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+--------+
| FORM 4 |                       U.S. SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
+--------+                               WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549
[_] Check this box if
    no longer subject         STATEMENT OF CHANGES IN BENEFICIAL OWNERSHIP
    to Section 16.
    Form 4 or Form 5       Filed pursuant to Section 16(a) of the Securities
    obligations may           Exchange Act of 1934, Section 17(a) of the
    continue. See            Public Utility Holding Company Act of 1935 or
    Instruction 1(b).      Section 30(f) of the Investment Company Act of 1940

(Print or Type Responses)

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1.  Name and Address of Reporting Person*

       Rachor                      Jeffrey                           C.
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        (Last)                      (First)                        (Middle)
c/o Sonic Automotive, Inc.
6415 Idlewild Road, Suite 109
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                                   (Street)

      Charlotte                     N.C.                             28212
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
        (City)                      (State)                           (Zip)


2.  Issuer Name and Ticker or Trading Symbol  Sonic Automotive, Inc. (SAH)
                                             -----------------------------------

3.  I.R.S. Identification Number of Reporting Person, if an entity
    (voluntary)
                --------------

4.  Statement for Month/Year                  6/01
                             ---------------------------------------------------

5.  If Amendment, Date of Original (Month/Year)
                                               ---------------------------------


6.  Relationship of Reporting Person(s) to Issuer (Check all applicable)


     _X__ Director    _X__ Officer             ___ 10% Owner    ___ Other
                        (give title below)                       (specify below)
      Executive VP of Retail Operations
    ----------------------------------------------------------------

7.  Individual or Joint/Group Filing (Check Applicable Line)

    __X__ Form filed by One Reporting Person
    ____ Form filed by More than One Reporting Person

Table I--Non-Derivative Securities Acquired, Disposed of, or Beneficially Owned



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1. Title              2. Trans-  3. Trans-       4. Securities Acquired (A)        5. Amount of         6. Owner-     7. Nature
   of                    action     action          or Disposed of (D)                Securities           ship          of In-
   Security              Date       Code            (Instr. 3, 4 and 5)               Beneficially         Form:         direct
   (Instr. 3)            (Month/    (Instr. 8)                                        Owned at             Direct        Bene-
                         Day/    -----------------------------------------------      End of               (D) or        ficial
                         Year)                                                        Month                Indirect      Owner-
                                  Code       V   Amount        (A) or    Price        (Instr. 3 and 4)     (I)           ship
                                                               (D)                                         (Instr. 4)    (Instr. 4)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                                           

Class A Common Stock    6/22/01    M               26,668       A         $6.00     42,302               D
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Reminder: Report on a separate line for each class of securities beneficially
          owned directly or indirectly.

# If the form is filed by more than one reporting person, see Instruction
4(b)(v).

Potential persons who are to respond to the collection of information contained
in this form are not required to respond unless the form displays a currently
valid OMB control number.

                                                                          (Over)
                                                                 SEC 1474 (1-99)



FORM 4 (continued)

  Table II--Derivative Securities Acquired, Disposed of, or Beneficially Owned
        (e.g., puts, calls, warrants, options, convertible securities)



-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 1. Title of Derivative            2. Conver-          3. Trans-           4. Transac-            5. Number of Deriv-
    Security (Instr. 3)               sion or             action              tion Code              ative Securities
                                      Exercise            Date                (Instr. 8)             Acquired (A) or
                                      Price of            (Month/                                    Disposed of (D)
                                      Deriv-              Day/                                       (Instr. 3, 4, and 5)
                                      ative               Year)
                                      Security

                                                                           ---------------------------------------------------
                                                                           Code      V                 (A)         (D)

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 Options to purchase                $6.00               6/22/01             M                                       26,668
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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 Table II--Derivative Securities Acquired, Disposed of, or Beneficially Owned
   (e.g., puts, calls, warrants, options, convertible securities)


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                              6. Date Exer-     7. Title and Amount of       8. Price    9. Number       10. Owner-    11. Na-
                                 cisable and       Underlying Securities        of          of Deriv-        ship          ture
                                 Expiration        (Instr. 3 and 4)             Deriv-      ative            Form          of In-
                                 Date                                           ative       Secur-           of De-        direct
                                 (Month/Day/                                    Secur-      ities            rivative      Bene-
                                 Year)                                          ity         Bene-            Securities    ficial
                                                                                (Instr.     ficially         Bene-         Owner-
                               --------------------------------------------     5)          Owned            ficially      ship
                               Date     Expira-              Amount or                      at End           Owned at      (Instr.
                               Exer-    tion         Title   Number of                      of               End of        4)
                               cisable  Date                 Shares                         Month            Month(1)
                                                                                            (Instr. 4)       (Instr. 4)
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 Options to purchase           (1)       11/17/07   Class A     26,668                    238,168          D
                                                    Common Stock
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Explanation of Responses:

(1) Of the options to purchase a total of 26,668 shares of Sonic's Class A
    Common Stock shown for Mr. Rachor in the table above, options to purchase
    1 share became exercisable on November 17, 1998, options to purchase
    13,334 shares became exercisable on November 17, 1999, and options to
    purchase 13,333 shares became exercisable on November 17, 2000.

            /s/ Jeffrey C. Rachor              6/29/01
          -------------------------------  -----------------
          **Signature of Reporting Person        Date

       ** Intentional misstatements or omissions of facts constitute Federal
          Criminal Violations.
          See 18 U.S.C. 1001 and 15 U.S.C. 78ff(a).

   Note: File three copies of this Form, one of which must be manually signed.
         If space provided is insufficient, see Instruction 6 for procedure.

   Potential persons who are to respond to the collection of information
   contained in this form are not required to respond unless the form displays
   a currently valid OMB Number.