Photos by Mike and Jeff Burghardt, NHRA
SATURDAY NOTEBOOK – ANOTHER BLINDING FUNNY CAR EXPLOSION HAS DRIVERS TALKING, MATT SMITH WINS GETTRX CASH
1 – WILKERSON: SOMETHING HAS TO CHANGE – Daniel Wilkerson walked away uninjured after a violent engine explosion Friday night split his Mustang Funny Car body in half, but he said NHRA safety rules contributed to a dangerous situation.
Wilkerson said body tethers, which keep the back half of the body attached, left him unable to see as he tried to stop the car. “I can tell you I’d feel a lot more comfortable if [the body] would’ve fallen off,” Wilkerson said. “There’s a few rules in place that keep it from falling off right now … but I can tell you now, I’ve had three of those and two of them, I felt like I was in real danger.”
He said he understands the purpose of the rule. “You can’t have stuff flying into the stands. I get it,” Wilkerson said. “But on the same hand, I can tell you as soon as I got out, I wished it was definitely sitting on their side of the wall.”
The explosion left Wilkerson completely blind to his surroundings. “All I could think about was running over into [Chad Green’s] lane because I had no idea where I was … ‘Don’t get over there and get hit. Don’t go hit your buddy. Stay in your own lane,’” he said.
Wilkerson said he would not have been surprised if the car had crossed the track after the body shattered. “If you would’ve told me … ‘You were on the return road,’ I would’ve said, ‘Maybe. I don’t know,’” he said.
On Saturday, Buddy Hull suffered a similar incident when his Funny Car exploded and blocked his vision.
“You can’t see through the fire … and then you got the body obstructing your view,” Wilkerson said. “Something’s got to change.”
Wilkerson said NHRA officials spoke with him soon after the incident to discuss potential solutions. “The great part about NHRA is, we’ve already talked about it,” Wilkerson said. “We’re looking at all kinds of options.”
He offered no specific fix, but reiterated that he believes the current situation puts drivers at risk. “I wish I had the magic answer to fix all the problems. I just know the problem,” Wilkerson said. “I feel like the current situation puts drivers in danger.”
2 – RICKIE’S BOY SHOWS OUT – Sometimes kids grow up to be just like their fathers. And in the case of six-time Pro Stock Motorcycle champion Matt Smith, he was doing his best to emulate his dad, “Trickie” Rickie Smith.
Matt Smith was definitely pulling out all the stops in his bid to stop NHRA Sonoma Nationals No. 1 qualifier in the final round of the GETTRX All-Star Callout at Sonoma Raceway. Gadson gambled on the tree and went red by .001.
Smith is convinced it was a little bit of his family’s tradition that inspired Gadson’s early exit.
“Richard has always told me in the past, he’s like, ‘Man, we have these staging battles,’” Smith said. “I love it when people have staging battles with me because I feel like I get in their head. He’s always told me, he’s like, ‘Man, why you just won’t ever let me go in last?’ I’m like, ‘I’m not going to. You better put a bigger gas tank on, dude, because we’re going to sit here.’ And right before we pre-stage, he looked over at me, and I told him back here, I said, ‘I hope you got a big gas tank because I put my extra big one on there,’ and he just laughed.”
Then, right before the finalists staged, Smith said he added a little extra drama to the situation.
“He looked over, and I blew him a kiss, and he just started shaking his head,” Smith explained. “So I knew right then I got in his head. So as soon as he’s pre-staged, I just went on and just double-bulbed him. And I know it had to throw him off a little bit because I knew I had to do something to play with him.”
Gadson happened to be sitting off in the corner of the media center. He offered a counterpoint with a smile.
“He didn’t throw me off,” Gadson said. “Honest to God, he thinks he’s smart. But I knew he was going to go in first because we’ve been having these staging battles, and I always go in. And when he told me in the staging lanes, ‘Hey, I’m going to just sit there. I hope you got a big gas tank,’ I already knew when he said that that he was going to go in first. He’d never tell you what he’s really going to do. If he tells you he’s going left, he’s going right. So he ain’t as sharp as he thinks he is. But it did work out for him, so I can’t talk too much.”
3 – FORCE, CAPPS, GLENN SCORE #2FAST2TASTY WINS – Brittany Force won the Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge for the first time this season Saturday, defeating Justin Ashley in the final round of Top Fuel at Sonoma Raceway. The victory came less than 24 hours after Force once again set the NHRA speed record.
Force, a two-time NHRA Top Fuel champion, drove her Monster Energy dragster to a 3.869-second run at 324.75 mph to collect the trophy. Ashley smoked the tires during the matchup, giving Force her first bonus-race win of 2025.
“I’m excited to finally win one of these Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge races,” Force said. “I was talking with David [Grubnic, crew chief] last night and we said that we were disappointed we didn’t have one. We turned on two win lights today to get the job done.”
Ron Capps claimed the Funny Car bonus race, defeating No. 1 qualifier Matt Hagan with a 3.904-second run at 324.20 mph in his NAPA Auto Parts Toyota GR Supra. The win was Capps’ second in the bonus event this season, and he reached the finals by beating Spencer Hyde earlier in the day.
“It was just a really cool race, and it was good to give Toyota a win,” Capps said. “I grew up three hours south of here, and this has always been a great place to race.”
Capps said his team adjusted for cooler track conditions before the run. “Before we ran, Guido [Dean Antonelli, crew chief] said he thought we could better our qualifying position. That’s a big deal, so I had to stage thin. I also had to be ready for Matt because we all know how good he is.”
Dallas Glenn wrapped up the day by winning the Pro Stock bonus race, setting a track record and securing the No. 1 qualifying spot. Glenn drove his RAD Torque Systems Chevrolet Camaro to a 6.471 at 211.79 mph to beat Cody Coughlin, who left first but whose 6.501 wasn’t stout enough to finish the job.
“This shows that we have a good car,” Glenn said. “We ran into a headwind, so I didn’t think we could [qualify No. 1], but we made a good run even though I messed up a bit. I guess I got a bit lucky since Cody was only seven thousandths away from stealing it from me.”
The win marked Glenn’s third Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge victory of 2025 and his second in a row. The Pro Stock points leader qualified No. 1 for the fourth time this season and will face Kenny Delco in Sunday’s opening round of eliminations.
4 – HIGHLY SELF-CRITICAL GLENN PULLS OFF SONOMA SATURDAY TRIFECTA – Dallas Glenn closed qualifying Saturday by sweeping the day in Pro Stock, taking the No. 1 spot, setting a track record and winning the Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge. Glenn posted a 6.471-second run at 211 mph, marking his fourth No. 1 qualifier of the season, third Mission win, and a track record for the second straight week.
“I think it really shows how good the car is right now,” Glenn said. “I didn’t really think I would be able to get it because of the big headwind we have right now, but with that headwind, it’s bringing in that cool moisture and the cool temperatures. So I felt like on that run, I tried doing everything I could to mess it up, and I got lucky.”
Glenn credited crew members for the car’s performance. “The car is absolutely phenomenal right now. Dave Connolly has a great handle on it, with the help of Rob Downing and Nathan VanWassenhove,” Glenn said. “I’ve said it before, this is probably the best car I’ve ever had. The only thing that’s keeping this car from winning is me. So I just need to do my job the best that I can and not make mistakes, and then it’s going to be pretty tough.”
Asked about consistently running in the 6.40s, Glenn noted the continuation of the team’s recent success.
“It’s been pretty crazy over the last two weeks,” Glenn said. “I think there’s only two runs where I wasn’t in the .960s in 60-foot, which is pretty crazy – not including the .958, the .959 that I had in Seattle, which is the best 60-foot I’ve had. So between conditions just being this good and you’re at sea level at these two tracks, it definitely makes it a lot of fun. Now if we can go to Brainerd [in mid-August] and go 6.40s, I think we’re really doing something.”
Glenn admitted he is his own toughest critic.
“I feel like there’s generally always at least one thing I felt like I could have done a little bit better,” he said. “I’ve definitely had some good runs where I felt like everything that I did was up to my satisfaction, but maybe the car wasn’t quite there. Well, right now the car is better than I am, I feel like.”
Glenn said Cody Coughlin nearly took the top spot. “Obviously Cody was only a seventh away from stealing that from me, so I definitely need to get better on the tree. I don’t feel like I was smooth staging, so I’m going to make a few tweaks for tomorrow for that and just try to make sure I do my job this time tomorrow – as long as I can be racing this time tomorrow,” he said.
“I feel like I was a little late on a couple of my shifts, so I don’t think it really affected the run a whole lot, but it was pretty close,” Glenn said. “I’m definitely harder on myself than anybody else will ever be. And these guys, they work way too hard for me to go up there and screw up what they’re doing. I want to do the best job I can and do everything exactly the same, and let them go ahead and make all the fine adjustments and tune it so that we can have a car that is really tough to beat.”
5 – EXTOLLING THE VIRTUES WITH PINCHUCK – Snap‑on Tools President Nick Pinchuck attended his annual NHRA national event and spoke on the virtues of drag racing and America. He praised the sport’s horsepower, speed and technical teamwork while promoting national pride.
Pinchuck said he travels the world for Snap‑on and affirmed his belief that “America is still the greatest country in the world.” He credited innovators such as Henry Ford and Thomas Edison alongside skilled professionals in pits and shops for the nation’s success.
He described pit crews as technicians executing a “mechanical ballet,” tearing down and rebuilding engines in just 45 minutes for each race. He said the demonstration illustrates why America is a “great society.”
Snap‑on has been Cruz Pedregon’s sponsor since 1992, a relationship that has continued through contract extensions that currently run through 2026. The company became Pedregon’s full sponsor in 2002 after he took a brief hiatus to serve as a TV analyst.
6 – THIRD TIME IS NOT THE CHARM – For the third time since June, Buddy Hull’s Jim Dunn Racing Funny Car ended up in the sand trap, this time after an engine explosion during qualifying Friday at Sonoma Raceway. It marked the second race in a row that Hull’s car blew an engine and failed to stop.
“I knew it was wrong when the dash was laying in my lap,” Hull said. “It was going down there nice and smooth … I’m guessing it dropped a valve. And the rest is history. It blew up.”
Hull said he had no steering or brakes after the explosion. “I kind of felt it nudge [the] left wall … apparently it was straight enough to get me straight into the sand, straight into the net,” he said.
He credited safety equipment and the car’s construction for allowing him to walk away unharmed. “Once again, the safety gear we have is incredible. You can blow up a race car at 300 miles an hour, have a dash land in your lap, hit the sand, get out [and] 10 minutes later do an interview,” he said.
We’ve torn up a lot of stuff this last month and thank God for our sponsors. We may be asking them for a little bit more favors because we’re going to need them,” Hull added.
Despite the incident, Hull said he is undeterred: “I love drag racing. I’d strap back in in 10 minutes if you let me. I ain’t afraid of these things. Put me in another one. I’m ready to rock and roll.”
7 – NET DOWNTIME – Drag racing was put on hold for two hours, 12 minutes as the Safety Safari repaired the damage sustained to the catch net in the runoff area of Sonoma Raceway.
8 – WHAT THE SNAKE DON’T LIKE – Don “The Snake” Prudhomme, a drag racing icon and legend, was on fire Friday in the Sonoma Raceway media center. But his cars rarely were. Why?
“I hated to tear my s*** up,” he said.
In his storied career which included NHRA Funny Car championships from 1975-78, Prudhomme said he only caught on fire twice. One was an iconic wheelstand fire in the early 1970s at Seattle, and the other was a devastating fire at Orange County International Raceway in 1981.
Now, Prudhomme has transferred this dislike of fires to other drag racers. If he knows you and you blow your stuff up, expect a text or a call.
Just ask Tony Stewart.
“Normally, by the time I’ve got back to the pit after a blow up, he’s already sent me a text message going, ‘Why did that happen?’ – and not necessarily why I did it, but he genuinely wants to know what happened, what failed, what went wrong,” Stewart said. “And he’s not at the track all the time, but trust me, he’s ‘at the track’ all the time, you just don’t see him on the grounds.”
Prudhomme was a part of the match-racing scene of the 1970s when unsavory drag racing promoters would cut drag racers pay if their car didn’t run well or caught on fire.
“In those days, our cars went down the track, whether it’s this track or wherever it was at,” Prudhomme said. “We made a living. We raced all those tracks, and they paid us – and for sure you couldn’t go out there and smoke the tires and come back and think you were going to get paid. They would dock you, a lot of these track guys, and so we had to go down the track.
“I watch current-day drag racing, and I like it. What I don’t like is most of the tracks, the cars can’t go down until Sunday pretty much,” he said. “I mean, they struggle on Fridays, the ones I’ve been watching on TV. It builds so much damn power, it’s just hard to get it to the ground. So it’s kind of disappointing. I like to see them go down the track and not go out there and smoke the tires and shut it off. It kind of sucks.”
9 – HE WON’T FIT, PERIOD – Tony Stewart said experience in sprint cars and midgets does not necessarily make drivers better in Funny Cars, despite several NHRA champions coming from open-wheel racing backgrounds. Austin Prock, Doug Kalitta, Ron Capps, and J.R. Todd all raced in open-wheel cars before earning drag racing titles.
Stewart said Funny Cars are a vastly different challenge.
“There’s things that I had to learn when I came over here that were things that I used in sprint car racing,” Stewart said, “but everything is so much heightened over here compared to that.”
Sprint cars, for one, are more forgiving when traction is lost. “When it turns the tires loose in a sprint car, you don’t get worked up, where here if you don’t catch it really quick, it becomes real expensive real quick,” he said.
Stewart joked that his Funny Car driver Matt Hagan is too big to fit in a sprint car or midget. “Midget’s out of the question. He’s just not going to fit, period. He’d take the seat and the motor area,” Stewart said.
Stewart said he would help Hagan try open-wheel racing if he wanted to, but prefers him in Funny Cars. “I’m much more comfortable with him in a Funny Car than I am in a sprint car,” Stewart said.
Hagan said he’s content to stick with Funny Cars. “I’m good right now, man,” Hagan said.
Hagan recalled driving Clint Bowyer’s dirt late model and initially thinking he was going fast. “Then it looked really slow on video,” he said.
Stewart emphasized that transitioning from open-wheel cars to drag racing is a significant adjustment. “It’s a huge learning curve. There’s certain variables that are way more important than what we would’ve thought about before we came here,” he said.
10 – THE INFLUENCE OF JUNGLE – Funny Car driver Paul Lee said a chance encounter with drag racing legend “Jungle Jim” Liberman as a teenager set him on a lifelong path to drive nitro Funny Cars. Lee said Liberman’s showmanship and fearlessness made a lasting impression.
“I grew up in southern New Jersey, and Jungle Jim was the local hero,” Lee said. “The first time I went to a match race, I was 13 years old at Atco Dragway. I had never seen a nitro funny car before.”
Lee recalled Liberman performing a long burnout before backing up quickly and launching down the track. “Flames are over the roof. He goes off into the grass, never lifted … and beats the guy in the other lane,” Lee said. “I remember just the crowd going absolutely bananas. I said to myself, ‘That’s what I want to do.’
“That hooked me to nitro Funny Cars forever. There hasn’t been a day gone by since that race that I haven’t thought about driving a nitro Funny Car,” he said.
Lee, however, started in alcohol Funny Cars because it was all he could afford.
“To me that was my learning experience. The best way to learn how to drive one of these cars is an alcohol Funny Car,” he said.
Even though a dragster was fielded under the “Jungle Jim” moniker with Ron Attebury as the driver, Lee said there was never an interest in the long, skinny cars.
“Never. Never one instance,” he said.
FRIDAY NOTEBOOK – SONOMA’S NIGHT OF SPEED PLAYS OUT BEFORE A PACKED HOUSE
1 – THE QUEEN OF SPEED – Two-time NHRA Top Fuel champion Brittany Force set a world record for speed Friday night at Sonoma Raceway, running 343.16 mph while taking the provisional No. 1 qualifying spot. Force’s pass of 3.604 seconds also set the track record and marked her seventh run over 340 mph since April.
Force credited crew chiefs David Grubnic and John Collins, along with her Monster Energy team, for the historic pass. “To be able to put up a number like that, 343, on the board … I’m so proud of all of us to be able to accomplish that,” Force said.
She said the car moved around during the run, forcing her to make steering corrections to the point that “I almost pulled my foot out of the thing just to play it safe and I thought, ‘Nope, I could get her there.’”
After hearing the speed, Force initially thought her crew was pulling her leg. “They repeated the run and I said, ‘You’re joking, right? You guys aren’t messing with me?’” she said.
Force said her focus remains on elapsed time but the high speeds have come naturally. “Our goal is ET … it’s just these mile per hours keep coming with it,” she said.
Asked about attempting land-speed records on the famed Bonneville (Utah) Salt Flats, Force said she has no plans to leave drag racing. “This is home for me … I’ve dedicated my entire life to this sport. I can’t see myself going anywhere else,” she said.
The record-setting run came before a packed crowd at Sonoma. “To be able to put on a show for them like that and let them see that mile per hour, very proud to do that,” Force said.
2 – CRUNCHING THE NUMBERS – For numbers nerds, Force’s run was a thing of incremental beauty. Starting with a .819-second 60-foot time, she ran 2.087 to the 330-foot mark, and then a 2.940-second elapsed time at 304.94 to the eighth-mile.
Her 3.645, 343.16, was a bit more than her father, 16-time NHRA Funny Car champion, John Force was expecting.
“That makes me a bit nervous,” he said. “The girl did good.”
3 – HAGAN TURNS SEATTLE WIN INTO SONOMA MOMENTUM – Matt Hagan grabbed the provisional No. 1 spot in Funny Car qualifying Friday at Sonoma Raceway with a 3.861-second run at 332 mph. If it holds, it would be Hagan’s first No. 1 qualifier of the year and the 53rd of his career.
Hagan credited crew chief Mike Knudsen, who is seeking his first career No. 1 qualifier. “For him it was a really special event … we just came off a race win, and what better way to come back and flex your muscle a little bit,” Hagan said.
The four-time world champion said conditions near the Bay created ideal performance. “These motors want to run, man … they like to be loaded, they like to be pulled on,” Hagan said.
Hagan, who has never won at Sonoma, said getting a victory there would be meaningful. “This is the only racetrack … that I haven’t won at. I really would like to pull this one down this weekend,” he said.
He said the car had strong early numbers, but still has more potential.
“I’ve never seen a crew chief go, ‘Well, you know, that was it’ … they’re always picking it apart,” Hagan said.
Hagan praised Knudsen’s development this season after a stint learning his role under longtime tuner Dickie Venables. “I’ve seen him make a progression … now it’s kind of like, ‘Okay, I know what I’m doing. I’m feeling good about this,’” Hagan said.
4 – REED DISCUSSES THE CRASH – Four days after a violent crash at the NHRA Northwest Nationals left him hospitalized, Top Fuel driver Shawn Reed is taking the first steps toward normalcy. Friday marked his first day back at the office of his Tacoma-based trucking company, though under time limits set by his wife.
Reed’s right-rear tire exploded during a qualifying run Saturday at Pacific Raceways near Seattle, sending his dragster spinning and crashing backward into the wall. He suffered two fractured ribs and multiple hand injuries, including the loss of his left index finger and the need for a pin in his left thumb.
“The accident pulled all the soft tissue off of the finger; there was zero saving it,” Reed said. “Although it was attached at the time of the crash, they knew they would not keep it … With it gone, I could learn to do anything.”
Reed recalled feeling as if he was “on ice” before losing consciousness. He described the aftermath as “silent but almost soothing.”
Despite the severity of the crash, Reed credited safety equipment with preventing injuries to his legs and hips. “Nothing down low was affected or bothered,” he said.
Reed does not know what caused the crash, citing possible tire failure, debris, or a mechanical problem. That uncertainty, he said, makes a return to racing more difficult.
He is scheduled for surgery on the pin in his thumb Wednesday and expects more clarity on his recovery afterward. Reed said the earliest return would be the Countdown event in Reading, Pennsylvania, in mid-September while Dallas in October is the latest likely option.
Reed, currently in the top 10 in points, may consider a substitute driver to maintain his standing if he cannot return in time.
Reed said he contacted a spectator who was injured by debris from the crash, expressing remorse and inviting the fan as a VIP guest at a future race. He said support from other drivers and teams has been overwhelming and vital during recovery.
Summing up the experience in one word, Reed chose “resilience.” He vowed the crash would not stop him from racing again. “You can’t dwell on this stuff,” Reed said. “If you are ever scared to get in a car, you better just stay out of a car … This will not stop me from my goals.”
5 – GADSON SETS FRIDAY PACE FOR BIKES – Richard Gadson posted the top pass Friday night in Pro Stock Motorcycle qualifying for the GETTRX All-Star Callout, running 6.702 seconds at 200 mph. If the time holds, it would mark the first No. 1 qualifier of Gadson’s career.
Gadson, who earned his first win earlier this year in Bristol, said the provisional top spot is another milestone in a season of firsts. “I’m a big advocate of taking all the small victories, too, and this was one that I hadn’t been able to do,” he said.
Despite the career-best elapsed time, Gadson admitted he was frustrated at the finish line for missing a 6.69-second run. “I kind of felt kind of crappy because I was on the top end of the track and really been hoping for my first 6.69 slip,” he said.
John Hall, rider of a Matt Smith-tuned Buell, reminded him to enjoy the accomplishment. “John’s like, ‘Yo, you went 6.70 with it too. Just chill,’” Gadson said with a laugh.
Gadson credited his Vance & Hines crew for continued improvement throughout the season. “People look at it and say they have fast motorcycles, but we’re always trying to make them faster … and that shows right there what we can do,” he said.
Asked whether he imagined winning or qualifying No. 1 first, Gadson said reality hasn’t matched the dream. “You think of the whole storybook weekend … you’re that guy all weekend, you number one qualifier, you fastest all day and you go,” Gadson said. “Hopefully this weekend it does.”
6 – THE BULLSEYE PRINCIPLE – Greg Anderson set the track record Friday at Sonoma Raceway with a 6.472-second run at 210 mph to take the provisional No. 1 spot in Pro Stock qualifying. If it holds, it would be Anderson’s fifth No. 1 qualifier of the season and the 137th of his career.
Anderson, who also set the track record last year in Sonoma, said the conditions were ideal for Pro Stock racing. “If you’re a Pro Stock racer, that’s what you dream of … it’s been a fantastic year to be a Pro Stock racer,” he said.
The six-time Pro Stock champion said Sonoma remains his favorite track. “I love this place … I’ve always had great success, and it’s because you feel good when you’re rolling through the gates out here,” Anderson said.
Anderson acknowledged that his recent success puts “a bull’s-eye” on his back. “I would much rather have that bull’s-eye on my back … it’s what you work for, it’s what you strive for,” he said.
He noted that the competition has tightened in recent weeks. “They’re getting closer … anybody in this class that qualifies can win,” Anderson said.
Anderson credited his team for maintaining an edge while executing on race day. “It’s a total package. You’ve got to do it all right. The driver’s got to be right, the car’s got to be right, and the engine’s got to be right,” he said.
He cited teammate and Pro Stock points leader Dallas Glenn as one of several drivers capable of ending his streak. “Dallas has a great hot rod and he drives the wheels off that damn thing … every one of them can send me home easily,” Anderson said.
7 – THE PSM GETTRX ALL-STAR CALLOUT SET FOR SATURDAY – Eight of the NHRA’s top Pro Stock Motorcycle riders will compete Saturday in the GETTRX All-Star Callout at Sonoma Raceway as part of the 37th annual Denso Sonoma Nationals. The specialty race offers a chance for riders to win both the Callout and Sunday’s main event, a feat that was accomplished the past two years.
Back-to-back world champion Gaige Herrera, who won Sunday in Seattle, is the top seed and will get the first pick of his opening-round opponent. Six-time NHRA champion Matt Smith, Bristol winner Richard Gadson, Angie Smith, Norwalk winner John Hall, Jianna Evaristo, Chase Van Sant, and Chris Bostick round out the field.
The Callout format lets riders choose their first-round opponent, with the quickest winner earning the right to pick in the semifinals. A year ago, Herrera called out Smith in the opening round but lost, with Smith going on to win both the Callout and Sunday’s race.
“I’m not sure who I’m going to call out,” Herrera said. “Last year, I called out Matt and it kind of bit me in the butt … but going into Sonoma we’ve got a lot of confidence and momentum.”
Saturday’s first-round matchups are Herrera vs. Bostick, Smith vs. Van Sant, Gadson vs. Evaristo, and Angie Smith vs. Hall. The opening round begins at 11:15 a.m. PDT, with semifinals at 1:45 p.m., and the final at 4:15 p.m.
The GETTRX All-Star Callout will be broadcast Saturday at 9:30 p.m. EDT on FS1.
8 – BACK IN THE DAY WITH SNAKE – Don Prudhomme, one of drag racing’s most iconic figures, reflected on his career and the evolution of the sport while attending the NHRA Sonoma Nationals. Prudhomme, nicknamed “The Snake,” said facilities like Sonoma Raceway are far more advanced than the tracks he competed on during his Funny Car career.
“In those days, our cars went down the track, whether it’s this track or wherever it was at,” Prudhomme said. “We made a living … but you couldn’t go out there and smoke the tires and come back and think you were going to get paid.”
Prudhomme said modern drag racing cars produce so much power that teams often struggle to make clean runs on Fridays and Saturdays. “I like to see them go down the track and not go out there and smoke the tires and shut it off. It kind of sucks,” he said.
As a competitor, Prudhomme said racing was never a hobby, but a serious job. “I was making a living … and it was everything to me,” he said. “I wasn’t a rich guy like they have in today’s world that kind of does this as a hobby.”
Prudhomme and rival Tom McEwen helped elevate drag racing’s profile with their Hot Wheels sponsorships in the early 1970s. “It was really important for me to make Wally Parks (NHRA founder) happy,” Prudhomme said. “When we got the Hot Wheels deal … it was really a big step for the sport to have that.”
Prudhomme, a four-time NHRA Funny Car champion, won 49 national events and was the first Funny Car driver to exceed 250 mph. He said he remains proud of his role in expanding the sport beyond traditional automotive sponsors.
9 – MILLICAN: THE OLD SOUL – Top Fuel racer Clay Millican considers himself an old soul in drag racing. and said if given the chance, he would travel back to the 1970s to race against legends such as Don Garlits and Shirley Muldowney. The veteran from Drummonds, Tennessee, said he would have stayed loyal to dragsters despite the era being better known for Funny Cars.
“I certainly would be in Top Fuel because that’s what I dreamed of, and fortunate enough that that’s what I’m doing,” Millican said. “Scoot me back to the [era] of Big Daddy and Shirley … I would like to be in that mixture.”
Millican said he would have enjoyed competing on track and exchanging smack talk with the sport’s biggest personalities. “I’m not smart enough like Big Daddy, but I can talk a lot … I would’ve loved to have been in that mix and running good,” he said.
He said the traveling lifestyle of that era resembled his current schedule. “Match races two or three nights a week, count me in, man – that many opportunities to stomp on that loud pedal,” Millican said.
He acknowledged that Funny Car drivers had more match-race opportunities, but said Garlits and Muldowney thrived in dragsters. “Count me in. Shirley, Big Daddy era – I would love that,” he said.
Asked where he would have ranked among 1970s stars like Jeb Allen and Richard Tharp, Millican said Garlits would have been tough to beat. “Maybe if you snuck Austin Coil over to tune the thing, that might’ve been a pretty good duo,” he said.
Millican said he never had much interest in switching to Funny Cars despite some career uncertainty. “At 10 years old, 1976, I watched a match race … and that imprinted in my brain that I wanted to drive a Top Fuel car,” he said.
Though opportunities to drive Funny Cars came up, Millican said his career always remained in dragsters. “At one point … I thought I was going to have to drive a Funny Car, but it just always worked out as a dragster,” he said.
10 – TONY STEWART: HAGAN IS THE BIG LITTLE BROTHER I NEVER WANTED – Tony Stewart compared his relationship with Funny Car driver Matt Hagan to having “the big little brother I never had and never wanted.” The team owner said Hagan reminds him of former NASCAR teammate Clint Bowyer, and praised the chemistry they share.
Stewart said Hagan plays a major role in keeping him motivated. “There’s times … we were struggling and Leah [Stewart’s wife, Leah Pruett] would try to keep me pumped up, but I would talk to Matt, and Matt had me way pumped up when I was done,” Stewart said.
He credited Hagan as a teammate who is supportive regardless of circumstances. “If it’s going good, he’s patting you on the back. If it’s going bad, he’s still patting you on the back and telling you it’s going to come,” Stewart said.
Hagan said the two enjoy making lighthearted videos and sharing laughs away from the track. “He’s a good sport … we make him do a lot of funny stuff … and he’ll do it,” Hagan said.
Hagan said their camaraderie helps ease the pressure of competition. “It’s a great way to lighten up the mood, especially if one of us is not having a good weekend,” he said.
A four-time Funny Car champion, Hagan said he tries not to take himself too seriously. “If I can’t have fun … then people are like, ‘This ain’t you,’” Hagan said. “You got to just enjoy all of it and understand how blessed we are.”
Stewart said Hagan is easy to work with and unafraid to speak up when something needs to be addressed. “He’s the kind of teammate you always want … I just like working with him,” Stewart said.
