NHRA - National Hot Rod Association

The abbreviated two-race Western Swing will wrap up this week as the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series returns to scenic California Wine Country for the Denso NHRA Sonoma Nationals, the 12th of 20 events this season.

The event is jam-packed with excitement, including all four Professional eliminators, the return of the Mission Foods #2Fast2Tasty NHRA Challenge, and Saturday’s GETTRX NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle All-Star Callout event, which features the top eight riders in the class.

Professional qualifying sessions are set for 4:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. on Friday and 11:30 a.m. and 2 p.m. on Saturday, with nitro cars scheduled to run under the lights at 8:15 p.m. on Friday.

Historically, Sonoma Raceway can be one of the quickest and fastest tracks on the NHRA tour, so both track records and national records are in jeopardy.

Last week in Seattle, Steve Torrence became the sixth different winner in Top Fuel this season, joining Doug Kalitta, Shawn Langdon, Antron Brown, Tony Schumacher, and Justin Ashley.

Those with the potential to grab their first wins of the season include Brittany Force, Tony Stewart, Clay Millican, and Billy Torrence, who are each ranked in the top 10.

Kalitta has historically performed well in Sonoma with five wins, while Antron Brown has four. Ashley is the defending champ, while Steve Torrence has two wins, Billy Torrence has one, and Force also has a win in 2022.

New to the Funny Car class, Austin Prock has been nearly unstoppable lately with four wins in seven finals, including the recent events in Bristol, Richmond, and Seattle.

Prock is the pre-race favorite, although he’s got plenty of competition from Matt Hagan, Bob Tasca III, Ron Capps, defending event winner J.R. Todd, and a host of others.

Capps and Todd are the only current drivers in Funny Car with a win in Sonoma. Capps has four wins in his career, while Todd has two. The Funny Car field includes 18 qualifying entries, so there should be a fair amount of drama when it comes to setting the field for Sunday’s final eliminations.

There is no easy way to predict a winner in the Pro Stock class as six drivers have already visited the winner’s circle this season with several more poised to join them. Erica Enders kicked off the season with a win in Gainesville, while Greg Anderson, Dallas Glenn, Jeg Coughlin Jr., Troy Coughlin Jr., and Aaron Stanfield have already picked up wins.  

Anderson would appear to have the best shot at taking a win as he’s already got six Sonoma wins on his resumé, while Jeg Coughlin Jr. is a three-time champion in Sonoma. Chris McGaha and his son, Mason, should be among the leading contenders as the father-son duo is coming off their most successful outing of the season in Seattle. Mason went to the final of the Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge, while Chris made a semifinal appearance on Sunday.

Gaige Herrera’s Pro Stock Motorcycle winning streak ended in the final round in Seattle, one round short of his 12th straight victory. Now, the question becomes, can he start another one in Sonoma? Herrera is the favorite, although the field continues to narrow his advantage. The Pro Stock Motorcycle class has been a drama factory for much of this season with an on- and off-track battle between the powerhouse Vance & Hines and Matt Smith Racing teams.

Sonoma provides the perfect venue for teams to settle their differences as Saturday’s program will include the GETTRX Pro Stock Motorcycle All-Star Callout, where riders can choose their opening-round opponent.

Fans in Sonoma will also get to witness history as veteran Steve Johnson is set to make his 500th NHRA race in the Pro Stock Motorcycle class. No other rider has even 400 starts.

2023 EVENT WINNERS: Justin Ashley, Top Fuel; J.R. Todd, Funny Car; Gaige Herrera, Pro Stock Motorcycle. (Pro Stock was not contested)

MOST VICTORIES: Doug Kalitta, 5, TF; John Force, 8, FC; Greg Anderson, 6, PS; LE Tonglet, 4, PSM.

TRACK RECORDS

    Top Fuel - 3.662 sec. by Brittany Force, July, ’22; 337.75 mph by Brittany Force, July ‘22.
    Funny Car – 3.807 sec. by Robert Hight, July, ’17; 339.87 mph by Hight, July ‘17.
    Pro Stock – 6.499 sec. by Chris McGaha July ’15; 213.00 mph by Shane Gray, July ’15.
    Pro Stock Motorcycle – 6.692 sec. by Angelle Sampey, July ’22; 205.04 mph by Matt Smith, July ‘21.

SCHEDULE

FRIDAY, July 26 (All times PDT)
LUCAS OIL SERIES qualifying and time trials at 8 a.m.
NHRA MISSION FOODS SERIES qualifying at 4:30 and 6:30 p.m.

SATURDAY, July 27
LUCAS OIL SERIES eliminations at 8:30 a.m.
NHRA MISSION FOODS SERIES qualifying at 11:30 a.m. and 2 p.m.
GETTRX ALLSTAR CALLOUT rounds, 12 noon, 1:45 p.m., 2:45 p.m.

SUNDAY, July 28
Pre-race ceremonies, 9 a.m.
NHRA MISSION FOODS SERIES eliminations begin at 10:30 a.m.

TELEVISION

Saturday July 27, FOX will televise one hour of the Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge at 6 p.m. (ET).
Saturday, July 27, FS1 will televise one hour of the GETTRX Pro Stock Motorcycle Allstar Callout at 7 p.m. (ET).
Sunday, July 28 FS1 will televise two hours of qualifying coverage at 2 p.m. (ET).
Sunday, July 28, FOX will televise three hours of live finals coverage at 4 p.m. (ET).

TICKETS

To purchase tickets to the Denso NHRA Sonoma Nationals, fans can click here or call 800-884-6472