Photos by Mike and Jeff Burghardt, NHRA
SUNDAY FINAL – PROCK, KALITTA, G. STANFIELD, GADSON SCORE WINS AT QUICK AND FAST NHRA SONOMA NATIONALS
Struggles in qualifying only proved to be a speed bump for the defending NHRA Funny Car champion Austin Prock. The Cornwell Tools-sponsored driver picked up his fifth win of the season Sunday , stopping the surging rookie Spencer Hyde in the final round at the Denso NHRA Sonoma Nationals.
Doug Kalitta (Top Fuel), Greg Stanfield (Pro Stock), and Richard Gadson (Pro Stock Motorcycle) picked up victories at the 12th stop on the 20-race Mission Foods Drag Racing Series.
Prock, who entered eliminations as the fifth qualifier, put the smackdown on the field, starting with a first-round win over Cruz Pedregon highlighted by low elapsed time of the race at 3.833 seconds, 340.90 mph. Coupled with Brittany Force’s NHRA record 343.16 during Top Fuel qualifying, Prock’s run marked the first time that both nitro categories had seen 340-plus runs in the same event.
Prock then scored convincing wins over Paul Lee and No. 1 qualifier Matt Hagan to reach the finals.
Hyde declared Prock the most dominating Funny Car racer on the planet.
“Just for me to be able to live out my dream and drive a Funny Car, and then someone to give you a compliment like that is unbelievable,” Prock said, adding, “My teammate Kyle Larson [NASCAR Cup Series runner-up at the Brickyard 400 for HendrickCars.com], come close today, but we got it done for you, Mr. H. [Rick Hendrick], Cornwell Tools, everybody a part of this whole team.
“We dug so deep after struggling last weekend, and I appreciate what [Hyde] said – the most dominant Funny Car in the category. A lot of people have forgot about that after a few bad runs, and, oh, we’re back in the winners circle.”
Hyde scored victories over Alexis DeJoria, Ron Capps, and Prock’s teammate Jack Beckman, who seemingly had their semifinal duel in the bag until he crossed the centerline and was disqualified for that infraction.
Kalitta scored a milestone win, parking his Mac Tools dragster in the Sonoma Raceway winners circle for the first time in two decades. Kalitta stopped Antron Brown in the final round, running a 3.752, 334.57, to easily beat the Matco Tools driver, whose dragster lost power short of the finish line.
“Just really proud of my team here,” Kalitta said. “[Team owner Connie Kalitta] is in the crowd and gives us everything we need. … In beating Antron, he is always tough, and it’s been a while since we made it to the final, so I’m glad we managed to get this win. Just can’t say enough about [crew chief] Alan [Johnson] and my whole team here. They do one hell of a job.”
Kalitta’s road to the final included wins over Ron August Jr., Josh Hart, and a bye run into the final as the highest-seeded racer left in competition at that point.
Brown scored wins over Ida Zetterstrom, Justin Ashley, and Kalitta’s teammate Shawn Langdon to reach the final.
Pro Stock provided an emotional moment as the father-and-son duo of Greg and Aaron Stanfield met in the final round, with Greg beating his son. The victory ended a long dry spell for Elite Motorsports dating back to October 2025 in Las Vegas.
It was a day of tire shake and tricky conditions for the Pro Stock category as Stephen Bell, Matt Latino, and 2024 world champion Greg Anderson were taken down by the eventual winner.
“I’m trying to hold the emotions back,” Greg Stanfield said, voice cracking with emotion. “But that was special, running Aaron. Big time. Big thank you to Joan, David Janac, the Rod Shop, Gill and Rick, Kurt, Pat Quinn – everybody. Elite Motorsports has done a great job. That was breathtaking.”
Pro Stock Motorcycle rider Richard Gadson had 24 hours to stew over a loss in the final round of the GETTRX All-Star Callout on Saturday. On Sunday, he delivered a bit of payback by beating Matt Smith Racing’s John Hall in the final round.
Hall was quicker off the line, but the Vance & Hines Suzuki drove around him on the top end to hand Gadson his second victory this season.
“Normally, you have to wait a little while before you can get your redemption – you’ve got to think about a loss for a long time,” Gadson said. “But I got to come back the next day and try again, and all day my main thing was revenge. I made a joke. I said, ‘I wish that were Matt instead of John.’ But I’ll run into him sooner or later.”
“You know what? They won the battle yesterday, but Vance & Hines, RevZilla, Motul, we won the war. I feel like I had a strong bike all weekend. We just couldn’t find it today. I had the best bike on Friday and Saturday, and Andrew and Eddie, once they put their heads together, Gaige, once we all came up with a game plan, I went up there knowing I had the motorcycle to win this race.”
The NHRA is idle until Aug. 14-17, when the 43rd annual Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals from Brainerd (MN) International Raceway is scheduled.
SATURDAY QUALIFYING – FORCE, HAGAN, GLENN, GADSON HOLD NO. 1 SPOTS HEADING INTO SUNDAY AT SONOMA
Brittany Force, Matt Hagan, Dallas Glenn and Richard Gadson retained their No. 1 qualifying positions Saturday at the NHRA Sonoma Nationals, the 12th of 20 races in the 2025 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series.
Force’s world-record 3.645-second run at 343.16 mph from Friday remained untouched through two Saturday sessions. The two-time Top Fuel champion will face points leader and Seattle winner Shawn Langdon in the first round.
“The fans have been awesome here … It’s still surreal to think that we went 343 mph,” Force said. “We had fun last night … but David [Grubnic, crew chief] went right back to work. He’s trying to figure out how to win tomorrow.”
Doug Kalitta qualified second at 3.661 and 332.84, while Clay Millican was third at 3.699 and 335.15.
Hagan held onto the Funny Car No. 1 spot with Friday’s 3.861-second pass at 332.59 mph in his Dodge//SRT Hellcat. It marked his first No. 1 qualifier of the season and the 53rd of his career.
“That momentum, that chemistry … I feel like has carried into this weekend,” Hagan said. “We’ve got a lot of great things going for us right now … I’m excited to get back into race mode.”
Rookie Spencer Hyde stayed second with a 3.865 at 333.58, and Paul Lee qualified third at 3.890 and 299.00.
Glenn capped Pro Stock qualifying by winning the Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge and taking the No. 1 spot with a track record 6.471 at 211.79 mph in his RAD Torque Systems Chevrolet Camaro.
“This shows that we have a good car,” Glenn said. “My car is great right now … The only thing that keeps it from winning is me. I just need to do my job.”
Greg Anderson took second at 6.472 and 210.14, while Greg Stanfield was third at 6.480 and 211.66.
Gadson earned his first career No. 1 qualifier in Pro Stock Motorcycle with a 6.702 at 200.77.
Eliminations for the Denso NHRA Sonoma Nationals presented by PowerEdge begin Sunday at 10:30 a.m. PT at Sonoma Raceway.
#2FAST2TASTY – FORCE, CAPPS, GLENN WIN MISSION #2FAST2TASTY CHALLENGE AT SONOMA RACEWAY
A day after setting the NHRA speed world record, Brittany Force won the Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge for the first time this season, defeating Justin Ashley in the final round Saturday at Sonoma Raceway. The victory came during the 37th annual Denso NHRA Sonoma Nationals.
Force, a two-time Top Fuel champion, posted a 3.869-second run at 324.75 mph in her Monster Energy dragster. Ashley ran into tire smoke 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.”
In Funny Car, Ron Capps beat No. 1 qualifier Matt Hagan with a 3.904-second run at 324.20 mph in his NAPA Auto Parts Toyota GR Supra. Capps earned his second bonus race win of the year after defeating 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 made adjustments as conditions cooled. “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,” Capps said.
Dallas Glenn capped the day by winning the Pro Stock bonus race while also setting a new track record and taking the No. 1 qualifying spot. Glenn went 6.471 at 211.79 mph in his RAD Torque Systems Chevrolet Camaro to beat Cody Coughlin, who left first and ran 6.501.
“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 victory was Glenn’s third Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge win of the year 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 the opening round of eliminations Sunday.
FRIDAY QUALIFYING – FORCE SETS WORLD SPEED RECORD; HAGAN, ANDERSON AND GADSON ALSO TAKE PROVISIONAL NO. 1 SPOTS AT SONOMA
Brittany Force set a world speed record Friday night at Sonoma (Calif.) Raceway, running 343.16 mph while also claiming the provisional No. 1 qualifying spot in Top Fuel at the 37th annual Denso NHRA Sonoma Nationals.
Matt Hagan (Funny Car), Greg Anderson (Pro Stock), and Richard Gadson (Pro Stock Motorcycle) led their respective divisions.
The record-setting speed came at the end of a 3.645-second pass that gave Force the No. 1 spot for the day. It broke the mark of 341.85 that she posted last weekend in Seattle, when she finished as the runner-up to race winner Shawn Langdon.
“I have to credit David Grubnic and John Collins and the whole team,” Force said. “I’m so proud of them. This is incredible.”
Doug Kalitta was second at 3.661, 332.84 mph, and Clay Millican was third at 3.699, 335.15. Force, a two-time Top Fuel champion, is seeking her third No. 1 qualifier of the season and the 55th of her career.
Hagan took the provisional top spot in Funny Car with a 3.861, 332.59, in his Dodge/SRT Hellcat. Hagan, who won last Sunday in Seattle, is looking for his first No. 1 qualifier of the year in addition to his first Sonoma victory.
“I’m still in awe over Brittany [Force’s] 343 mph run,” Hagan said. “Conditions were incredible. It was a mineshaft out there. These nitro motors like to be loaded, and we got that tonight.”
Rookie Spencer Hyde was second at 3.865, 333.58, and Paul Lee claimed the third spot with a 3.890, 299.00.
Anderson set a track record in Pro Stock with a 6.472, 210.14, in his Chevrolet Camaro. If it holds, it would be Anderson’s fifth No. 1 qualifier of 2025 and the 137th of his career.
“If you’re a Pro Stock racer, you wish all year long for days like this and conditions like this,” Anderson said. “I absolutely love this place. This is my favorite racetrack.”
Anderson’s teammate Dallas Glenn, the NHRA points leader, was second at 6.473, and Greg Stanfield grabbed third at 6.480.
Gadson topped Pro Stock Motorcycle qualifying with a 6.702, 200.77, on his Vance & Hines Suzuki. The Bristol event winner is aiming for his first career No. 1 qualifier.
“I am a big advocate of taking small victories, and this was one of them because I’ve never been a low qualifier before,” Gadson said. “Not only are we No. 1, but that was also the best run of my career.”
Standing second after Friday’s action was Matt Smith at 6.740, 200.26, while John Smith was third at 6.759, 197.28.
First-round matchups for Saturday’s GETTRX Pro Stock Motorcycle All-Star Callout include Gaige Herrera vs. Chris Bostick, Matt Smith vs. Chase Van Sant, Gadson vs. Jianna Evaristo, and Angie Smith vs. Hall. The Callout begins at 11:15 a.m. PDT with semifinals at 1:45 p.m., and the final at 4:15.
Qualifying continues Saturday at 11:45 a.m. PDT at Sonoma Raceway.
