J.R. Todd and Steve Torrence emerged as the victors in the Mission #2Fast2Tasty NHRA Challenge in Sonoma. 

Todd, a two-time NHRA champion, secured his first win in the race-within-race specialty series with an impressive run of 3.977 at 322.81 mph in his DHL Toyota GR Supra. Blake Alexander, his final-round opponent, suffered a mechanical issue at the starting line. 

This victory marked Todd’s first win of any kind since the season-opener at Gainesville back in 2021. His breakthrough performance on Saturday followed a series of strong performances during the Western Swing, including a runner-up position in Seattle. 

“Any win is a good win,” Todd said. “I feel let the last two slip away from us in Denver and the final round in Seattle. It’s been a while since we’ve won anything, so this is good momentum headed into race day, and hopefully, we can finish it off tomorrow. I feel like we’ve been building momentum since (Norwalk) with our DHL Toyota GR Supra.
 
“We’ve definitely been knocking on the door of a win. It just goes to show how hard it is to win in Funny Car right now. Just when you think you’ve got it where you need it and it’s going to be your day, somebody like Tim Wilkerson (Seattle winner) jumps up and snatches it from you. So, hopefully, we can ride this wave of momentum into the final again at one of my favorite tracks. It would be really special.”

Four-time Top Fuel champion Torrence claimed his second consecutive victory in the Mission #2Fast2Tasty NHRA Challenge. Following his impressive performance in Seattle, Torrence continued his winning streak by defeating Clay Millican in the bonus race finals. 

Torrence raced to the win with an elapsed time of 3.7888 seconds at 326.08 mph to beat Millican’s quicker but losing 3.781. 

Torrence’s recent success in Seattle propelled him back into the points lead, instilling him with confidence for another potential double-up in Sonoma.

“Everything is going really well for us right now,” Torrence said. “The car has showed glimmers of hope throughout last year, mainly at the end of the year and now this year. The consistency is finally coming there. To win on a holeshot, that always makes you feel good as a driver. That was the best light I’ve had all weekend. I’ve been pretty late on the tree, and I was just amped up.
 
“When you go up there, it’s not just another round of qualifying; it’s a race win. We’re going to try to finish this Western Swing with a win and keep this momentum going.”

Eliminations for the Denso NHRA Sonoma Nationals begin at 10:30 a.m. PT on Sunday at Sonoma Raceway.