2016 NHRA SONOMA NATS - EVENT RESULTS
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FORCE, TODD, ANDERSON, AND TONGLET CLAIM WINS AT SONOMA NATIONALS
John Force continues his mid-season surge and raced to his second consecutive Funny Car win of the year in front of a sold-out crowd at the Toyota NHRA Sonoma Nationals.
J.R. Todd (Top Fuel), Greg Anderson (Pro Stock) and LE Tonglet (Pro Stock Motorcycle) were winners of the 15th NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series event of the season in Sonoma, Calif.
Force secured his 145th career victory in the category when he defeated Ron Capps in his NAPA Auto Parts Dodge Charger R/T in a tightly contested race. Force powered his Realtree Peak Antifreeze Camaro to a winning pass of 3.948 seconds at 324.59 mph to the losing run of Capps at 3.960 at 320.13.
“We won Denver and that got me motivated,” said Force. “My daughter (Courtney Force) and Robert (Hight) were outrunning me in Denver but we got the win. We knew it was going to be a different animal here. We got down here and I was amazed.”
This is his second win in the daunting three race stretch of the Western Swing which concludes next weekend in Seattle. In 1994, Force became the only Funny Car in NHRA history to sweep all three events.
Capps who raced to his third runner-up finish on the season, along with his category leading four wins, retains his points lead in Funny Car. Capps, along with Courtney Force of John Force Racing who is second in the points, become the first two Funny Car competitors to earn berths in the NHRA Mello Yello Countdown to the Championship.
Todd piloted his SealMaster Top Fuel dragster to his first win in nearly a year when he defeated Richie Crampton in the final. His winning run of 3.745 at 324.83 to the losing effort of Crampton at 3.806 at 313.07 earned Todd his ninth career Top Fuel victory. This was the first win for Todd since he defeated Shawn Langdon in Seattle last season.
“It has been a long time coming for these SealMaster boys,” said Todd. “We have been to a few finals and haven’t been able to close the deal. I had all the faith and confidence in Connie Kalitta and Rob Flynn and they made the right calls all day.”
Steve Torrence, the No. 1 qualifier who raced to a semifinal appearance and Brittany Force who has two wins on the season also gained entry in the Countdown to the Championship on Sunday.
In Pro Stock, Anderson continued his dominating season in his Summit Racing Equipment Chevy Camaro when he defeated his KB Racing teammate Bo Butner for his seventh win of the season. Anderson, who notched his 85th win, raced to victory with a pass of 6.580 at 210.54 to the trailing run of 6.622 at 210.70 by Butner.
The win ties Anderson with Bob Glidden as the second winningest Pro Stock racer in history behind Warren Johnson with 97 victories. This is the fifth career win at Sonoma for Anderson and he is the Pro Stock points leader.
“This track has been magical to KB Racing, not just to me but Jason Line too,” said Anderson. “This place is special to me and magical. It is everything a Pro Stock racer wants. It is a great racetrack, great weather conditions, and full grandstands. You don’t get any better than that. It cranks us up and gives us a lot of energy.”
Butner retains his third place position in the points and joins Anderson and Jason Line as the first three racers in Pro Stock to lock in a position in the NHRA Mello Yello Countdown to the Championship.
Pro Stock Motorcycle racer Tonglet won his first race since the Brainerd event in 2011, defeated Andrew Hines in the final.
Tonglet, who is the 2010 Pro Stock Motorcycle world champion, had the winning run of 6.813 at 196.73 to the losing run of 6.864 at 194.52. Tonglet faced Katie Sullivan, Hector Arana, Eddie Krawiec and Hines to secure the win.
“It has been five years since we have won and to bring home the Wally after beating Andrew and Eddie back to back is just huge for our team,” said Tonglet. “We just come out here to have fun and it wasn’t getting fun. We had to change somethings up and started getting round wins and it is just great.”
The NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing will resume Aug. 5-7 with the Protect the Harvest NHRA Northwest Nationals, in Seattle.
SCREAMIN’ EAGLE HARLEY-DAVIDSON RIDERS DOMINATE FINAL NHRA SONOMA NATIONALS QUALIFYING
Saturday was very good to Screamin’ Eagle Harley-Davidson Pro Stock Motorcycle teammates Andrew Hines and Eddie Krawiec as they split a pair of accolades during final day qualifying at the Toyota NHRA Sonoma Nationals.
Hines captured the NHRA Pro Bike Battle at Sonoma Raceway while Krawiec captured the No. 1 qualifying position, his fifth of the season.
After two Saturday sessions, professional qualifying remained unchanged with Del Worsham (Funny Car), Steve Torrence (Top Fuel) and Bo Butner (Pro Stock) heading into final eliminations as the top seeds in their respective categories.
Hines successfully defended his Pro Bike Battle crown, and in doing so earned his sixth specialty event in NHRA history by running 6.775 seconds to edge Krawiec’s 6.811.
“Winning this event really doesn’t take any pressure off of what I need to do on Sunday,” said Hines, who enters Sunday eliminations third quickest on the strength of his final round win, which also counts towards qualifying. “Our team always makes sure we have good V-rods to go out there and win. We stumbled on a good tune-up after struggling Friday, and we knew we had some work to do with as fast as the class is this weekend.”
Jim Underdahl anchored the quickest-ever 16-bike field in Sonoma history with a 6.902.
Leading the field was Krawiec’s track-record 6.751 elapsed time.
“Being close to sea level here makes for fast runs and quick elapsed times,” said Krawiec. “I just feel comfortable and relaxed here.”
Funny Car champion Worsham remained atop the leaderboard courtesy of Friday night’s personal best, a 3.868, which is also the fourth quickest pass in Funny Car history.
Worsham has two No. 1 qualifying efforts in the last four races.
“Around March or April, we made some more adjustments to the car working with Toyota and their aerodynamics and their engineers, along with all of our people at Kalitta and we definitely have a faster race car right now,” said Worsham. “We’ve made some great improvements in the last month. Two out of the last four races our DHL Toyota has been the number-one qualifier and I’m pretty sure that we were on the way to the top in Chicago, but we had a mechanical problem there. It’s running well, but the bottom line is we’ve got to win races. It’s a Toyota-sponsored weekend, and we’re excited to win the pole for them. It’s great to do it here, where the Sonoma crowd here has been amazing.”
Torrence heads into Sunday’s eliminations as the newly crowned national record holder and the No. 1 seed courtesy of Friday night’s 3.671 elapsed time.
Saturday, Torrence was unable to improve on the record run but was impressive nonetheless.
“I’m more impressed with the 3.69 we ran today in the heat,” said Torrence. “It takes a lot to get to a low 3.70 and even more to get into the .60s. Hat’s off to my team because they are the reason I have run as well as I have. Those guys are the Mack truck and I am just the chrome bulldog on the hood.”
Torrence’s No. 1 effort marked his eighth of the season despite missing the Norwalk event, recovering from a heart attack.
“We want to win as bad as we want to breathe,” Torrence admitted.
Butner remained atop the Pro Stock field with a 6.553, followed by KB Racing teammate Greg Anderson.
“I have had a fast car all year,” said Butner, who recorded his second No. 1 effort since Phoenix. “We made four good runs, which is sometimes tough for me to do.”
Butner, who is winless while his teammates have twelve wins combined, believes the key to winning his first lies in the ability to focus on the task at hand and not overthink.
“The last few races, I have tried some stuff on the starting line,” admitted Butner. “I go in with the same routine and I don’t concern myself with who is in the other lane. I feel like if I leave with them I should win.”
Final eliminations for the Toyota NHRA Sonoma Nationals will be broadcast on the FOX network, Sunday starting at 4 PM, EST.
Final round-by-round results from the NHRA Pro Bike Battle at Sonoma Raceway at the 29th annual Toyota NHRA Sonoma Nationals.
ROUND ONE -- Matt Smith, 6.844, 193.54 def. Jerry Savoie, Suzuki, 6.827, 196.64; Chip Ellis, Buell, 6.831, 196.13 def. Hector Arana, Buell, 6.911, 195.93; Andrew Hines, Harley-Davidson, 6.803, 196.50 def. Hector Arana Jr, Buell, 6.922, 193.02; Eddie Krawiec, Harley-Davidson, 6.751, 197.65 def. Steve Johnson, Suzuki, 6.916, 195.14;
SEMIFINALS -- Hines, 6.772, 197.62 def. Smith, 10.677, 77.07; Krawiec, 6.793, 196.96 def. Ellis, 6.875, 196.53;
FINAL -- Hines, 6.775, 197.31 def. Krawiec, 6.811, 195.73.
Sunday's first-round pairings for eliminations for the 29th annual Toyota NHRA Sonoma Nationals at Sonoma Raceway, the 15th of 24 events in the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series. Pairings based on results in qualifying, which ended Saturday. DNQs listed below pairings.
Top Fuel -- 1. Steve Torrence, 3.671 seconds, 331.04 mph vs. 16. Terry Haddock, 4.754, 161.04; 2. Antron Brown, 3.710, 323.27 vs. 15. Terry McMillen, 4.281, 311.41; 3. Doug Kalitta, 3.711, 327.98 vs. 14. Bill Litton, 4.026, 291.82; 4. Shawn Langdon, 3.714, 325.14 vs. 13. Scott Palmer, 3.921, 307.65; 5. Richie Crampton, 3.714, 323.58 vs. 12. Troy Buff, 3.813, 316.30; 6. Brittany Force, 3.728, 325.85 vs. 11. T.J. Zizzo, 3.807, 317.34; 7. J.R. Todd, 3.731, 324.05 vs. 10. Clay Millican, 3.764, 300.73; 8. Tony Schumacher, 3.735, 318.99 vs. 9. Leah Pritchett, 3.751, 327.19.
Did Not Qualify: 17. Steve Faria, 9.029, 278.46.
Funny Car -- 1. Del Worsham, Toyota Camry, 3.868, 327.43 vs. 16. Tim Gibbons, Chevy Impala, 4.517, 275.84; 2. Courtney Force, Chevy Camaro, 3.871, 323.97 vs. 15. Gary Densham, Ford Mustang, 4.487, 288.52; 3. Robert Hight, Camaro, 3.874, 327.03 vs. 14. Jeff Diehl, Toyota Solara, 4.149, 305.36; 4. Matt Hagan, Dodge Charger, 3.875, 330.15 vs. 13. John Hale, Charger, 4.011, 317.87; 5. Ron Capps, Charger, 3.877, 326.71 vs. 12. Cruz Pedregon, Camry, 4.004, 309.70; 6. John Force, Camaro, 3.890, 329.10 vs. 11. Alexis DeJoria, Camry, 3.946, 319.45; 7. Tim Wilkerson, Mustang, 3.902, 325.77 vs. 10. Chad Head, Camry, 3.920, 327.90; 8. Tommy Johnson Jr., Charger, 3.903, 322.88 vs. 9. Jack Beckman, Charger, 3.920, 323.27.
Did Not Qualify: 17. Brandon Welch, 5.969, 120.08.
Pro Stock -- 1. Bo Butner, Chevy Camaro, 6.553, 211.26 vs. 16. Joey Grose, Camaro, 6.779, 204.35; 2. Greg Anderson, Camaro, 6.567, 210.41 vs. 15. Alan Prusiensky, Dodge Dart, 6.736, 205.76; 3. Shane Gray, Camaro, 6.573, 210.54 vs. 14. Deric Kramer, Dart, 6.640, 208.68; 4. Chris McGaha, Camaro, 6.575, 210.01 vs. 13. Jeg Coughlin, Dart, 6.632, 208.62; 5. Matt Hartford, Camaro, 6.584, 210.24 vs. 12. Alex Laughlin, Camaro, 6.631, 210.64; 6. Allen Johnson, Dart, 6.588, 209.95 vs. 11. Aaron Strong, Camaro, 6.630, 208.78; 7. Vincent Nobile, Camaro, 6.592, 210.64 vs. 10. Erica Enders, Dart, 6.612, 209.26; 8. Jason Line, Camaro, 6.594, 209.62 vs. 9. Drew Skillman, Camaro, 6.601, 210.41.
Pro Stock Motorcycle -- 1. Eddie Krawiec, Harley-Davidson, 6.751, 197.65 vs. 16. Jim Underdahl, Suzuki, 6.902, 196.47; 2. Angelle Sampey, Buell, 6.752, 198.15 vs. 15. Angie Smith, Victory, 6.880, 194.41; 3. Andrew Hines, Harley-Davidson, 6.775, 197.31 vs. 14. Freddie Camarena, Suzuki, 6.876, 196.56; 4. LE Tonglet, Suzuki, 6.780, 197.33 vs. 13. Katie Sullivan, Suzuki, 6.865, 193.93; 5. Chip Ellis, Buell, 6.796, 198.47 vs. 12. Hector Arana, Buell, 6.859, 197.25; 6. Matt Smith, Victory, 6.819, 196.82 vs. 11. Michael Ray, Buell, 6.858, 194.32; 7. Hector Arana Jr, Buell, 6.823, 196.19 vs. 10. Karen Stoffer, Suzuki, 6.857, 195.28; 8. Jerry Savoie, Suzuki, 6.827, 196.64 vs. 9. Steve Johnson, Suzuki, 6.839, 196.13.
Did Not Qualify: 17. Melissa Surber, 6.910, 189.76; 18. Scotty Pollacheck, 6.914, 193.07; 19. Cory Reed, 6.930, 189.90; 20. Chaz Kennedy, 6.954, 191.70; 21. Shawn Gann, 6.968, 192.80; 22. Scott Bottorff, 7.015, 189.02; 23. Lance Bonham, 7.133, 186.48; 24. Brian Bognuda, broke.
TORRENCE, WORSHAM HEADLINE RECORD-SETTING FRIDAY IN SONOMA
A pair of record-setting runs highlighted first day Toyota NHRA Sonoma Nationals qualifying at Sonoma Raceway.
Steve Torrence established a new NHRA Top Fuel record, and Del Worsham grabbed the Funny Car track record to headline the opening day. Bo Butner (Pro Stock) and Jerry Savoie (Pro Stock Motorcycle) also led their respective divisions.
Torrence was .03 quicker than No. 2 qualifier Doug Kalitta, as he stopped the timers with a 3.671 elapsed time at 326.08 miles per hour. The next three qualifiers, Doug Kalitta, Shawn Langdon and Rickie Crampton, all ran 3.71 seconds.
If Torrence's run holds, it will mark the eighth time in 14 races the former NHRA Top Alcohol Dragster champion has qualified No. 1.
"I was nervous watching the cars in front of us in the session," Torrence said. "The track was getting tight, and the air kept getting cooler. I saw [crew chief Richard] Hogan in the [clutch timers] box turning knobs. We hit the nail on the head to go as quick as we did.
"When the car left, it wadded the tire a little bit. It was on the extreme edge of not making it. I did the best to keep it in the groove, and I saw the .60-something, and I started hollering because I knew we had just run fast."
A deflated right rear slick did little to slow defending NHRA champion Worsham, as he became the quickest Funny Car driver ever at Sonoma Raceway with a 3.868 elapsed time at 327.43 miles per hour.
Worsham's monumental performance beat out No. 2 Courtney Force by .003 of a second.
"We were trying to run our career best, and we definitely succeeded at that," Worsham said. "Right before the finish line, the car made a quiver, and I was able to will it to the finish line. I knew there was a problem, and I just tried to keep the car under control."
Worsham didn't feel as if the tire issue cost him any significant elapsed time performance.
"Just by looking at the eighth mile, I don't think it cost us anything, and it probably finished where it should have," Worsham explained. "I think we got all of it we could. It would be great to have a few shots at these kinds of conditions."
Matt Hagan also established a track record with a 330.15 mile per hour pass.
KB Racing returned to their spot atop the Pro Stock qualifying leaderboard as Butner recorded a 6.553 elapsed time at 210.28 miles per hour. He was trailed by teammate Greg Anderson, who recorded a 6.567. Shane Gray was third with a 6.576.
"We are testing, believe it or not, and trying new things," Butner admitted. "We are getting ready for the Countdown. We are not necessarily testing on runs, but new parts at certain tracks ... getting ready. It's just day one; we still have tomorrow."
Pro Stock Motorcycle racer Savoie made the most of Suzuki's tendency to dominate at sea level as he raced to the provisional pole with a 6.839, 194.46 performance. The resurgent Angelle Sampey was second with a 6.85 to edge out early leader G.T. Tonglet and his 6.862.
"Suzukis run real well at sea level," Savoie, who stands on the cusp of his fifth career No. 1, said. "We needed this home run today. Someone came up to me before the first session and asked what kind of run was out there, and I said, 'definitely an .83, but there can be an .81. We missed our first run, but we made up for it on the second."
Professional qualifying resumes on Saturday with qualifying sessions scheduled for 1:00 and 4:15 PM, PST.
Friday's results after the first two of four rounds of qualifying for the 29th annual Toyota NHRA Sonoma Nationals at Sonoma Raceway, 15th of 24 events in the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series. Qualifying will continue Saturday for Sunday's final eliminations:
Top Fuel -- 1. Steve Torrence, 3.671 seconds, 326.08 mph; 2. Doug Kalitta, 3.711, 325.77; 3. Shawn Langdon, 3.714, 325.14; 4. Richie Crampton, 3.714, 322.65; 5. J.R. Todd, 3.731, 324.05; 6. Tony Schumacher, 3.751, 318.99; 7. Antron Brown, 3.754, 315.86; 8. Clay Millican, 3.764, 300.73; 9. Brittany Force, 3.788, 324.20; 10. Leah Pritchett, 3.800, 314.02; 11. T.J. Zizzo, 3.807, 317.34; 12. Troy Buff, 3.867, 310.13.
Not Qualified: 13. Terry McMillen, 3.881, 311.41; 14. Steve Faria, 3.956, 278.46; 15. Bill Litton, 4.045, 291.82; 16. Scott Palmer, 4.212, 211.53.
Funny Car -- 1. Del Worsham, Toyota Camry, 3.868, 327.43; 2. Courtney Force, Chevy Camaro, 3.871, 322.50; 3. Robert Hight, Camaro, 3.874, 327.03; 4. Matt Hagan, Dodge Charger, 3.875, 330.15; 5. Ron Capps, Charger, 3.877, 326.71; 6. Tommy Johnson Jr., Charger, 3.903, 321.19; 7. Jack Beckman, Charger, 3.933, 322.34; 8. John Force, Camaro, 3.942, 324.36; 9. Tim Wilkerson, Ford Mustang, 3.955, 321.27; 10. Alexis DeJoria, Camry, 3.992, 313.07; 11. John Hale, Charger, 4.011, 317.87; 12. Chad Head, Camry, 4.193, 233.24.
Not Qualified: 13. Gary Densham, 4.256, 288.52; 14. Jeff Diehl, 4.275, 226.92; 15. Tim Gibbons, 4.943, 167.74; 16. Cruz Pedregon, 5.228, 144.01; 17. Brandon Welch, 8.818, 71.35.
Pro Stock -- 1. Bo Butner, Chevy Camaro, 6.553, 210.28; 2. Greg Anderson, Camaro, 6.567, 210.14; 3. Shane Gray, Camaro, 6.576, 210.14; 4. Allen Johnson, Dodge Dart, 6.588, 209.95; 5. Jason Line, Camaro, 6.594, 209.62; 6. Drew Skillman, Camaro, 6.602, 209.69; 7. Matt Hartford, Camaro, 6.607, 209.52; 8. Chris McGaha, Camaro, 6.608, 209.01; 9. Erica Enders, Dart, 6.612, 209.26; 10. Alex Laughlin, Camaro, 6.631, 209.59; 11. Jeg Coughlin, Dart, 6.632, 208.23; 12. Vincent Nobile, Camaro, 6.651, 208.97.
Not Qualified: 13. Aaron Strong, 6.651, 207.59; 14. Deric Kramer, 6.653, 207.91; 15. Alan Prusiensky, 6.918, 203.86; 16. Joey Grose, 6.969, 198.88.
Pro Stock Motorcycle -- 1. Jerry Savoie, Suzuki, 6.839, 194.46; 2. Angelle Sampey, Buell, 6.854, 193.96; 3. LE Tonglet, Suzuki, 6.862, 194.60; 4. Andrew Hines, Harley-Davidson, 6.862, 193.02; 5. Eddie Krawiec, Harley-Davidson, 6.867, 192.11; 6. Hector Arana Jr, Buell, 6.888, 192.91; 7. Matt Smith, Victory, 6.892, 192.33; 8. Hector Arana, Buell, 6.894, 193.49; 9. Chip Ellis, Buell, 6.901, 193.77; 10. Melissa Surber, Buell, 6.910, 189.76; 11. Jim Underdahl, Suzuki, 6.916, 193.40; 12. Cory Reed, Buell, 6.930, 189.90.
Not Qualified: 13. Karen Stoffer, 6.931, 192.60; 14. Steve Johnson, 6.942, 194.35; 15. Shawn Gann, 6.956, 191.57; 16. Katie Sullivan, 6.975, 187.89; 17. Freddie Camarena, 7.022, 191.95; 18. Michael Ray, 7.023, 189.52; 19. Angie Smith, 7.040, 186.43; 20. Scott Bottorff, 7.158, 184.17; 21. Lance Bonham, 7.206, 182.33; 22. Chaz Kennedy, 7.911, 131.48; 23. Scotty Pollacheck, 18.585, 34.32; 24. Brian Bognuda, broke.
