Lynwood Lacey "Sonny" Easley (June 5, 1939 – January 15, 1978) was an American racecar driver who is best known for competing in the NASCAR Winston West Series and a handful of Winston Cup Series events.

Sonny Easley
Born(1939-06-05)June 5, 1939
Virginia
DiedJanuary 15, 1978(1978-01-15) (aged 38)
Van Nuys, California
Cause of deathAccident (Modified practice)
AwardsWest Coast Stock Car Hall of Fame (2003)
Saugus Speedway track champion[1]
NASCAR Cup Series career
19 races run over 6 years
Best finish38th - 1976
First race1972 (Riverside)
Last race1977 (Ontario)
Wins Top tens Poles
0 5 0

Easley tallied nine Winston West victories over his career, including a victory in the first stock car race ever held at the Laguna 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, 1977 Winston Western 500 at Riverside 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 in Van Nuys, California.

Easley was a 2003 inductee into the West Coast Stock Car Hall of Fame.[5]

References

edit
edit