NHRA - National Hot Rod Association

News, notes, quotes, video, and photos from the final day of the Denso NHRA Sonoma Nationals at Sonoma Raceway. (Updated throughout the day).

Once again, we’re facing an early 10:30 a.m. start time and in Sonoma, that means cloud cover, cool temperatures, and the potential for monster runs. During yesterday’s media availability both nitro low qualifiers Doug Kalitta and Bob Tasca III noted that Sonoma is one of the most challenging tracks for crew chiefs since its possible (and today quite likely) that the track temperature will change 20 degrees or more from the first to second round. Sonoma is also well known for it’s gusty winds that can quickly change from headwind to tail wind, providing a further variable that can drive crew chiefs to the brink of madness. It’s not uncommon to see teams making significant changes right up until the time they fire their engines.

The day begins with pre-race ceremonies including driver introductions, the Seal Master NHRA Track Walk, and a few special awards, and then the first pair will fire.

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Top Fuel Round 1

The first pair of the day was mighty impressive as Billy Torrence made the best run of his career with a 3.662 to easily take out Jasmine Salinas, who was also in career-best territory with a 3.702. Salinas was a couple hundredths quicker off the starting line, but Torrence’s Capco dragster easily made up the difference.

Even though she made a quality run, it was hard for Salinas to hide the disappointment of not winning a round at her home event.  

“I really wanted to win a round because we’re representing Pleasenton Ready Mix this week. I’m really looking forward to the next race. We’re gonna get our s*** together,” said Salinas

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Justin Ashley ran his record against Tony Schumacher to a perfect 5-0 this season with a 3.701 in the SCAG Power Equipment dragster. The battle ended early when Schumacher’s JCM dragster smoked the tires early. Ashley, who had a three-hundredths advantage off the starting line, cruised to the victory to keep pace with the points leaders in the class.

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Steve Torrence will join his father, Billy in the quarterfinals following a 3.693 win against Clay Millican, who was in the battle until his Denso dragster spun the tires. Torrence is now riding a five-round win streak following his first win of the season last week in Seattle.

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Ron August Jr. pulled off what is so far the biggest upset of the season when he took out world champ and low qualifier Doug Kalitta in round one. Kalitta smoked the tires at half track but appeared to get a reprieve when August’s car appeared to pop the burst panel. August’s momentum carried him across the finish line first, 3.985 to 4.030. Incredibly, August will now have a bye run into the semifinals thanks to the short 14-car field in Sonoma. August had one previous round win in Top Fuel, and it came against Steve Torrence.

“Our only hope was that they’d make a mistake, and they did,” said veteran tuner Glenn Mikres, who is helping August this weekend. “That’s just how it is.”

***

Tony Stewart earned a much-needed win when he took out Mission #2Fast2Tasty winner Shawn Langdon in round one. Langdon’s Kalitta Air dragster was slightly ahead at half-track, but slowed to a 3.845 at just 288-mph. That was more than enough for Stewart’s Rinnai dragster to light the win light with 3.740, their best run of the weekend.

“We’ve had to take a couple steps backwards in order to move forward but all the guys have their heads up. This is a great start to the day but we have a long way to go. I’m proud of these guys,” said Stewart.

Round two pairings (lane choice first) Billy Torrence vs. Brittany Force; Steve Torrence vs. Antron Brown; Justin Ashley vs. Tony Stewart; Ron August vs. Bye.

Funny Car Round 1

Still no 340, but Bob Tasca III bumped his own top speed of the meet to 338.70 mph in his Motorcraft QuickLane Ford in his round one win against Buddy Hull. Tasca, the top qualifier ran a 3.875 to easily cover Hull’s 4.072. For the record, Tasca’s speed is the fifth fastest in the history of the Funny Car class.

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It wasn’t exactly his plan, but when Ron Capps was forced to go to a back-up car after last weekend’s explosion in Seattle, it appears to be paying some dividends. Capps delivered a solid run with a 3.869 in his round one win against Cruz Pedregon. Despite the competitive number, Capps doesn’t feel like he’s on an even keep with his competitors

“We’re at a slight disadvantage,” Capps said. This is a two year old car, but it’s were we’re at. This car doesn’t have the updates of the car we crashed last week but we’ll make it up. I love Guido [Dean Antonelli, crew chife] I love drinking wine and racing with the guy, and there is nothing better than racing with him here in Sonoma.”

***

J.R. Todd does some of his best work in Sonoma and the four-time winner is on track for another great showing following a 3.895 in his victory against Jason Rupert. Todd will be carrying the banner for the Kalitta Motorsports team after Top Fuel teammates Doug Kaltta and Shawn Langdon were both upended in round one.

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The first round of Funny Car had a little bit of everything including a holeshot as Chad Green gained a slight edge on Blake Alexander and held on for a narrow 3.908 to 3.904 victory. Green’s fantastic .026 reaction time was somewhat suspect as it’s far quicker than most lights in the class, but it was enough to get the job done.

Funny Car round two pairings (lane choice first): Ron Capps vs. J.R. Todd; Austin Prock vs. Daniel Wilkerson; Matt Hagan vs. Chad Green; Bob Tasca III vs. Paul Lee

***

Pro Stock Round 1

Jeg Coughlin Jr. got a measure of revenge against his nephew, Troy Jr. in their opening round match-up that was also a rematch of Saturday’s Mission Foods #2Fast2Tasty Challenge final. The race featured two of the best drivers in the class, but it wasn’t exactly a work of art. Troy Jr. red-lighted in his JEGS.com/White Castle entry to end the race while Jeg, the winner of last week’s Northwest Nationals in Seattle, rattled the tires in his SCAG Camaro and slowed to a 6.963.

“It’s special to race with T.J. He’s been with us since he was a kid and he’s never missed a round whether it’s bracket racing or Pro Stock racing,” Jeg said.  “We knew one of us was gonna win. He cracked me pretty hard yesterday, so I guess I got one back.”

***

Matt Hartford also rattled the tires in his GETTRX/Total Seal Camaro, providing a quick ending to his round one race against Jerry Don Tucker, who was long gone with a 6.536. For Tucker, it was his first round win since Epping, where he went to the semifinals. Tucker came into the Sonoma event as the No. 7 ranked driver in the class.

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It took just two races for Cory Reed to collect his first round win in Pro Stock as the former Pro Stock Motorcycle rider wheeled his J&A Service Camaro to a win against Deric Kramer, who’s car died on the starting line as soon as he dumped the clutch. Reed didn’t exactly win by default as he drove to a 6.539 to collect the win.

Kramer noted that his issues seemed to be electrical in nature, but he wasn’t immediately sure.

***

Chris McGaha left well ahead of Erica Enders in their round one battle but it wasn’t enough. McGaha’s .035 light was off the mark first, but Enders clipped the Harlow Sammons driver at the finish line by .008 second thanks to a 6.516. enders hasn’t won since the season-opener in Gainesville, but she’s well within striking distance of the class leaders.

***

“Double-O” Dallas Glenn, fresh off of three holeshot wins last week in Seattle, hammered the Tree in round one with a perfect .000 light in his win against Kenny Delco. Glenn grabbed a big lead at the start and then extended it to the finish line with a 6.520 in his RAD Torque Systems entry. Glenn will race Jerry Tucker in round two with lane choice.

Pro Stock round two pairings (lane choice first): Cory Reed vs. Eric Latino; Erica Enders vs. Aaron Stanfield; Greg Anderson vs. Jeg Coughlin Jr.; Dallas Glenn vs. Jerry Tucker

Pro Stock Motorcycle Round one

John Hall would have preferred not to race against MSR Teammate Angie Smith in round one, but he won’t complain about the win light. Smith’s Denso Buell bogged at the start and that was all it took for Hall to take advantage with a 6.73 to 6.78 victory. Hall also grabbed a slight .02-second advantage off the starting line.

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Chase Van Sant, the winner a week ago in Seattle, went to the second round with a narrow win against Richard Gadson’s RevZilla/Vance & Hines Suzuki. Both bikes were together at the start, but Van Sant’s Trick Tools Suzuki pulled ahead for a 6.751 to 6.770 victory.

***

Jianna Evaristo continued to bomb the speed clocks in Sonoma with a 204.35 mph run on her Scrappers Buell. Evaristo also nailed the elapsed time portion of the run with a 6.699 to easily cover class newcomer Clayton Howey.

***

Pro Stock Motorcycle round two pairings (lane choice first): Matt Smith vs. Chase Van Sant; Jianna Evaristo vs. Hector Arana Jr.; John Hall vs. Gaige Herrera

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Top Fuel Round Two

Bye runs generally aren’t dramatic but there are always exceptions, as there were a few anxious moments before Ron August Jr. made his single run in round two. August’s car initially would not start, which is a huge problem because by rule, the car must start and stage under its own power in order to advance. After multiple attempts, August’s crew got the car fired and they did the smart thing by simply rolling forward and taking the green light. The knowledgeable Sonoma crowd was well aware of the rules and the consequences and gave August a huge round of applause as he idled down the track.

Crew chief Glenn Mikres noted that the team had an issue with their ignition system, specifically the magneto, which prevented it from firing initially.

***

Tony Stewart left first against noted starting line bandit Justin Ashley and cruised to a much-needed semifinal finish after Ashley smoked the tires. Stewart, who has made bones about his desire to become more competitive as the season heads into the second half, ran a 3.781 for the win. It’s worth noting that Stewart’s final NASCAR victory also came at Sonoma Raceway when he conquered the road course in June of 2016.

“Justin tends to bring out the best in everybody. You can’t give him a split second,” said Stewart. “We’ve got a few breaks going, which we haven’t had all year. We’re making rounds, and we need to keep doing that right now.”

***

Stewart wasn’t the only driver who got a much needed semifinal as Brittany Force racked up a few more points in her Monster Energy dragster with a 3.746 to power past Billy Torrence, who hazed the tires at half-track. Force cannot automatically make the Countdown to the Championship after she missed the Norwalk round.

“This feels really good to be going rounds on race day,” said Force. “The semifinals; that’s where we need to be. We got lucky round one. We had a few holes out but we just had another good run [in E2].”

***

Semifinal pairings (lane choice first): Tony Stewart vs. Ron August Jr.; Brittany Force vs. Antron Brown

Funny Car Round Two

Austin Prock has made few mistakes this year, and he didn’t make one in the second round as he drove his Cornwell Tools Camaro to a narrow 3.904 to 3.914 victory against Daniel Wilkerson’s SCAG entry. Prock has dominated the points this season and barring something very odd, he’ll enter the Countdown as the top seed in the Funny Car class. Prock will have a tough draw as he races Bob Tasca III in the semifinals.

***

Ron Capps and J.R. Todd both list Sonoma Raceway as one of their favorite tracks on the NHRA tour and it’s possible that Capps likes it a bit more right now as he powered to a 3.907 to 3.943 win against Todd’s DHL Toyota Supra in the quarterfinals. Capps has been to the semifinals just four times this season including his lone final round last month in Norwalk.

***

Semifinal pairings (lane choice first): Austin Prock vs. Bob Tasca III; Ron Capps vs. Matt Hagan

Pro Stock Motorcycle Round Two

Normally, if Gaige Herrera cuts a .001 light, you’ve got an insurmountable problem but John Hall managed to overcome that deficit with a 6.741 to 6.847 win to move into the semifinals. Hall has flown under the radar for most of the season, but he’s solidly in the Top 10 and he’s got a solid bike under him courtesy of team owner Matt Smith.

***

Holeshots weren’t confined to the Pro Stock category as Hector Arana Jr. and his GETTRX Buell got the best of Jianna Evaristo, 6.818 to 6.762. Arana’s win, coupled with Matt Smith’s victory against Chase Van Sant, assured that there would be a V-twin winner in the Pro Stock Motorcycle category for the first time in more than a year.

Semifinals pairings (lane choice first): John Hall vs. Hector Arana Jr.; Matt Smith vs. Bye

***

Top Fuel Semifinals

Tony Stewart will race in his first NHRA Top Fuel final after beating Ron August Jr. but the race wasn’t as one-sided as it seemed to be. Stewart left first by nearly a tenth and he needed most of it after his Rinnai Tankless Water Heaters dragster began dropping cylinders. Stewart held on for a 3.975 to 3.997 victory.

“It hasn’t been an easy journey, but this team won’t quit,” said Stewart, a three-time Sonoma winner during his NASCAR career. “We keep chipping away at it. When it started dropping holes I got nervous. We just need one more win light.”

In order to win his first professional drag race, Stewart will have to get past Antron Brown, who already has two wins this season. Brown wheeled his Matco Tools entry past Brittany Force in the semi’s with a 3.732 to earn lane choice for the final.

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Funny Car Semifinals

A week after a major incident in Seattle, Ron Capps showed his resiliency with a final round showing at his home track in Sonoma. Capps got the best of Matt Hagan in a great 3.923 to 3.933 side-by-side race. This will be Capps’ 149th career final round as a professional.

Bob Tasca’s tactic of deep staging paid off with a .022 light and that made the difference as he stopped championship leader Austin Prock on a holeshot, 3.931 to 3.901. The staging move means that Tasca won’t have lane choice against Capps in the final, but crew chief Aaron Brooks didn’t seem the least bit concerned.

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Pro Stock Semifinals

The possibility of a first-time Pro Stock winner looms as Cory Reed is headed to the final round for the first time after a foul start by Jerry Don Tucker. Both drivers ran matching 6.644 second elapsed times, but the numbers were irrelevant after Tucker left ahead of the green light. Reed has raced in just two Pro Stock events and has less than 30 runs in a full-bodied race cars.

In order to win, Reed will have to get past Aaron Stanfield in the final round. Stanfield powered to a 6.549 after four-time world champ Greg Anderson basketballed the tires in the semifinals. Stanfield has been on a tear this season with back-to-back wins in Richmond and Norwalk to go with a pair of runner-up finishes earlier this season.

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Pro Stock Motorcycle Semifinals

After winning yesterday’s GETTRX Pro Stock Motorcycle Allstar NHRA Callout, Matt Smith Racing will also win the Denso Sonoma Nationals. Smith got a bye run into the final round by virtue of his low qualifying effort on Saturday and he’ll have lane choice against teammate John Hall thanks to a 6.706 on his Denso Buell.

Hall, celebrating his wife, Evette’s birthday, has turned on three win lights with his Buell including a close semifinal win against Hector Arana Jr. and his GETTRX Buell. Hall rode to a 6.772 to hold off Arana’s 6.782.

LUCAS OIL DRAG RACING SERIES

COMP
Joshua Lee def. Steve Graham

SUPER STOCK
Jim Grossi def. Justin Lamb

STOCK
Paul Calvert def. Jared Jordan

SUPER COMP
Allison McKoane def. Jarron Settles

SUPER GAS
Ryan Giacone def. John McKoane

RIGHT TRAILERS TOP DRAGSTER
Thomas Bayer def. David Myhre

RIGHT TRAILERS TOP SPORTSMAN
David Cook def. Jeff Gilette