{"schema_version":"secwatch.filing_event.v1","accession":"0001043509-22-000012","form_type":"8-K","ticker":"SAH","cik":"0001043509","company_name":"SONIC AUTOMOTIVE INC","filed_at":"2022-07-29T23:59:59+00:00","discovered_at":"2026-05-14T18:03:54.767911+00:00","generated_at":"2026-06-24T06:47:24.052697+00:00","sec_items":["5.02"],"event_type":"leadership","sentiment":"neutral","materiality_score":0.55,"calibrated_materiality_score":0.55,"confidence":"high","headline":"Sonic Automotive elects David Bruton Smith as Chairman; B. Scott Smith rejoins board","bullets":["David Bruton Smith, current CEO, elected Chairman of the Board effective July 27, 2022.","B. Scott Smith (co-founder, >10% owner) elected to board to fill vacancy from O. Bruton Smith's passing; term expires at 2023 annual meeting.","B. Scott Smith will receive a grant of 3,884 restricted shares vesting on first anniversary of grant date.","B. Scott Smith served as CEO from July 2015 to September 2018 and as director from 1997 to 2018; no committee assignments."],"urls":{"canonical":"https://secwatch.observer/filing/0001043509-22-000012","json":"https://secwatch.observer/filing/0001043509-22-000012.json","markdown":"https://secwatch.observer/filing/0001043509-22-000012.md","text":"https://secwatch.observer/filing/0001043509-22-000012.txt","edgar_index":"https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1043509/000104350922000012/0001043509-22-000012-index.htm","edgar_primary_document":"https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1043509/000104350922000012/sah-20220727.htm"},"model":{"generated_by":"deepseek-v4-flash:cloud@v2","generated_at":"2026-06-24T06:47:24.052697+00:00"},"review":{"review_status":"machine_generated","human_reviewed":false,"corrected":false,"correction_note":null,"correction_timestamp":null,"superseded_by":null,"related_filings":[]},"source_grounded_claims":[{"claim_id":"794407c141","claim":"B. Scott Smith was elected as Director at SONIC AUTOMOTIVE INC.","evidence_excerpt":"Also on July 27, 2022, the Board of the Company elected B. Scott Smith, Co-Founder of the Company and a greater than 10% beneficial owner of the Company, to the Board to fill the vacancy created by the passing of O. Bruton Smith, effective that day, with a term expiring at the Company’s 2023 annual meeting of stockholders.","evidence_source":"SEC 8-K Item 5.02","evidence_url":"https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1043509/000104350922000012/0001043509-22-000012-index.htm","confidence":0.95,"family_label":"Executive change","details":[{"label":"Action","value":"elected"},{"label":"Role","value":"Director"}],"fact_type":"executive_change"},{"claim_id":"a4bcbf3500","claim":"David Bruton Smith was elected as Chairman of the Board at SONIC AUTOMOTIVE INC.","evidence_excerpt":"On July 27, 2022, the Board of Directors (the “Board”) of Sonic Automotive, Inc. (the “Company”) elected David Bruton Smith, the Company’s Chief Executive Officer and a member of the Board, to also serve as Chairman of the Board, effective that day.","evidence_source":"SEC 8-K Item 5.02","evidence_url":"https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1043509/000104350922000012/0001043509-22-000012-index.htm","confidence":0.95,"family_label":"Executive change","details":[{"label":"Action","value":"elected"},{"label":"Role","value":"Chairman of the Board"}],"fact_type":"executive_change"}],"license":"Source filings: public domain (SEC EDGAR). Summaries (headline + bullets): CC-BY-4.0; attribute https://secwatch.observer"}