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.

If there’s one valuable lesson Bob Tasca III learned long ago in drag racing, it’s not how you start but how you finish that matters most.

Tasca dominated the Funny Car category, while Austin Prock emerged victorious in the Top Fuel class during the final qualifying session of the 12th event in the 21-race nitro series at the Denso NHRA Sonoma Nationals. Sophomore phenom Gaige Herrera also emerged triumphant as the No. 1 qualifier and winner of the NHRA All-Star Callout event in Pro Stock Motorcycle.

Tasca drove to his fourth No. 1 qualifier this season during the final session thanks to run of 3.938 at 324.05 in his 11,000-horsepower Motorcraft/Quick Lane Ford Mustang, making a huge move after struggling during the first three sessions. He wasn’t able to make a run under the lights on Friday, but more than made up for to close out qualifying as he looks to defend his Sonoma victory on Sunday. 

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.