NHRA Sonoma Nationals has Countdown consequences
Even though the Toyota NHRA Sonoma Nationals is not part of the Mello Yello Countdown to the Championship - a six-race playoff that decides the champions of the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series - it has major championship implications.
The winners of the event at Sonoma Raceway, which will be televised by the FOX national broadcast network, often go on to be crowned champions of the series, or very close to it, and fans should expect nothing less than championship-worthy performances this year.
The 29th annual Toyota NHRA Sonoma Nationals, July 29-31, is the second stop of NHRA’s Western Swing, a treacherous three-race stretch in the Western United States, and also the fourth-to-last race of the regular season. Only the top 10 drivers in each category earn a spot in the Countdown, and with limited points remaining, a lot more is on the line than a victory.
At the 2015 Toyota NHRA Sonoma Nationals, five of the eight event finalists went on to finish the season in the top three.
Brown takes Top Fuel
In Top Fuel, Antron Brown raced to the winner’s circle for his fourth victory of the year. After winning in Sonoma, Brown went on to win three of four final round appearances in the Countdown to secure his second Top Fuel world championship.
In Funny Car, Jack Beckman outlasted Tommy Johnson Jr. to help set himself up for one of the most exciting Funny Car championship battles in recent memory. Beckman won two more races after Sonoma last year, and made a strong push for the world championship, but came up short by just 56 points. Beckman finished second on the season, while Tommy Johnson Jr. finished third.
Last year’s excitement at the Sonoma Nationals wasn’t limited only to the Nitro classes. In Pro Stock Motorcycle, Eddie Krawiec defeated Jerry Savoie in the final round. At Dallas during the Countdown playoffs, Krawiec and Savoie met again with the championship on the line. Krawiec once more raced past Savoie, which in turn secured the world championship for his Screamin’ Eagle Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson teammate Andrew Hines. Krawiec finished second in points and Savoie finished third.
Series at midpoint in season
The 2016 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series is currently at the midpoint in the season and all four classes - Top Fuel, Funny Car, Pro Stock and Pro Stock Motorcycle - are gearing up for an exciting finish and know they will have to be on top of their game at Sonoma Raceway.
In Top Fuel, Doug Kalitta currently holds the points lead with three wins in four final round appearances. Kalitta, who drives the Mac Tools dragster for Kalitta Motorsports, is a five-time Sonoma winner. Even though he has tallied the most Top Fuel victories in Sonoma, he hasn’t won there since 2005.
Hoping to defend his event title is the driver of the Matco Tools dragster, Brown. He is second in points, and also won at the Sonoma Nationals in 2012 en route to his first world championship. Sonoma Raceway has treated him well in his career, and he will be gunning for his fifth career Sonoma victory and to continue his championship defense.
The Top Fuel category does not lack strength, though, and winning a Wally on Sunday is no easy feat. Others with their eyes on the prize include back-to-back 2016 winner Shawn Langdon, two-time 2016 winner Steve Torrence, eight-time world champion Tony Schumacher, recent Norwalk, Ohio, runner-up J.R. Todd and Brittany Force, who is also a two-time winner this season.
Force seeks eighth victory
In Funny Car, John Force will look to claim a record eighth victory at Sonoma Raceway. Force, driver of the Peak Antifreeze Chevy Camaro SS, has raced to one runner-up finish this season but looks forward to returning to a track in which he has seen much success.
Ron Capps has also seen great success at Sonoma Raceway, racing to four victories at the track in his career. His last came in 2013, but 2016 has been nothing less than a highlight reel for the driver of the NAPA Auto Parts Dodge Charger R/T. Capps has been red-hot in June, winning three races during the month and four overall this season. He moved into the points lead during that stretch, and hopes to hang on in Sonoma as he chases his first world championship.
Every point in Funny Car is well deserved, though, and drivers like Courtney Force, who won in Houston and posted a runner-up finish in Norwalk; defending event winner Beckman; reigning world champ Del Worsham, Tommy Johnson Jr.; two-time 2016 event winner Matt Hagan; Alexis DeJoria; Tim Wilkerson and Robert Hight will do anything to get their hands on a few more points before the Countdown begins.
Two spots in the Countdown to the Championship are already taken in Pro Stock. Points leader Jason Line and teammate Greg Anderson, who is in second, have rightfully earned their positions in the playoffs. Line, a three-time Sonoma winner, has raced to seven victories in 2016 while Anderson, a four-time Sonoma winner, has raced to five. They have dominated Pro Stock and will look to continue that in Sonoma.
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