CHEVROLET AT SONOMA
What: Denso NHRA Sonoma Nationals
When: Friday, July 22-Sunday, July 24
Where: Sonoma Raceway in Sonoma, California
TV: FOX will telecast eliminations at 4 p.m. ET Sunday, July 24
Team Chevy takes aim at second leg of Western Swing
Robert Hight seeking to become first to win four in a row at Sonoma Raceway
DETROIT (July 21, 2022) – No driver has won four consecutive National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) events at Sonoma Raceway. That’s all the motivation Funny Car points leader Robert Hight needs as he heads into the race weekend at the scenic and fast California racetrack.
Hight, winner last week at Denver in the Automobile Club of Southern California Chevrolet Camaro SS, has won the past three races (2021, ’19 and ’18; no race in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic) at the facility 44 miles north of San Francisco. He’ll seek to keep that streak intact, which would give him victories in two legs of the three-race Western Swing and increase his Funny Car points lead.
Hight has been on a roll with five wins and a pair of runner-up finishes through 11 races this season.
“We’ve just got to go to Sonoma and treat it like we did in Denver and make three really good qualifying runs and race smart,” said Hight, said Hight, who pushed his career victory total to 58 and delivered the 152nd Funny Car win for Chevrolet.
“If we keep doing that, the round wins are going to come, but this class is tough. I think it’s a successful season when you have five wins total with the level of competition here. We’re at the halfway point, but it’s the next 11 races that count. We have to keep working and keep digging.
“We’ve got a great combination and we’re fine-tuning it, and I think we’re only getting better and more consistent. I don’t feel like we’ve peaked yet, but I also know the competition is getting tougher.”
“We’ve got a great combination and we’re fine-tuning it, and I think we’re only getting better and more consistent. I don’t feel like we’ve peaked yet, but I also know the competition is getting tougher and we’ve got our work cut out for us. Everything is working from top to bottom and we’re just going to try to stay focused and keep working.”
Only 16-time NHRA Funny Car champion John Force (1994) ha swept the Western Swing in Funny Car, and five-time champion Greg Anderson (2004) accomplished the feat in Pro Stock. In 2019, Anderson nearly duplicated the feat, winning the first leg at Denver and the second at Sonoma before finishing runner-up to Matt Hartford at Seattle.
Hartford, driving the Total Seal Camaro SS, won at Bandimere Speedway last weekend, beating No. 1 qualifier Aaron Stanfield in the final for his first win since May 2021 at Houston and his fifth overall.
“This Total Seal Camaro is coming around and I’m starting to drive better,” Hartford said. “This deal isn’t over yet. We’re coming.”
Stanfield, driving the Janac Brothers Camaro SS, has advanced to the final round in six of the nine races. He won at Sonoma in 2021, defeating rookie Dallas Glenn in the final. Stanfield is second in the Pro Stock standings to Elite Motorsports teammate Erica Enders.
Anderson, who has six wins and was the No. 1 qualifier in 2021 at Sonoma Raceway, is aiming to add his 100th Pro Stock victory to his stellar career in the HendrickCars.com Camaro SS. Only Force (155) has triple-digit wins in pro categories.
Force, winner earlier this season at zMAX Dragway in the PEAK/BlueDEF Platinum Camaro SS and a semifinalist at Denver, has eight wins at Sonoma Raceway.
Brittany Force, who is 10 points out of the top spot in the Top Fuel category in the Flav-R-Pac/Monster Energy Chevrolet dragster, earned her fourth No. 1 qualifier of the season at Denver and will be looking for her first victory at Sonoma. She was the No. 1 qualifier at the track in 2021 and holds the Top Fuel speed record of 335.15 mph set in 2019.
CHEVROLET FROM THE COCKPIT
TOP FUEL
BRITTANY FORCE, JOHN FORCE RACING, FLAV-R-PAC/MONSTER ENERGY CHEVROLET DRAGSTER (three-time winner this season; second in points): “We still kept ourselves up in the points and brought home our fourth No. 1 qualifier of the season. Lucky for us we head straight to Sonoma for number two on this Western Swing.”
AUSTIN PROCK, JOHN FORCE RACING, MONTANA BRAND/ROCKY MOUNTAIN TWIST CHEVROLET DRAGSTER (runner-up at Pomona opener; semifinalist in two of past five races): “I have a good feeling about Sonoma. I’m glad my dad and Hight were able to make the day worth it, especially with NK Seeds and Frank Tiegs in attendance. We will celebrate their win for the John Force Racing team and get it done this weekend.”
FUNNY CAR
JOHN FORCE, JOHN FORCE RACING, PEAK BLUEDEF PLATINUM CHEVROLET CAMARO SS (No. 1 qualifier and Charlotte four-wide winner; eight-time winner at the racetrack): “As a team owner, as part of a team, anytime you come out of the day with someone in your camp winning, it’s a good day. Robert and that Auto Club team they’re on a roll, they’re the team to beat. But this PEAK team, we’re getting there, we’re right there. We’ve been consistent. Danny Hood and Tim Fabrisi, all these PEAK guys, they are working hard to get the job done and I just need to keep doing my job too.”
ROBERT HIGHT, JOHN FORCE RACING, AUTO CLUB OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA CHEVROLET CAMARO SS (five-time winner this season; points leader; holds both ends of track Funny Car record set in 2017): “We’ve just got to go to Sonoma and treat it like we did in Denver and make three really good qualifying runs and race smart. If we keep doing that, the round wins are going to come, but this class is tough. I think it’s a successful season when you have five wins total with the level of competition here. We’re at the halfway point, but it’s the next 11 races that count. We have to keep working and keep digging. I’d like to get to 60 (career wins) this year. Everything from top to bottom is working right now. We have to stay focused and keep working, and we can only get better.”
PRO STOCK
MASON MCGAHA, HARLOW SAMMONS RACING, HARLOW SAMMONS OF ODESSA CHEVROLET CAMARO SS (semifinalist in four of the nine races): “I would really like to get that first win. I felt like we had a pretty good race in Denver. My dad had his best qualifying effort and on race day I felt pretty strong. In that first round I hit all my shift points perfectly and was .003. I needed all of it right there for that win. I have always liked Sonoma and it would be pretty cool to get my first win at a track where my dad has won. It is a nice facility and you can run pretty fast there when conditions are right. I feel like at some point things have to go my way on race day. The odds just need to swing in my favor and we will keep going up there giving it our best.”
CHRIS MCGAHA, HARLOW SAMMONS RACING, HARLOW SAMMONS OF ODESSA CHEVROLET CAMARO SS (2015 winner at the track): “I have won eight races, but I haven’t won somewhere twice. I feel like I am due to win somewhere twice. The last few years on the fuel injection have been tough. I won Sonoma in 2015 and had the track record. I haven’t done as well at Sonoma the past few years as I thought I could. Having two cars now helps. I was looking at my notes for Sonoma and I think in previous years I just took for granted how good the track really is. I think it could be a better track than I have given it credit. I might not have been as aggressive as I needed to be. I am looking forward to getting back there and seeing if I can get that second win.”
GREG ANDERSON, KB RACING, HENDRICKCARS.COM CHEVROLET CAMARO SS (reigning Pro Stock champion; seeking to become second pro driver with 100 wins; six-time winner at Sonoma; No. 1 qualifier in 2021): “If they ever drop one or two races off the Western Swing, I hope they never drop Sonoma. It’s probably one of my favorite races. I’ve had a lot of luck there. It’s always decent weather, the cars run good there, so it’s everything that makes you smile if you race Pro Stock.”
CAMRIE CARUSO, CARUSO FAMILY RACING, TEQUILA COMISARIO CHEVROLET CAMARO SS (first season in Pro Stock; No. 1 qualifier and runner-up at Houston): “The Mile High Nationals was a race that tested our team, but I think we will be stronger because we did struggle. We are a young team and we are working to get better every race. We have had a lot of success so far this season, but I know we can be better. I am getting better as a driver and the team is getting better. There is so much to learn and process it is a challenge but one that I am up for.”
KYLE KORETSKY, KB RACING, LUCAS OIL CHEVROLET CAMARO SS (No. 1 qualifier at Phoenix; runner-up at Gainesville; third in standings; No. 2 qualifier at track in 2021): “Sonoma has a cool atmosphere and we had a fast car last year. Going into Sonoma we’ll change cars back from the high altitude of Denver and we’ll try to keep the momentum going. We’ll focus on going one round at a time and try to gain some points.”
DALLAS GLENN, KB RACING, RAD TORQUE SYSTEMS CHEVROLET CAMARO SS (winner at Gainesville; No. 1 qualifier at Epping; runner-up in 2021 race at track): “Just didn’t go our way (at Denver). Excited to head to Sonoma and to some regular elevation racing. I seem to do better in those conditions anyways.”
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