SONOMA, Calif. (July 25, 2018) — The 31st annual Toyota NHRA Sonoma Nationals returns to Sonoma Raceway this weekend, July 27-29. It is the 15th stop on the 24-race circuit for the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series.
Here are some topics of interest entering race weekend.
Sonoma Rising:
Sonoma Raceway will utilize its NHRA event weekend to honor fire survivors, salute first responders and lend support to the North Bay’s ongoing rebuilding efforts through its “Sonoma Rising” initiative. The effort is intended not only to honor and support those directly affected by the fires but also to promote the short- and long-term effort to rebuild lives, structures and the economic vitality of the region. Sonoma Raceway has selected Santa Rosa resident Robert Morgan as its Hometown Hero for the weekend. Morgan, who evacuated residents (mostly low-income seniors) from Journey’s End mobile home park in Santa Rosa from the Tubbs Lane Fire, will be honored during pre-race ceremonies on Sunday.
J.R. Todd Looks to Three-Peat in Sonoma:
Funny Car driver J.R. Todd will look for success for the third straight year at the 31st annual Toyota NHRA Sonoma Nationals. Todd, driver of the 10,000-horsepower DHL Toyota Camry Funny Car, won the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series event two years ago in Top Fuel, followed by his first career Funny Car win in 2017. Todd became just the second driver to win in two pro classes in Sonoma (the other is Don “The Snake” Prudhomme). Looking ahead to this weekend, Todd hopes to keep up his impressive pace at the scenic facility in the heart of wine country.
John Force Makes 750th NHRA Funny Car Start, Looks for 150th Win:
Sixteen-time NHRA Funny Car world champion John Force will notch his 750th NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series event at Sonoma Raceway this weekend, and the popular champion will also be on the hunt for his 150th event victory after taking the Funny Car win in Denver on Sunday. Force, the winningest driver in NHRA history and an eight-time Sonoma winner, took out the second-winningest Funny Car driver, Ron Capps, in the final round and celebrated his first victory in over a year.
Local Businesses and Teams Set to Compete in Sonoma This Weekend:
Several Northern California businesses and race teams are set to hit the track this weekend, including Santa Rosa’s Humboldt Redwood Company, which will serve as an associate sponsor on Leah Pritchett’s Top Fuel dragster, and Napa’s Charles Woodson Wines, which has signed on to sponsor Cruz Pedregon’s Funny Car this weekend. In addition, Oakdale’s Nitroholic Racing will make its Sonoma debut. Lifelong Oakdale resident Richard Townsend is the driver of the 330 MPH Toyota Camry-bodied Nitro Funny Car, and he along with partner Dustin Davis have assembled one of the newest Professional teams in the sport of NHRA Drag Racing. Other local racers in professional categories include San Jose’s Mike Salinas in Top Fuel and Salinas’ Jeff Diehl in Funny Car.
Steve Torrence Seeks to Extend Top Fuel points lead:
After finishing as the Top Fuel runner-up in 2017 despite a career-best eight-win season, Steve Torrence has started off the new campaign at a torrid pace with five victories through the season’s first 14 events, including wins at Phoenix, Las Vegas, Charlotte, Richmond and Epping. He is also chasing back-to-back victories at Sonoma Raceway after claiming his first wine country win last year. With 21 career wins under his belt, Torrence aims to remain atop the pack with a strong showing in Sonoma. He currently leads the point standings by 173 points over Clay Millican.
Don Schumacher Racing Finds Stride Second Half of the Season:
One of the NHRA’s premier teams struggled the first half of the 2018 season. At the first 10 events, the seven-car team had only secured three victories in both Funny Car and Top Fuel categories (Pomona 1, Gainesville and Atlanta). The team doubled-up at Bristol and took home Funny Car victories at Norwalk and Epping. Matt Hagan leads the pack with three victories on the season. Jack Beckman and Ron Capps each have taken home a Wally while Leah Pritchett boasts two so far this season.
NHRA Continues to Lead Motorsports in Racer Diversity:
Since NHRA was founded by Wally Parks in 1951 the organization has been home to any hot-rodding enthusiast who wanted to take his or her car to the dragstrip, no matter their race, ethnicity or gender. The sport grabbed national attention for its diversity in the 1970s when motorsports gender barrier-breaker Shirley Muldowney raced to victories and world championship titles in NHRA’s Top Fuel category. The melting pot of winners has included women, Hispanics, and African-Americans. Brittany Force, Erica Enders, and Antron Brown have won world championships in their respective categories while Hispanic brothers Cruz and Tony Pedregon are both multi-time Funny Car world champions and Hector Arana is a Pro Stock Motorcycle world champion. Women have won races in each of NHRA’s four Mello Yello Series categories. Courtney Force and her sister Brittany, Leah Pritchett and Angelle Sampey are just a few of the women who currently compete and win at events across the country.
31st annual Toyota NHRA Sonoma Nationals
WHAT: Toyota NHRA Sonoma Nationals
WHEN: July 27-29
CIRCUIT: Drag Strip
2017 WINNERS: Steve Torrence (Top Fuel); J.R. Todd (Funny Car); Tanner Gray (Pro Stock); and LE Tonglet (Pro Stock Motorcycle)
INFORMATION: 800-870-RACE (7223), sonomaraceway.com/nhra
