2024 NHRA SONOMA NATIONALS - EVENT RESULTS
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SUNDAY FINAL - TASCA, ANTRON, STANFIELD, M. SMITH HEADLINE NHRA SONOMA NATIONALS WINNERS
If the old adage that suggests speed kills is true, then it was the weapon of choice for Funny Car speed merchant Bob Tasca III as he ran through the Funny Car field at the Denso NHRA Sonoma Nationals.
Tasca picked up his third win of 2024, stopping a rebounding Ron Capps in the final round.
Antron Brown (Top Fuel), Aaron Stanfield (Pro Stock), and Matt Smith (Pro Stock Motorcycle) joined Tasca in the winner’s circle at stop No. 12 on the 20-race Mission Foods Drag Racing Series.
Tasca needed only a 4.088, 277.15, to stop Capps, who was back in action with a replacement car after crashing his NAPA Toyota last weekend.
Tasca qualified No. 1, and though qualifying is measured in elapsed time, it was his 338-mph run that stole headlines. Even more impressive is that it was achieved while racing into a 10-mph headwind.
Tasca opened eliminations with, added a weekend-best run of 338.77 in the first round win against Buddy Hull and then drove past Paul Lee and points leader Austin Prock to reach the final round.
“It’s so hard to win these things and that’s a testament to my crew, to Todd Okuhara and Aaron Brooks,” Tasca said. “They pulled it back and still ran 337 mph. I was a bit surprised in the final. It was pulling great, and then it knocked the tires off. You have no idea how that feels. I looked out the side window because I expected him to come by me. Fortunately, I got it to recover.
“I thought if we could get the car to run like it ran in Q4 we could beat him and I said that to Todd. I said, ‘Let’s run as quick as we can and if he beats us, I’ll be the first to congratulate him.’”
Capps advanced to the finals for the second time in three races and the 149th time in his career by getting round wins against Cruz Pedregon, defending event winner J.R. Todd, and reigning world champion Matt Hagan.
Brown was determined not to become a significant media headline as he defeated motorsports icon Tony Stewart in the Top Fuel final. The victory was the third in 2024 for the Matco Tools-sponsored driver, who has 77 career NHRA professional victories.
Brown defeated Shawn Reed, Steve Torrence and Brittany Force to reach the final round.
Brown, who qualified seventh, powered to his fifth Top Fuel victory at Sonoma, which ties him with Doug Kalitta for the most in class history at the facility.
“Sonoma has a special meaning to me. It’s like a piece of heaven out here, and just being here puts me in the zone,” Brown said. Tony and I know each other well. When I started as a team owner, he was putting together TSR, and we talked a lot about budgets and spreadsheets and all that.
“He was also a hero of mine when he ran NASCAR and IndyCar. I know how good of a driver he is. He understands the science so as soon as he showed up I knew what he could do. I did tell him to come on over but there are a lot of sharks in the water here. His time is coming, and it won’t be one win. It will be a lot of them, but this is a good win for us. My team stays poised and they were incredible all weekend. I’m super-pumped for all of them. We went down the track every single lap, and that was an awesome, awesome job to get a win like this.”
Stewart’s first final in Top Fuel came after defeating Shawn Langdon, Justin Ashley, and Ron August Jr., who upset points leader, No. 1 qualifier, and reigning world champion Doug Kalitta in the first round.
Stanfield remained red-hot in the Pro Stock ranks, which meant Elite Motorsports did as well, as Stanfield won for the third time in four races while taking down first-time Pro Stock finalist Cory Reed in the championship round with an impressive run of 6.540 at 209.98. It’s also the 11th career win for Stanfield, whose efforts over the past two months have helped propel Elite Motorsports to six straight victories.
Stanfield has three wins in a row and now has a second career victory at Sonoma Raceway after defeating Mason McGaha, defending world champion Erica Enders, and No. 1 qualifier Greg Anderson.
“This is a great win, but I want to shout out to Cory Reed for going to the final in his second race,” Stanfield said. “This week, we lost a good friend, Tim “the Iceman” Kelly, to cancer, and I wanted to get it done for him. I know Cory is fresh to the class so I would have been surprised if he played any games, so I just did my normal routine. I think I’m driving better this year, and I’d love to continue that.
“We didn’t have a great ladder since all the hitters seemed to be on one side. I had to race Erica, and we’re teammates, but we still want to beat each other. Then there was Greg, and you’ve got to be on your game anytime you race him.”
In just his second career Pro Stock start, Reed, who previously raced in Pro Stock Motorcycle, advanced to the final round by taking down Deric Kramer, Eric Latino, and Jerry Tucker. Dallas Glenn remains the points leader in the class.
Smith, a six-time world champion, won everything Sonoma Raceway offered, winning his first national event of 2024. He beat teammate John Hall in the final round with a run of 6.700 at 203.77.
Smith, who qualified No. 1, set the track record with a stellar 6.655, won the GETTRX Pro Stock Motorcycle All-Star Callout on Saturday, and then snapped a winless streak that stretched back to the Countdown to the Championship opener last September in Reading, Pa.
Smith, now a two-time Sonoma winner, took down Eiji Kawakami and Seattle winner Chase Van Sant to reach the final round against Hall.
“This is very big,” Smith said. “This is a Denso event which is our sponsor, and we won everything there is to win. We put a lot into getting our bikes ready for this weekend. We’re gaining ground on the rest of the field, and that takes a team effort.
“It’s all in the 60-foot area. Our class is so dependent on that. The Suzukis have stepped up their game, and we need to follow them. I learned to leave low and take power out to get the bike to leave the starting line. I’m 51 and getting older, but I can still do this. To me, the magic number is seven. If I get that seventh title this year, I promise I’ll get off the bike and put some young kid on it who can do the job.”
Hall reached his second final round this year and the fourth in his career by defeating Angie Smith, defending world champion and points leader Gaige Herrera, and Hector Arana Jr.
The NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series returns to action Aug. 15-18 with the 42nd annual Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals at Brainerd International Raceway in Brainerd, Minn.
SATURDAY QUALIFYING - NITRO REMAINS THE SAME, PRO STOCK CLASSES MAKE MOVES ATOP QUALIFYING IN SONOMA
The leaderboard remained unchanged in the nitro ranks Saturday at the Denso NHRA Sonoma Nationals as Doug Kalitta (Top Fuel) and Bob Tasca III (Funny Car) held their top spots.
The Pro Stock classes, Greg Anderson (Pro Stock car) and Matt Smith (Pro Stock Motorcycle) raced to the top of their respective divisions on Saturday’s final two sessions.
In addition to securing his 58th career No. 1 qualifier, Kalitta finished runner-up in the Mission Foods #2Fast2Tasty Challenge. He kept his No. 1 spot on the strength of Friday’s track record, 3.649 at 336.40
“On that last run in Q4, we pushed a bit harder, and it didn’t hold, so Shawn ended up with the [Mission Challenge] win,” Kalitta said. “Even though I ran a 3.64, there were other cars that were close, and tomorrow, I don’t think it will be much hotter, so I expect a real battle.
“I’m actually a bit relieved because we now know how hard we can push, and that should be a bit tomorrow. You might get one lucky round, but you need to be on your game. Shawn pushes me, and he keeps me on my game, especially now that both of our cars are as close as possible. He’s one of the best out there, and he’s one up for me right now.”
Clay Millican jumped to second with a 3.664 at a track-record 338.26, and Brittany Force qualified third after going 3.668 at 335.57.
Despite a late qualifying charge from Matt Hagan, Tasca hung on to the No. 1 position, as Friday’s run of 3.839 at 338.43. Saturday’s No. 1 qualifier gave Tasca his second No. 1 qualifier of the season and the 18th in his career; Photos by Burghardt Photography, NHRA..
“We tried to run 340 mph this morning and it nearly put me into the wall so on the last run we slowed it way down to make a full pull,” Tasca said. “I say this all the time but you could take a fan in the stands, put them in one of these cars and tell them to keep it straight and on most runs they could do it. That was Q4, where the car did exactly what it was supposed to do.
“We’ve had some vibrant conversations in our trailer and a lot of discussions about going 340 mph. We have parts that are faster, but we had to be smart. This car is set up to win a championship, and when it warms up, like today, we need to be smart.”
Anderson didn’t particularly have a great first day of qualifying, but more than made up for it on the second day. He recorded the No. 1 spot for the fifth time this season with a 6.491, 211.20 run. Pro Stock’s winningest driver now has 128 career No. 1 qualifiers.
“I love coming here because it’s so fast, but we have to rely on Mother Nature to do it for us,” Anderson said. “I love it when she shines on us like today, and you can throw everything at it. I didn’t have a great day yesterday but today we had a turn of fortune. We made two great runs today.
“We have a good book on this place and when you come here, you don’t have to de-tune it. That’s a tribute to the guys in our engine shop. I love it here, from the track to the people – everyone is happy.”
Points leader Dallas Glenn took second with a 6.497 at 211.00 and Eric Latino is third with a 6.501 at 210.60.
The six-time Pro Stock Motorcycle world champion Smith set a new track E.T. record on Saturday at Sonoma Raceway, winning the GETTRX Pro Stock Motorcycle All-Star Callout and qualifying No. 1.
Jiana Evaristo qualified second in PSM with a career-best 6.674 at 204.54 – also making the second-fastest pass in class history – and Gaige Herrera is third after going 6.688 at 202.55, which took place in the opening round of the Callout.
Sunday’s first-round pairings for eliminations for the 36th annual Denso NHRA Sonoma Nationals at Sonoma Raceway, the 12th of 20 events in the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series.
Pairings based on results in qualifying, which ended Saturday. DNQs listed below pairings.
Top Fuel -- 1. Doug Kalitta, 3.649 seconds, 336.40 mph vs. 14. Ron August, 4.657, 165.29; 2. Clay Millican, 3.664, 338.26 vs. 13. Steve Torrence, 4.076, 218.05; 3. Brittany Force, 3.668, 335.57 vs. 12. Josh Hart, 3.755, 324.36; 4. Shawn Langdon, 3.677, 336.65 vs. 11. Tony Stewart, 3.748, 332.02; 5. Justin Ashley, 3.683, 333.91 vs. 10. Tony Schumacher, 3.733, 323.97; 6. Billy Torrence, 3.684, 332.92 vs. 9. Jasmine Salinas, 3.725, 329.10; 7. Antron Brown, 3.685, 336.40 vs. 8. Shawn Reed, 3.685, 330.39.
Funny Car -- 1. Bob Tasca III, Ford Mustang, 3.839, 338.43 vs. 16. Buddy Hull, Dodge Charger, 4.081, 319.60; 2. Matt Hagan, Charger, 3.839, 330.39 vs. 15. Jeff Diehl, Toyota Camry, 4.057, 289.94; 3. Ron Capps, Toyota GR Supra, 3.864, 332.43 vs. 14. Cruz Pedregon, Charger, 4.040, 314.24; 4. Austin Prock, Chevy Camaro, 3.872, 335.07 vs. 13. Steven Densham, Mustang, 4.013, 313.73; 5. Daniel Wilkerson, Mustang, 3.887, 334.82 vs. 12. Dave Richards, Camry, 4.012, 307.09; 6. J.R. Todd, GR Supra, 3.904, 327.66 vs. 11. Jason Rupert, Mustang, 3.984, 321.42; 7. Chad Green, Mustang, 3.908, 328.22 vs. 10. Blake Alexander, Mustang, 3.936, 320.89; 8. Alexis DeJoria, GR Supra, 3.919, 331.28 vs. 9. Paul Lee, Charger, 3.921, 323.19.
Did Not Qualify: 17. Chris Morel, 4.099, 270.81; 18. Alex Miladinovich, 4.409, 231.40.
Pro Stock -- 1. Greg Anderson, Chevy Camaro, 6.491, 211.20 vs. 16. Derrick Reese, Ford Mustang, 6.587, 208.97; 2. Dallas Glenn, Camaro, 6.497, 211.00 vs. 15. Kenny Delco, Camaro, 6.584, 209.14; 3. Eric Latino, Camaro, 6.501, 210.60 vs. 14. Sienna Wildgust, Camaro, 6.567, 210.54; 4. Aaron Stanfield, Camaro, 6.505, 210.34 vs. 13. Mason McGaha, Camaro, 6.566, 209.43; 5. Erica Enders, Camaro, 6.508, 211.49 vs. 12. Chris McGaha, Camaro, 6.539, 210.97; 6. Cory Reed, Camaro, 6.515, 210.90 vs. 11. Deric Kramer, Camaro, 6.523, 209.88; 7. Matt Hartford, Camaro, 6.515, 210.28 vs. 10. Jerry Tucker, Camaro, 6.520, 211.20; 8. Jeg Coughlin, Camaro, 6.516, 211.26 vs. 9. Troy Coughlin Jr., Camaro, 6.518, 211.63.
Did Not Qualify: 17. Joey Grose, 6.605, 208.07.
Pro Stock Motorcycle -- 1. Matt Smith, Buell, 6.655, 204.23 vs. 12. Eiji Kawakami, Suzuki, 7.055, 189.44; 2. Jianna Evaristo, Buell, 6.674, 204.54 vs. 11. Clayton Howey, Suzuki, 6.996, 191.51; 3. Gaige Herrera, Suzuki, 6.688, 202.55 vs. 10. Steve Johnson, Suzuki, 6.847, 197.80; 4. Angie Smith, Buell, 6.722, 202.42 vs. 9. John Hall, Beull, 6.806, 198.73; 5. Hector Arana Jr, EBR, 6.724, 201.31 vs. 8. Chris Bostick, Suzuki, 6.777, 197.19; 6. Chase Van Sant, Suzuki, 6.730, 201.34 vs. 7. Richard Gadson, Suzuki, 6.761, 199.82.
SATURDAY QUALIFYING - KALITTA, TASCA, HARTFORD, VAN SANT SET TORRID PACE AT SONOMA
If home is where the heart is, Doug Kalitta feels at home at Sonoma Raceway. The defending Top Fuel champion, who has won more Top Fuel national events at the NHRA Sonoma Nationals than any other racer in the class, got off to a good start by not only grabbing provisional Top Fuel No. 1 qualifying honors, but also in setting a new track record.
Bob Tasca III (Funny Car), Matt Hartford (Pro Stock), and Chase Van Sant (Pro Stock Motorcycle) are also the provisional No. 1 qualifiers at the 12th stop during the 2024 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series season.
Kalitta’s pace-setting run covered the 1,000-foot course in 3.694 seconds at 336.40 miles per hour. If the mark lasts through Saturday’s two sessions, it will represent his fifth No. 1 qualifier of the season and the 58th in his career.
“That was really cool. I got my first win here in Sonoma, and I have a lot of cool history here,” Kalitta said. (Crew chief) Alan Johnson put a lot of thought into his tune-up, and he had a plan. He’s one bad dude.
“I could tell it was on a run, and honestly, I was happy to be the first car out. I knew it would get cooler as the night went on, and you never know what conditions might do. I thought it might have rattled a bit, but not much. The car was hooked up, and I managed to keep it in the middle, as straight as possible. This is one of the nicest tracks on the tour, and I love the layout with the road course. I’d love to get another win this weekend.”
Brittany Force was second quickest with a 3.668, 335.57 run, while Billy Torrence was third after going 3.684, 332.92.
Tasca, who drove the first Funny Car to exceed 340 miles per hour in preseason testing, came close to running his 340 as he secured the provisional No. 1 with a 3.839, 338.43. The run could give Tasca his second No. 1 of the season and the 18th in his career. He won the race in 2022.
“I’ve never been so disappointed to run a 3.83 at 338 mph. I really wanted to go 340 for these fans,” Tasca said. We would have done it if not for that 15-knot headwind. We were a little concerned about the track, so we also cranked a little more spoiler in it. I’d trade the low qualifier for a 340 run in a second.
“We ran 338 in Charlotte and 338 in Seattle and did it again here. I can tell you there won’t be a time when conditions are there that we don’t try and do it. Believe it or not, we run a little different set-up to try and run those speeds. If we tuned the car a little different, it might be a little bit quicker. As for tomorrow, we’ll see what the conditions are like. It all depends on which way the wind is blowing.”
Ron Capps is second with a 3.864, 332.43 while defending world champion Matt Hagan is third after going 3.869 at 328.22.
Hartford, who began a turnaround last weekend in Seattle, was the quickest of the Pro Stockers on Friday with a 6.515, 210.41 in his GETTRX/Total Seal Chevrolet Camaro. It puts Hartford on track for his first No. 1 qualifier of the season and fifth in his career.
Hartford, who is currently 11th in points, has qualified fourth in three of the past four races but has suffered through five straight first-round losses.
“Things are starting to come around, although this feels like the first race of the season for us,” Hartford said. It’s no secret that this hasn’t been a good year for our team, but I’m a big believer that it’s not where you start; it’s where you finish.
“The last three or four races it’s started to come together, and we’ve had a fast race car and I’m getting my confidence back. In Seattle, I thought we had a chance to go to the pole and we missed it. Here, we said we could run a 6.51, and we did. I think Chicago was the turning point for us. We brought two cars and let John DeFlorian drive the other one. We were able to compare notes from both cars, and we’ve been improving ever since.”
Defending world champion Erica Enders stands third, while Seattle winner Jeg Coughlin Jr. is third.
Winning, obviously has lit a fire under Chase Van Sant, as just five days later after ending one of drag racing’s most unbeatable streaks, he scored the provisional No. 1 spot with a run of 6.768 at 197.10 on his Trick Tools Suzuki. Should that hold, Van Sant, the 2023 NHRA Rookie of the Year, would pick up his first career No. 1 qualifying spot.
“It’s been a whirlwind week, to say the least, and it’s cool to knock it out and get the provisional No. 1 here today,” Van Sant said. “I know the Vance & Hines team has issues today, so I expect a battle, but it’s good to be here. I had my best 60-foot time ever on that run. It’s just reassuring to know we can get the job done, and it reaffirms my faith in Tim [Kulungian, crew chief], not that I ever doubted him.
“I’ve got to run Angie [Smith] tomorrow in the GETTRX All-star Callout and we’ve gone back and forth a few times this season. They’ll be fast too. The wind was a bit tricky, which explains why our mph was down a bit. For me, I really didn’t notice it too much, but the bike just feels a bit more mundane. The win is so unpredictable here in Sonoma because it gusts but it’s usually either a head wind or a tail wind.”
Matt Smith is currently second with a 6.770 at 198.73 and wife Angie Smith is right behind after going 6.784 at 199.26.
Qualifying continues at 11:30 a.m. PT on Saturday at the Denso NHRA Sonoma Nationals at Sonoma Raceway.
Friday’s results after the first two of four rounds of qualifying for the 36th annual Denso NHRA Sonoma Nationals at Sonoma Raceway, the 12th of 20 events in the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series. Qualifying will continue on Saturday for Sunday’s final eliminations.
Top Fuel -- 1. Doug Kalitta, 3.649 seconds, 336.40 mph; 2. Brittany Force, 3.668, 335.57; 3. Billy Torrence, 3.684, 332.92; 4. Shawn Reed, 3.685, 330.39; 5. Antron Brown, 3.688, 329.67; 6. Justin Ashley, 3.697, 331.28; 7. Clay Millican, 3.711, 331.04; 8. Jasmine Salinas, 3.725, 329.10; 9. Tony Stewart, 3.748, 330.72; 10. Josh Hart, 3.766, 324.36; 11. Tony Schumacher, 3.907, 238.01; 12. Steve Torrence, 4.076, 218.05; 13. Shawn Langdon, 4.425, 176.56; 14. Ron August, 4.869, 150.26.
Funny Car -- 1. Bob Tasca III, Ford Mustang, 3.839, 338.43; 2. Ron Capps, Toyota GR Supra, 3.864, 332.43; 3. Matt Hagan, Dodge Charger, 3.869, 328.22; 4. J.R. Todd, GR Supra, 3.904, 327.66; 5. Chad Green, Mustang, 3.917, 325.53; 6. Alexis DeJoria, GR Supra, 3.920, 331.28; 7. Paul Lee, Charger, 3.921, 323.19; 8. Blake Alexander, Mustang, 3.961, 320.89; 9. Steven Densham, Mustang, 4.013, 313.73; 10. Jason Rupert, Mustang, 4.033, 282.24; 11. Cruz Pedregon, Charger, 4.040, 314.24; 12. Jeff Diehl, Toyota Camry, 4.057, 289.94; 13. Dave Richards, Camry, 4.078, 305.77; 14. Daniel Wilkerson, Mustang, 4.272, 219.36; 15. Alex Miladinovich, Mustang, 4.409, 231.40; 16. Austin Prock, Chevy Camaro, 4.659, 173.27.
Not Qualified: 17. Buddy Hull, 6.544, 98.77; 18. Chris Morel, 12.734, 72.01.
Pro Stock -- 1. Matt Hartford, Chevy Camaro, 6.515, 210.21; 2. Erica Enders, Camaro, 6.520, 209.79; 3. Jeg Coughlin, Camaro, 6.524, 210.14; 4. Troy Coughlin Jr., Camaro, 6.525, 210.54; 5. Aaron Stanfield, Camaro, 6.536, 209.72; 6. Eric Latino, Camaro, 6.538, 209.36; 7. Greg Anderson, Camaro, 6.543, 209.43; 8. Deric Kramer, Camaro, 6.562, 209.07; 9. Mason McGaha, Camaro, 6.566, 209.43; 10. Chris McGaha, Camaro, 6.575, 210.21; 11. Derrick Reese, Ford Mustang, 6.587, 208.97; 12. Dallas Glenn, Camaro, 6.588, 209.01; 13. Cory Reed, Camaro, 6.597, 209.75; 14. Jerry Tucker, Camaro, 6.601, 208.04; 15. Sienna Wildgust, Camaro, 6.609, 209.39; 16. Joey Grose, Camaro, 6.652, 207.50.
Not Qualified: 17. Kenny Delco, 7.580, 134.36.
Pro Stock Motorcycle -- 1. Chase Van Sant, Suzuki, 6.768, 197.42; 2. Matt Smith, Buell, 6.770, 200.47; 3. Angie Smith, Buell, 6.784, 199.26; 4. Jianna Evaristo, Buell, 6.811, 197.97; 5. John Hall, Beull, 6.839, 197.74; 6. Hector Arana Jr, EBR, 6.876, 194.74; 7. Steve Johnson, Suzuki, 6.893, 191.35; 8. Richard Gadson, Suzuki, 6.912, 193.21; 9. Clayton Howey, Suzuki, 7.042, 189.42; 10. Eiji Kawakami, Suzuki, 7.055, 188.25; 11. Chris Bostick, Suzuki, 8.637, 103.44; 12. Gaige Herrera, Suzuki, 16.768, 39.92.
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