NHRA - National Hot Rod Association

Racers and fans who came to Wine Country for the Toyota NHRA Sonoma Nationals knew that last weekend’s Mopar Mile-High NHRA Nationals was going to be a tough act to follow, but the second leg of the Western Swing was up to the challenge with track record performances, a pair of first-time 2016 winners, and a sellout crowd Sunday. In front of another live television audience on the FOX network, John Force scored his second straight Funny Car win and is two-thirds of the way toward what could be his second Western Swing sweep. Greg Anderson and the KB Pro Stock team got back to their winning ways after an off weekend in Denver, and J.R. Todd and LE Tonglet picked up their first victories of the season in Top Fuel and Pro Stock Motorcycle, respectively.

Force had been winless for more than a year until his Denver victory, but the 16-time world champion is now the hottest driver in the class with his second straight title. Force wheeled his camouflaged RealTree Camaro to win No. 145 when he topped Ron Capps, the sport’s second-winningest Funny Car driver, in the final round.

Del Worsham set the track record in qualifying with a 3.868, but it was Force who had the most consistent car on race day, with four runs between 3.92 and 3.94. Capps, who was vying for his landmark 50th win, was also solid with a string of 3.9s, but his 3.960 in the final wasn’t enough to get past Force.  

Todd, who admitted that he was still smarting from his loss to teammate Doug Kalitta in the Atlanta final, put the SealMaster dragster into the Top Fuel winner’s circle for the first time this season when he stopped Richie Crampton in the final, 3.745 to 3.806. Todd ran 3.74 on three of his four runs in eliminations and caught a break in the semifinals when he outdueled Kalitta in a race where both cars smoked the tires. Steve Torrence was the low qualifier for the eighth time this season with a track record 3.868.

When KB Racing drivers Anderson and Jason Line both lost in the semi’s in Denver, it marked the first time this season that the Summit cars were shut out of the winner’s circle. Anderson made sure that didn't happen again when he drove to his 85th victory by taking out KB teammate Bo Butner in the final, 6.580 to 6.622. For Anderson, the win ties him with Pro Stock legend Bob Glidden. Butner, who was the low qualifier, made it to his third final round of the year and did his part by leaving ahead of Anderson, but his car slowed from its earlier 6.5-second pace.

Andrew Hines was gunning for his fourth straight win in the Pro Stock Motorcycle class including Saturday’s NHRA Pro Bike Battle, but his streak came to an end in the final at the hands of 2010 world champ LE Tonglet. Hines ran a 6.864 in the final but finished a half-bike length behind Tonglet, who ran 6.813 on his Nitro Fish Suzuki. Tonglet had made the best run of his career with a 6.780 in qualifying and defeated Katie Sullivan, Hector Arana Sr., and Eddie Krawiec on his way to the final. The intense rivalry that exists between the Star and Vance & Hines teams was rekindled in Sonoma with a heated pit-area exchange between the two teams. On the track, Star rider Angelle Sampey made a statement with the best two-wheel run of the year, a 6.730 at 199.76 mph, both personal bests.

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