Gaige Herrera all but had the job as a rider for Vance & Hines when he was called into Terry Vance's office for one last meeting. Vance looked at Herrera with a simple question, "Why am I hiring you?"

Herrera's response was prophetic: "I hope to show you on the track," he responded.

It's safe to say now that Vance, once a dominant rider himself, knows why. 

The wait is over for J.R. Todd.

Todd, the 2018 NHRA nitro Funny Car world champ, had not won a race since March 14, 2021, when he took home the title at the Gatornationals in Gainesville, Fla.

That changed on Sunday.

Todd captured the title at the Denso NHRA Sonoma Nationals by beating Chad Green in the finals.

The mini slump is no more for standout Top Fuel driver Justin Ashley.

After losing in the first round in Denver, and second round in Seattle, Ashley was back in the winner’s circle at the Denso NHRA Sonoma (Calif.) Nationals on Sunday.

Ashley clocked a 3.778-second time at 328.78 mph to just edge Antron Brown’s 3.787-second time at 327.90 mph.

Gaige Herrera etched his name in NHRA history on Sunday as he became the first rider in Pro Stock Motorcycle history – and the first NHRA competitor since 2009 – to complete a sweep of the three-race NHRA Western Swing. He clinched victory at Sonoma Raceway during the 35th annual Denso NHRA Sonoma Nationals.

Justin Ashley (Top Fuel) and J.R. Todd (Funny Car) also secured wins at the 12th race of the 2023 NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series season.

With history on the line, the Pro Stock Motorcycle final round was anticlimactic. The point leader Herrera recorded a time of 6.775 seconds at 198.12 mph on his Vance & Hines/Mission Foods Suzuki, defeating defending world champion Matt Smith, who encountered mechanical issues at the starting line. 

Herrera, who secured the No. 1 qualifying position, has now won six times this season in a dominant display. He achieved back-to-back wins in Denver, Seattle, and Sonoma on Sunday.

Point standings (top 10) following the 35th annual Denso NHRA Sonoma Nationals at Sonoma Raceway, the 12th of 21 events in the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series - 

Final round-by-round results from the 35th annual Denso NHRA Sonoma Nationals at Sonoma Raceway, the 12th of 21 events in the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series:

Bob Tasca III smoked the tires in his first three qualifying runs at the Denso NHRA Sonoma (Calif.) Nationals.

That changed dramatically in Q4 Saturday.

Tasca clocked a 3.938-second lap at 324.05 mph to rocket to the top spot on the qualifying ladder.

Another weekend, another dominant performance by Gaige Herrera.

Herrera, who is in his first season driving for the powerhouse Vance & Hines team, has been nothing short of amazing aboard his Suzuki.

Herrera has won five of the seven NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle national events in 2023. He has one runner-up finish and six No. 1 qualifying positions.

NHRA Funny Car owner-driver Ron Capps has the confidence expected of a 74-time winner who can tame an 11,000-horsepower, nitro-burning terror of a race car.

But that self-assurance went AWOL earlier this year, when Capps got out of his rental car at that small racetrack in North Carolina. He had competed before in circle-track events – at the Prelude To The Dream and at the Chili Bowl Midget Nationals – and had tested in IROC Series and SCRA sprint cars. However, he suddenly felt like a David surrounded by a gang of Goliaths.

The Camping World SRX (Superstar Racing Experience) Series had announced in April that Capps is the first full-time drag racer to be invited to run in the Thursday Night Thunder program. After all the “attaboys” from SRX CEO Don Hawk, the drag-racing community, and friends that he’ll be in the mix at the August 10 edition at Tony Stewart’s Eldora Speedway at Rossburg, Ohio, some trepidation set in.

During the final qualifying session, Top Fuel’s Antron Brown miraculously guided his Matco Tools Toyota safely down the right lane and into the turnout area without incident, despite a malfunction with his wing strut early in the run.