Prime Gas’s Antron Brown defeated first-time finalist Tony Stewart within the last spherical of the thirty sixth annual Denso NHRA Sonoma Nationals, selecting up his third win of the 2024 season on Sunday at Sonoma Raceway.
Bob Tasca III (Humorous Automotive), Aaron Stanfield (Professional Inventory) and Matt Smith (Professional Inventory Motorbike) additionally gained the twelfth of 20 races throughout the 2024 NHRA Mission Meals Drag Racing Collection season.
Stewart left first with a slight benefit on the beginning line, however Brown rapidly tracked him down, going 3.746s at 329.67mph in his Matco Instruments/Toyota dragster to earn his 77th profession victory. Brown defeated Shawn Reed, Steve Torrence and Brittany Drive to achieve the ultimate spherical, leaning on consistency time after time this weekend in Sonoma.
It paid off in a significant means, as Brown, who certified seventh, powered to his fifth Prime Gas victory at Sonoma, which ties him with Doug Kalitta for probably the most at school historical past on the facility.
“Sonoma has a particular which means to me. It’s like a chunk of heaven out right here and simply being right here places me within the zone,” Brown stated. “Me and Tony know one another nicely. Once I began as a staff proprietor he was placing collectively TSR, we talked rather a lot about budgets and unfold sheets and all that.
“He was additionally a hero of mine when he ran NASCAR and IndyCar. I understand how good of a driver he’s. He understands the science in order quickly as he confirmed up I knew what he may do. I did inform him to come back on over however there are plenty of sharks within the water right here. His time is coming and it gained’t be one win. Will probably be plenty of them, however this can be a good win for us. My staff stays poised they usually have been unbelievable all weekend. I’m super-pumped for all of them. We went down the monitor each single lap and that was an superior, superior job to get a win like this.”
Stewart’s first last in Prime Gas got here after defeating Shawn Langdon, Justin Ashley and Ron August Jr., who upset factors chief, No. 1 qualifier and reigning world champion Doug Kalitta within the first spherical.
In Humorous Automotive, no one may monitor down Bob Tasca III all weekend and that continued within the last spherical, racing to his second Sonoma win in three years by taking down Ron Capps within the last spherical with a 4.088s at 277.15mph in his Motorcraft/Fast Lane Ford Mustang. It’s additionally the third win of the 12 months for Tasca, who remained second factors, and he did it in unbelievable style.
Tasca certified No. 1 with a 338mph run, added a weekend-best run of 338.77mph within the opening spherical towards Buddy Hull after which drove previous Paul Lee and factors chief Austin Prock to achieve the ultimate spherical. The semifinals towards Prock was a thriller, as Tasca gained on a holeshot with an 0.022s response time, sending him to the ultimate spherical the place he held on to the win towards Capps. It was one other rewarding second for Tasca, who now has 18 profession wins as he will get into championship kind.
“It’s so onerous to win these items and that’s a testomony to my crew, to Todd Okuhara and Aaron Brooks,” Tasca stated. “They pulled it again and nonetheless ran 337mph. I used to be a bit stunned within the last. It was pulling nice after which it knocked the tires off. You don’t have any thought how that feels. I appeared out the aspect window as a result of I anticipated him to come back by me. Luckily, I bought it to get better.
“I assumed if we may get the automotive to run prefer it ran in This fall we may beat him and I stated that to Todd. I stated, ‘Let’s run as fast as we are able to and if he beats us, I’ll be the primary to congratulate him.’”
Capps superior to the finals for the second time in three races and the 149th time in his profession by getting spherical wins towards Cruz Pedregon, defending occasion winner J.R. Todd and reigning world champion Matt Hagan.
Aaron Stanfield stayed red-hot within the Professional Inventory ranks, which meant Elite Motorsports did as nicely, as Stanfield gained for the third time in 4 races whereas taking down first-time Professional Inventory finalist Cory Reed within the championship spherical with a formidable run of 6.540s at 209.98mph in his Johnson’s Horsepowered Storage/Melling Efficiency/Janac Brothers automotive. It’s additionally the eleventh profession win for Stanfield, whose efforts over the previous two months have helped propel Elite Motorsports to 6 straight victories.
Stanfield has three of them in that span, grabbing his second profession win at Sonoma Raceway after defeating Mason McGaha, defending world champion Erica Enders and No. 1 qualifier Greg Anderson. He delivered one other robust response time within the last spherical towards Reed, rolling to the victory as Stanfield continues to make huge strides this season.
“It is a nice win, however I wish to shout out to Cory Reed for going to the ultimate in his second race,” Stanfield stated. “This week we misplaced a great buddy, Tim “the Iceman” Kelly, to most cancers and I needed to get it finished for him. I do know Cory is contemporary to the category so I’d have been stunned if he performed any video games, so I simply did my regular routine. I feel I’m driving higher this 12 months and I’d like to proceed that.
“We didn’t have an important ladder since all of the hitters appeared to be on one aspect. I needed to race Erica and we’re teammates, however we nonetheless wish to beat one another. Then there was Greg and also you’ve bought to be in your sport anytime you race him.”
In simply his second profession Professional Inventory begin, Reed, who beforehand raced in Professional Inventory Motorbike, superior to the ultimate spherical by taking down Deric Kramer, Eric Latino and Jerry Tucker. Dallas Glenn stays the factors chief within the class.
Professional Inventory Motorbike’s Matt Smith, a six-time world champion, completed off among the best weekends in his profession on Sunday, getting his first win of the season by taking down teammate John Corridor within the last spherical with a run of 6.700s at 203.77mph on his Denso Auto Elements Buell. It was a picture-perfect three days for Smith, who certified No. 1, set the monitor document with a stellar 6.655s, gained the GETTRX Professional Inventory Motorbike All-Star Callout on Saturday after which snapped a winless streak that stretched again to the Countdown to the Championship opener final September in Studying, Pa.
That drought is over in emphatic style, as Smith, now a two-time Sonoma winner, took down Eiji Kawakami and Seattle winner Chase Van Sant to achieve the ultimate spherical towards Corridor. His teammate left the beginning line first, however Smith, who additionally picked up his thirty ninth profession win, rapidly chased him down, selecting up a significant win and placing him proper again on monitor in the case of racing for what could be a class-record seventh world championship.
“That is very huge,” Smith stated. “It is a Denso occasion which is our sponsor, and we gained all the pieces there may be to win. We put rather a lot into getting our bikes prepared for this weekend. We’re gaining floor on the remainder of the sector and that takes a staff effort.
“It’s all within the 60-foot space. Our class is so depending on that. The Suzuki’s stepped up their sport and we have to observe them. I discovered to go away low and take energy out to get the bike to go away the beginning line. I’m 51 and I’m getting older however I can nonetheless do that. To me, the magic quantity is seven. If I get that seventh title this 12 months I promise I’ll get off the bike and put some younger child on it who can do the job.”
Corridor reached his second last spherical this 12 months and the fourth in his profession by defeating Angie Smith, defending world champion and factors chief Gaige Herrera and Hector Arana Jr.
The NHRA Mission Meals Drag Racing Collection returns to motion Aug. 15-18 with the forty second annual Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals at Brainerd Worldwide Raceway in Brainerd, Minn.
