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Related Parties | 12 Months Ended
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Dec. 31, 2021
Related Party Transactions [Abstract] |
Related Parties | Related Parties Certain of our dealerships purchase the zMAX micro-lubricant from Oil-Chem Research Corporation (“Oil-Chem”), a subsidiary of Speedway Motorsports, LLC (“Speedway Motorsports”), for resale to Fixed Operations guests of our dealerships in the ordinary course of business. Sonic’s Executive Chairman, Mr. O. Bruton Smith, is also the Executive Chairman of Speedway Motorsports, Mr. Smith’s son, Mr. Marcus G. Smith, a director and a greater than 10% beneficial owner of Sonic, is the Chief Executive Officer and President of Speedway Motorsports, a director of Speedway Motorsports, and an Executive Vice President of Sonic Financial Corporation (“SFC”), which is the largest stockholder of Sonic, and Mr. Michael Hodge, a director of Sonic, is Executive Vice President, Finance and Chief Accounting Officer of Speedway Motorsports. Total purchases from Oil-Chem by our dealerships were approximately $1.2 million, $1.4 million, and $1.6 million in 2021, 2020 and 2019, respectively. We also engaged in other transactions with various Speedway Motorsports subsidiaries, consisting primarily of (1) merchandise and apparel purchases from SMISC Holdings, LLC. (d/b/a SMI Properties) for approximately $1.5 million,$0.6 million and $0.9 million in 2021, 2020 and 2019, respectively; and (2) vehicle sales to various Speedway Motorsports subsidiaries for approximately $0.1 million, $0.1 million and $0.2 million in 2021, 2020 and 2019, respectively. In February 2021, we entered into a Sponsorship Agreement between EchoPark Automotive, Inc., a subsidiary of Sonic (“EchoPark Automotive”), and SMISC pursuant to which EchoPark Automotive agreed to be an official sponsor of a NASCAR Cup Series race and related events scheduled to be held in May 2021 in Austin, Texas (the “NASCAR Event”). In exchange for the right to sponsor the NASCAR Event, EchoPark Automotive agreed to pay a sponsor fee of $2.5 million to SMISC. We participate in various aircraft-related transactions with SFC, a privately held company controlled by Mr. O. Bruton Smith and his family and of which Mr. Hodge, a director of Sonic, is an officer. Such transactions include, but are not limited to, the use of aircraft owned by SFC for business-related travel by our executives, a management agreement with SFC for storage and maintenance of aircraft leased by us from unrelated third parties and the use of our aircraft for business-related travel by certain affiliates of SFC. We incurred net expenses of $3.1 million, $0.6 million and $0.3 million in 2021, 2020 and 2019, respectively, for transactions with SFC. In October 2019, the Company and Lincoln Harris, LLC (“Lincoln Harris”) entered into a Facility Management Services Agreement, pursuant to which Lincoln Harris agreed to provide maintenance, repair and other facility management services to Sonic’s Charlotte area franchised dealerships. Mr. John W. Harris III, a director of Sonic, serves as President and as a director of Lincoln Harris. Fees paid to Lincoln Harris by Sonic pursuant to the Facility Management Services Agreement were approximately $0.3 million in 2021. The Facility Management Service Agreement with Lincoln Harris was terminated by Sonic in February 2021.

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- Definition The entire disclosure for related party transactions. Examples of related party transactions include transactions between (a) a parent company and its subsidiary; (b) subsidiaries of a common parent; (c) and entity and its principal owners; and (d) affiliates. + References Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/disclosureRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 850 -SubTopic 10 -Section 50 -Paragraph 1 -Subparagraph (d) -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6457730&loc=d3e39549-107864 Reference 2: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/disclosureRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 850 -SubTopic 10 -Section 50 -Paragraph 1 -Subparagraph (b) -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6457730&loc=d3e39549-107864 Reference 3: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/disclosureRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 850 -SubTopic 10 -Section 50 -Paragraph 1 -Subparagraph (a) -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6457730&loc=d3e39549-107864 Reference 4: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/disclosureRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 850 -URI http://asc.fasb.org/topic&trid=2122745 Reference 5: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/disclosureRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 850 -SubTopic 10 -Section 50 -Paragraph 6 -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6457730&loc=d3e39691-107864 + Details
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