Sonny Easley

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, U.S.
Died	January 15, 1978(1978-01-15) (aged 38) Van Nuys, California, U.S.
Cause of death	Accident (Modified practice)
Awards	West Coast Stock Car Hall of Fame (2003) Saugus Speedway track champion[1]
NASCAR Cup Series career
19 races run over 6 years
Best finish	38th - 1976
First race	1972 (Riverside)
Last race	1977 (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 Grand American 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]