NHRA - National Hot Rod Association

Champions in three Camping World NHRA series pro categories and seven Lucas Oil Sportsman categories will be crowned on Sunday during the final day of competition at the Denso NHRA Sonoma Nationals at picturesque Sonoma Raceway. The event is the final stop on the grueling three-race Western Swing that also includes stops in Denver and Seattle.

The biggest question that will be answered today is, ‘Can Gaige Herrera sweep the Western Swing?’ The Pro Stock Motorcycle sensation has won the first two races in Denver and Seattle, and also won yesterday’s NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle Allstar Callout event on his Vance & Hines Mission Foods Suzuki. Herrera is the low qualifier for Sunday’s eliminations but he faces a tough path to what could be his sixth victory of the season. Rivals Matt and Angie Smith are also very competitive this weekend on their Denso entries while Herrera’s own teammate, Eddie Krawiec, is also among the leading contenders.

In Top Fuel, Austin Prock is the qualifying leader for just the second time in his career in the Montana Brands/Rocky Mountain Twist dragster following a 3.70 run on Friday night. Prock already has a win earlier this season in Charlotte and was also a runner-up the last time NHRA raced in California in Pomona last April. So far, the Western Swing has not been kind to Prock with back-to-back round one losses at the first two events, but he’s in a prime position to salvage a solid result, especially since he’s got a bye run in the opening round of competition.

So far this season, Antron Brown, Steve Torrence, Justin Ashley, Prock, Leah Pruett, Clay Millican, and Mike Salinas have won races but leading contenders including Brittany Force, Doug Kalitta, Josh Hart, Shawn Langdon, and Tony Schumacher have not. Will we add a new winner today? That’s a distinct possibility.

The qualifying lead in Funny Car changed hands late Saturday when Bob Tasca III wheeled his Motorcraft Quick Lane Ford to a 3.93. Tasca previously struggled to get down the track, failing to register a competitive elapsed time in each of the first three runs. The Epping winner feels as though his latest run is representative of the team’s capability on Sunday in Sonoma.

The Funny Car field is also stacked as it includes six drivers who have won this season including Tasca, Blake Alexander, Tim Wilkerson, Matt Hagan, Ron Capps, and Robert Hight. Those who hope to join that group include John Force, who has enjoyed tremendous success in Sonoma along with J.R. Todd, Chad Green, Alexis Dejoria and Cruz Pedregon. Todd would easily appear to be one of the favorites as he is fresh off a win in Saturday’s Mission Foods 2Fast2Tasty Challenge.

2022 EVENT WINNERS
Brittany Force (Top Fuel), Bob Tasca III (Funny Car), Joey Gladstone (Pro Stock Motorcycle)

TRACK RECORDS

Top Fuel - 3.662 seconds by Brittany Force, July ‘22; 337.75 mph by Brittany Force, July ‘22.

Funny Car – 3.807 seconds by Robert Hight, July ’17; 339.87 mph by Hight, July ‘17.

Pro Stock Motorcycle – 6.696 seconds by Angelle Sampey, July ’22; 205.04 by Matt Smith, July ‘21

SCHEDULE

SUNDAY, July 30
Pre-race ceremony, 9:30- a.m.
Camping World Series eliminations begin at 10:30 a.m.

TELEVISION

Sunday, July 30, FS1 will televise one-and-a-half hours of qualifying coverage at 2:30 p.m. (ET).
Sunday, July 30, FOX will televise three hours of live finals coverage at 4 p.m. (ET).