It isn’t an exaggeration to say the Denso NHRA Sonoma Nationals was one of the best races of the season, and as a result, we learned a lot as the second half of the 2024 season rolls on. Here are five things that stand out from the event.

THINGS MIGHT NOT BE AS BAD AS MATT SMITH THINKS

Matt Smith has taken it on the chin for most of the season (as has everyone else in the Pro Stock Motorcycle class not named Gaige Herrera), and that clearly doesn’t sit well with the six-time world champion. Smith has told everyone who’ll listen that he believes the Buell V-Twin isn’t on par with the Vance & Hines Suzuki program. That clearly wasn’t the case in Sonoma as Smith put on one of the most dominant performance of his career. Smith not only won the event but also Saturday’s GETTRX NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle All-Star Callout. Furthermore, Smith made the quickest run of the weekend at 6.655, and his protégé, Jianna Evaristo, was also in the 6.6s at more than 204 mph in what was one of the best performances of her career.

Afterwards, Smith didn’t hold back, especially when it came to the Vance & Hines team and their rider,  Herrera.

“This doesn’t wipe away the first half of the season,” said Smith. “They [the Vance & Hines team] say it’s Gaige, but it’s not. He's a great rider, but it’s that bike. I blame [V&H crew chief] Andrew Hines for throwing the whole class under the bus. When Angelle rode that bike, she was stupid fast. It’s got nothing to do with Gaige. He’s not better than me or Chase Van Sant or Richard Gadson. Andrew and Eddie couldn’t do their jobs anymore, and that’s why they got off the bikes. If I get that seventh title this year, I promise I’ll get off the bike and put some young kid on it who can do the job.”

CORY REED IS THE REAL DEAL IN PRO STOCK

OK, so, he’s run just two races, and yes, he had a little luck to get to the Sonoma final, but Cory Reed’s transition from two wheels to four has gone better than anyone could have anticipated. Reed, who has perhaps the most epic beard in drag racing, has still made less than 30 runs in the Pro Stock car, but he looks right at home in his new J&A Service Camaro, which is run out of the KB Titan shop. Reed qualified No. 6 in the tight Sonoma field with a career-best 6.515 and drove to wins against Deric Kramer, Eric Latino, and Jerry Tucker to make it to the final, where the clock struck midnight against red-hot Aaron Stanfield. Reed says he plans to finish the season and run all 20 events in 2024, and that should make him a solid bet for a top-10 finish.

Reed’s popularity was obvious as almost every member of the Pro Stock Motorcycle fraternity went to the starting line to watch him race in the final, and event winner Aaron Stanfield was impressed by his early success, noting, “I wish I could have gone to the final in my second race. It seems like that took forever.”

REMEMBER RON CAPPS? WELL, HE’S BACK

The first nine events of the season were not kind to Ron Capps and his NAPA Toyota team, but as the old saying goes, "It’s not where you start but where you finish." Capps went to the final in Norwalk and did it again in Sonoma, and even though he lost both races, it's clear that he’ll be a contender for his fourth title when the Countdown to the Championship begins. Capps suffered a potentially devastating engine explosion last week in Seattle, and while that is clearly a set-back, there was a silver lining as the team was able to dust off their 2023 car, which happens to be pretty good. Capps was the No. 3 qualifier with a 3.864 and rolled past several tough opponents, including world champs J.R. Todd and Matt Hagan.

With two races left in the regular season and six more in the Countdown to the Championship playoffs, is there anyone out there who doesn’t think Capps will be in the battle until the final event in Pomona?

DRAG RACING LOVES A GOOD UNDERDOG STORY

Former alcohol racer Ron August Jr. came into Sonoma with exactly one Top Fuel round-win under his belt, and he quickly doubled it in what was the feel-good story of the event. August struggled in qualifying, coasting to a 4.657 best, so the odds of him beating world champ Doug Kalitta in round one were likely slim and none. That changed when Kalitta smoked the tires, and with just 14 cars in the field, August was rewarded with a bye run in the quarterfinals. That’s’ where the real drama began as August initially couldn’t get his car started to make his bye run, causing a few anxious moments for the Sonoma fans, but in the end, it all worked out. August even threw a scare into Tony Stewart in the semifinals when both racers encountered issues before the finish line.

BOB TASCA III IS OBSESSED WITH RUNNING 340 MPH

Oh, to be a fly on the wall in the Bob Tasca’s trailer when he and crew chiefs Aaron Brooks and Todd Okuhara have a strategy meeting before each race. Obviously, the entire Motorcraft Quicklane team wants to win races, but the underlying quest to duplicate the 340-mph speed they ran in Bradenton, Fla., before the start of the NHRA season might often make for an interesting discussion. Tasca made no bones about his quest to run 340 in Sonoma, and he came darn close with several runs at 337 or faster. Only a stiff headwind on Friday prevented what may have been an historic run.

Now, Tasca is faced with an interesting dilemma. Try again to run 340 when conditions permit or focus solely on delivering a world title.

“For now, it’s all about the championship,” said Tasca. “To run 340 mph, you need perfect conditions, and we just didn’t’ get them here, and who knows when we will see them again. I’ve been to Brainerd when it’s so cold you need a jacket, and I’ve been there when it's miserably hot. The same goes for Indy. We do have parts in our trailer that are faster than what we’re running, and I want to test them Monday after Brainerd. The problem is that when you make a big change, you might need to give up three or four races, and we’re not willing to do that in the Countdown. This car will run 340 this year though.”