NHRA - National Hot Rod Association

After an incredible weekend in Denver that will long be remembered as one of the best events of the 2016 season, the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series heads to California for the annual Toyota NHRA Sonoma Nationals. The event is stop No. 2 on the annual Western Swing, and the sea-level conditions and oxygen-rich environment of Sonoma Wine Country present a radical departure from the thin air of Denver, which means drastic changes for every team on the tour.

The 2015 Sonoma race was the site of Jack Beckman’s history-making 3.92-second Funny Car pass, a run that ignited a full year of barrier-breaking runs from NHRA’s nitro teams. Also in 2015, Chris McGaha broke through for his first Pro Stock victory, and Eddie Krawiec ran the table with a win in Saturday’s NHRA Pro Bike Battle and a second victory Sunday. Antron Brown won the Top Fuel title and set the Sonoma track record with a 3.707 run in his Matco Tools dragster.

Here’s a look at some of this year’s major storylines:

We’re live again
After the impressive debut last weekend in Denver of live eliminations on FOX, the Toyota NHRA Sonoma Nationals also will be broadcast live on the FOX national network, on Sunday, July 31, at 4 p.m. ET. The live shows help expose the world’s fastest motorsport to an entirely new legion of fans, and every one of NHRA’s Pros is eager to get a moment in the spotlight.

Sweep dreams
As the old saying goes, you can’t sweep the Western Swing unless you win the first event, which means that Denver winners Tony Schumacher (pictured), John Force, and Allen Johnson are the only three NHRA Pros who can pull off the rare feat of running the table with wins in Denver, Sonoma, and Seattle. Can any of them do it? The Western Swing has been around since 1988, and just seven Professional drivers (plus Super Stock ace Dan Fletcher) have done it. Force delivered in 1994 and Schumacher in 2008, which means that both drivers understand the pressure and the magnitude of their achievement. Force is also the most prolific winner in Sonoma with seven victories on his résumé. Of the Denver champs, Johnson may have the toughest path to a sweep given the strength of the Summit team this season.

Pro Bike Battle brewing
The field of eight riders is set for the annual NHRA Pro Bike Battle, and this year’s field features the Screamin’ Eagle Harley-Davidsons of defending event winner Eddie Krawiec and teammate Andrew Hines as well as Jerry Savoie’s White Alligator Suzuki, Chip Ellis' PiranaZ Buell, the Lucas Oil Buells of Hector Arana Sr. and Jr., Matt Smith’s Victory Gunner, and Steve Johnson's RaceTheVote.com Suzuki. The winner of the special event will take home a $7,500 top prize and a year’s worth of bragging rights.

What’s the point?
For drivers in all four classes trying to earn a spot in the Countdown to the Championship, the Western Swing, and in particular the Sonoma event, represents crunch time. Including the Sonoma Nationals, just four events are left to set the field of 10 in each class, including the Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals and its generous points-and-a-half structure. In Top Fuel, the battle for the final spot is between Leah Pritchett and Terry McMillen (pictured). Pritchett has the No. 10 spot by 31 points, but it’s not certain that she’s going to Seattle, so an extra round-win or two would be huge. In Pro Stock, reigning and two-time world champ Erica Enders sits 11th, just nine points behind Alex Laughlin. Both drivers ran exceptionally well in Denver, which could make for a fascinating battle down the stretch. Just 66 points separate the No. 8 through No. 14 riders in the Pro Stock Motorcycle class, and the list of those not in the top 10 includes Karen Stoffer, promising rookie Cory Reed, Hector Arana Jr., and Scotty Pollacheck. Look for a lot of shuffling in this class between now and September.

More records coming
Sonoma Raceway is where Jack Beckman lowered the boom on the Funny Car class last season with a then-historic 3.92-second blast. Since then, every track on the tour has hosted multiple three-second Funny Car runs, but that does not mean the class has become stagnant. Sonoma often offers up some of the best racing conditions on the tour, especially in the late afternoon and early evening hours, so the odds of a 3.8-second Funny Car pass, or even a 3.6-second Top Fuel run, figure to be pretty good. Sonoma is also the next track that could have an outside shot at hosting the long-awaited first 200-mph Pro Stock Motorcycle run, but that feat would require a very strong tailwind and cool temperatures.

Track records
Top Fuel
3.707 seconds by Antron Brown, July 2015
329.10 mph by Dave Connolly, July 2015

Funny Car
3.921 seconds by Jack Beckman, July 2015
325.77 mph by Matt Hagan, July 2015

Pro Stock
6.499 seconds by Chris McGaha, July 2015
213.00 mph by Shane Gray, July 2015

Pro Stock Motorcycle
6.785 seconds by Eddie Krawiec, July 2012
198.79 mph by Hector Arana Jr., July 2015

Schedule
NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series qualifying will feature two rounds at 4:30 and 7 p.m. Friday, July 29, and the final two rounds of qualifying Saturday, July 30, at 1:10 and 4:15 p.m. Final eliminations are scheduled for 11 a.m. Sunday, July 31.

Tickets
Call 800-870-RACE (7223) or log on to www.sonomaraceway.com.

Television
Friday, July 29, FOX Sports 1 will televise one hour of qualifying coverage at 7:30 p.m. ET
Saturday, July 30, FOX Sports 1 will televise one hour of qualifying coverage at 10 p.m. ET
Sunday, July 31, FOX national network will televise three hours of live finals coverage at 4 p.m. ET