Team Summit drivers J.R. Todd (Top Fuel, shown left) and Greg Anderson (Pro Stock, shown right) celebrate wins following the NHRA Sonoma Nationals.
Team Summit’s Greg Anderson won his seventh race of the season Sunday at the Toyota NHRA Sonoma Nationals in Sonoma, CA. The win is the 85th of Anderson’s spectacular Pro Stock career which ties him with Bob Glidden for #2 all time on the NHRA Pro Stock wins list and #6 all time for all racing classes.
Joining Anderson in the winner’s circle was John Force in Funny Car, J.R. Todd in Top Fuel, and LE Tonglet in Pro Stock Motorcycle.
Anderson continued his dominating season in his Summit Racing Equipment Pro Stock Chevy Camaro when he beat KB Racing teammate Bo Butner to the finish line in Sunday’s final round. Anderson clocked a 6.580-second, 210.54-miles-per-hour pass to Butner’s trailing run of 6.622 at 210.70.
Warren Johnson is the winningest Pro Stock racer in history with 97 victories, 12 ahead of Anderson and the retired Glidden.
The win bumped Anderson ahead of his teammate and engine tuner Jason Line in the Pro Stock point standings.
“This track has been magical to KB Racing. Not just to me—but Jason Line too,” Anderson said. “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 Line as the first three racers in Pro Stock to lock up a spot in the NHRA Mello Yello Countdown to the Championship.
Force Reminds World He’s Still Here
Force continued his mid-season surge and raced to his second-consecutive Funny Car win this season in front of a sold-out crowd at the Sonoma Nationals. It was the 145th victory of his career. Force is the NHRA’s all-time wins leader.
Force, Todd, Tonglet and Anderson celebrate victory at the NHRA Sonoma Nationals. (Image/NBC Sports)
Force claimed his newest Wally by outrunning Ron Capps’ Dodge Charger R/T in a tightly contested race. Force powered his Chevy Camaro to a winning pass of 3.948 at 324.59 to Capps’ losing run of 3.960 at 320.13.
“We won Denver and that got me motivated,” Force said. “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 of the season, along with his category-leading four wins, retained his points lead in Funny Car. Capps and Courtney Force—who is second in the points—became the first two Funny Car drivers to guarantee spots in the NHRA Mello Yello Countdown to the Championship playoffs.
Alexis DeJoria fractured her pelvis after a violent impact with the retaining wall in her first round race against John Force. According to her race team, DeJoria was released from the hospital Sunday and is in good spirits. She will start physical therapy as soon as she’s able to in her effort to get back into her race car as soon as possible.
Todd Wins First Wally of 2016
Todd piloted his 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 Crampton’s 3.806 at 313.07 earned Todd his ninth career Top Fuel victory.
This was Todd’s first win since he defeated Shawn Langdon in Seattle last season.
“It has been a long time coming for these SealMaster boys,” he said. “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 #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.
Tonglet Wins First Race Since 2011
Pro Stock Motorcycle racer Tonglet won his first race since the Brainerd event in 2011, defeating Andrew Hines in the final. Tonglet, who was the 2010 Pro Stock Motorcycle world champion, recorded a winning run of 6.813 at 196.73 against Hines’ 6.864 at 194.52. Tonglet beat 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,” Tonglet said. “We just come out here to have fun and it wasn’t getting fun. We had to change some things up, and started getting round wins and it is just great.”
The NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing season continues August 5-7 with the Protect the Harvest NHRA Northwest Nationals in Seattle.
Sunday’s race was the 15th of 24 scheduled for the 2016 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series.
NHRA Pro Stock Point Standings
1. Greg Anderson 1,587 2. Jason Line 1,583 3. Bo Butner 1,065 4. Allen Johnson 939 5. Vincent Nobile 811
NHRA Funny Car Point Standings
1. Ron Capps 1,214 2. Courtney Force 1,084 3. Jack Beckman 1,031 4. Del Worsham 960 5. John Force 937
NHRA Top Fuel Point Standings
1. Antron Brown 1,204 2. Doug Kalitta 1,167 3. Steve Torrence 1,072 4. Brittany Force 1,008 5. Tony Schumacher 971
NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle Point Standings
1. Eddie Krawiec 824 2. Andrew Hines 735 3. Angelle Sampey 595 4. Jerry Savoie 556 5. LE Tonglet 484
The NHRA and Drag Race Central contributed to this report.
Comments