing to do this interview, and keep up the good work with your track and with all you for the good of the community!

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