Eight-bike field also set for GETTRX NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle All-Star Callout

SONOMA, CA – Reigning Top Fuel world champ Doug Kalitta made the quickest run of the 2024 NHRA season on Friday at Sonoma Raceway, setting the track record and taking the provisional No. 1 spot at the 36th annual Denso NHRA Sonoma Nationals.

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 of 20 races during the 2024 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series season.

Kalitta, who has a Top Fuel-best five career wins at Sonoma, powered to a run of 3.649-seconds at 336.40 mph in his 11,000-horsepower Mac Tools/Toyota dragster, obliterating the track record and putting the points leader in line for his fifth No. 1 qualifier of the season and the 58th in his career. It was a spectacular run under the lights and Kalitta was thrilled to start the weekend in that fashion.

“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 puts a lot of thought into his tune-up and he had a plan. He’s one bad dude. Continue reading →

SONOMA, CA – Pro Stock Motorcycle veteran Steve Johnson has been involved in the two-wheeled category for more than 30 years and at this weekend’s 36th annual Denso NHRA Sonoma Nationals at Sonoma Raceway, he’ll make his 500th career NHRA start.

Johnson, rider of the Big Number One Suzuki, will also be competing in the GETTRX NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle All-Star Callout specialty event on Saturday with the seven other qualifier riders. Johnson is the fifth-seeded rider and will be up against the likes of reigning Pro Stock Motorcycle champion Gaige Herrera as well as the six-time champion Matt Smith. With his impressive qualifying efforts, Herrera will make the first pick in the callout style race, but Johnson views it as a great chance to celebrate his 500th career start.

“The point is, the fans are going to get a great race,” Johnson said. “I think the Callout is such a neat format to be able to do it. I always tell people if you go to all the races in a year, for 34 years, you’ll have 500 races too.”

Last year’s Denso NHRA Sonoma Nationals crowned Justin Ashley (Top Fuel), J.R. Todd (Funny Car) and Herrera (Pro Stock Motorcycle) as winners in their respective categories. This season’s race will again be broadcast on both FOX and FS1, including eliminations coverage starting at 4 p.m. PT on Sunday, July 28 on FOX. It is the 12th of 20 races during the 2024 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series season and the annual trek to Sonoma is a loaded weekend that also includes the GETTRX Pro Stock Motorcycle All-Star Callout and the Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge on Saturday. Continue reading →

SONOMA, CA – A year ago, a win at Sonoma Raceway came at a much-needed time for NHRA Funny Car driver J.R. Todd. The former champion had gone 52 races without a victory, ending a drought at a track that has been very good to him over the years.

Todd and his Kalitta Motorsports team are in a much better place heading into this weekend’s 36th annual Denso NHRA Sonoma Nationals, but a win would be just as rewarding for the talented driver who is one of only two NHRA competitors (Don Prudhomme) to win in both Funny Car and Top Fuel at the scenic facility.

He advanced to the semifinals last weekend in Seattle in his 11,000-horsepower DHL Toyota GR Supra, already has a win this season and is currently fourth in points – just 22 points out of second.

It’s been a rewarding season thus far for Todd, but the defending event winner wants more, touching on just how important it was to get a Funny Car victory last year in Sonoma, which is understandably one of his favorite stops on the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series tour. Continue reading →

SONOMA, CA – Steve Torrence received as good of a sign as any last weekend in Seattle that things are coming together at a perfect time, racing to his first Top Fuel victory of the year. Now, the goal is to keep that momentum rolling at this weekend’s 36th annual Denso NHRA Sonoma Nationals at Sonoma Raceway, a track where the four-time champ has dominated over the years.

Torrence didn’t win last season, as Justin Ashley picked up the victory in the heart of wine country, but the Texan has a strong record at the picturesque facility, winning four times in a five-year stretch, including back-to-back victories in 2021 and 2022.

A fifth victory in Sonoma in his 11,000-horsepower Capco Contractors/Toyota dragster would tie him with reigning world champion Doug Kalitta for the most Top Fuel wins at Sonoma Raceway in NHRA history and also solidify another run at a world title.

Torrence finished second a year ago, picking up one victory (Seattle) along the way. He hasn’t exactly struggled this year, either, but his first win of the year came on Sunday in Seattle, where the team showed a strong ability to run well in all conditions, the latest indication that things are coming together at an ideal point of the season. Continue reading →