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California’s Napa Valley wine country will be the site of this week’s NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series event as the Denso NHRA Sonoma Nationals takes center stage at Sonoma Raceway. The event is the final event in the annual Western Swing that includes stops in Denver and Seattle.

The biggest question facing NHRA drivers heading into Sonoma is can Pro Stock Motorcycle racer Gaige Herrera sweep all three legs of the Western Swing. Herrera has won the first two stops in Denver and Seattle and done so with relative ease. Now, he can join and exclusive club with a sweep of the third leg. This is the first time that the Pro Stock Motorcycle class has raced in all three events.

Herrera is the odds-on favorite to win in Sonoma although he figures to get some stiff competition from his own Vance & Hines teammate, Eddie Krawiec as well as Matt Smith, who set the current speed record in Sonoma two years ago with a memorable 205 mph blast.

Herrera isn’t just the favorite to win in Pro Stock Motorcycle, he’ll also have a chance to double up at the NHRA Allstar Callout event held on Saturday. Herrera is the top seed in an eight-bike field that also includes Krawiec, Matt Smith, Angie Smith, Steve Johnson, Chase Van Sant, Hector Arana Jr., and Marc Ingwersen.

In Top Fuel, Clay Millican won in Denver while Steve Torrence turned on the win light in the final round of Seattle. Needless to say, both are considered contenders for the Sonoma title as two of three wins on the Western Swing is still a notable feat.

The same could be said for Brittany Force, the current Sonoma Raceway track record holder and Justin Ashley, who lost his lead in the standings to Torrence and would love nothing more than to get it back. Of the drivers entered this weekend, Force, Torrence, Antron Brown, Shawn Langdon, Tony Schumacher, and Doug Kalitta have previously visited the Sonoma Raceway winner’s circle.

While the Western Swing hasn’t been quite what he’d expected, Bob Tasca III enters as the defending Sonoma Nationals champion and he should be among the contenders this weekend with his Motorcraft QuickLane Ford. Another Ford driver, Tim Wilkerson, is coming in hot following a popular win in Seattle last week with his SCAG Mowers entry. Wilkerson also has a history at Sonoma Raceway with wins in 2004 and 2009 as well as a pair of runner-up finishes in 2011 and 2017.

In addition to Tasca and Wilkerson, Robert Hight, John Force, and Ron Capps have enjoyed considerable success. That’s especially true for John Force, who has eight wins here, the most recent in 2016. Hight and Capps are also four-time winners. Ironically, one contending driver who has yet to win in Sonoma is Matt Hagan, who has been to three final rounds, the most recent in 2021.  

The Mission Foods #2Fast2Tasty Challenge will also continue in Sonoma with Torrence, Millican, Shawn Langdon and Doug Kalitta racing in Top Fuel while Wilkerson, Alexander, J.R. Todd, and Chad Green will race in Funny Car.

2022 EVENT WINNERS
Brittany Force (Top Fuel), Bob Tasca III (Funny Car), Joey Gladstone (Pro Stock Motorcycle)

TRACK RECORDS

Top Fuel - 3.662 seconds by Brittany Force, July ‘22; 337.75 mph by Brittany Force, July ‘22.

Funny Car – 3.807 seconds by Robert Hight, July ’17; 339.87 mph by Hight, July ‘17.

Pro Stock Motorcycle – 6.696 seconds by Angelle Sampey, July ’22; 205.04 by Matt Smith, July ‘21

SCHEDULE

FRIDAY, July 28
NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series qualifying at 4:30 p.m. and 7 p.m.

SATURDAY, July 29
Pro Stock Motorcycle Callout at 12:30 p.m.
Camping World Series qualifying at 12:40 and 3:30 p.m.

SUNDAY, July 30
Pre-race ceremony, 9:30- a.m.
Camping World Series eliminations begin at 10:30 a.m.

TELEVISION

Saturday, July 29, FS1 will televise one-and-a-half hours of qualifying coverage at noon. (ET).
Sunday, July 30, FS1 will televise one-and-a-half hours of qualifying coverage at 2:30 p.m. (ET).
Sunday, July 30, FOX will televise three hours of live finals coverage at 4 p.m. (ET).