On December 12, 2012, we lost one of the true pioneers from within our sport of drag racing. Sonny Schoenfeld passed away at the age of 87. Visiting with his son Matt, a long-time supporter of Firebird (along with many other family members), he wanted us to know that he is in a better place now, rejoining with his mom Dolores. Pictured above (at the 2004 Halloween Classic), Sonny competed at Firebird for close to 45 years. Racing in the intermountain region for over five and a half decades, Sonny was a competitor at the original NHRA Safety Safari meets that were staged in Pocatello back in the mid-50’s. Matt also mentioned remarkably enough that he not only still maintained his Utah state driver’s license, but also kept his NHRA competition license current. He is survived by several kids, including 40 grandchildren, 81 great-grandchildren, and one great-great grandchild. Every member of the New family and the raceway staff are deeply saddened by the loss of a genuine racing legend in our sport. He touched many people. Most importantly, he was a real family person, placing this above everything in life. For all that he gave we are indebted to his support over all these years and life in general. Unquestionably, he was a real gentleman of the highest order. With that said, we’re most definitely going to miss Sonny. Our thoughts and prayers are extended to the entire Schoenfeld family, close friends and acquaintances. God speed. Above image provided by Brian Losness.