Sonny Easley | |||||||
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Born | (1939-06-05)June 5, 1939 Virginia | ||||||
Died | January 15, 1978(1978-01-15) (aged 38) Van Nuys, California | ||||||
Cause of death | Accident (Modified practice) | ||||||
Awards | West Coast Stock Car Hall of Fame (2003) Saugus Speedway track champion[1] | ||||||
NASCARCup Series career | |||||||
19 races run over 6 years | |||||||
Best finish | 38th - 1976 | ||||||
First race | 1972 (Riverside) | ||||||
Last race | 1977 (Ontario) | ||||||
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Lynwood Lacey "Sonny" Easley (June 5, 1939 – January 15, 1978) was an Americanracecar driver who is best known for competing in theNASCARWinston West Series and a handful ofWinston Cup Series events.
Easley tallied nine Winston West victories over his career, including a victory in the first stock car race ever held at theLaguna Seca Raceway road course.[2] He finished 2nd in Winston West points in 1973 and 1975.
In 19 career Cup starts, Easley had a best finish of 5th place at the January 16, 1977Winston Western 500 atRiverside International Raceway.
During practice for a NASCAR modified sportsman race at Riverside on January 15, 1978, Easley was killed when his 1968 Camaro slid across the track into a trailer and pickup truck near pit road. A pit crew member for Tiny Keith, Douglas Grunst, was also killed in the incident.[3][4]
Easley lived inVan Nuys, California.
Easley was a 2003 inductee into theWest Coast Stock Car Hall of Fame.[5]