Drag racer killed in 100-mph crash at Sonoma Raceway in California

SONOMA, Calif. -- A drag racer has died after hitting the wall at the Sonoma Raceway in Northern California. The county Sheriff's Office says the car was doing 100 mph or more when it slammed into a wall Wednesday evening.

The raceway says the driver was a 75-year old Napa resident. His 1976 Ford Pinto was alone on the quarter-mile drag strip. His name wasn't released.

CBS San Francisco reports that at about 6:15 p.m., the California Highway Patrol reported the death, which occurred at a drag racing program at the raceway at 29355 Arnold Drive in Sonoma.

The accident occurred during Wednesday Night Drags, a community program held from March to November. The program opens the track to 300 vehicles a night that must pass a technical inspection.

The program aims to provide what the facility calls a "safe, legal and controlled" racing environment.

The raceway says it's the first on-track death in the program's 30-year history.