July 27, 2024 | By NHRA

Matt Smith wins NHRA Pro Stock All Star Callout at Sonoma

SONOMA, Calif. — Six-time Pro Stock Motorcycle world champion Matt Smith set a new track E.T. record on Saturday at Sonoma Raceway, defeating teammate Jianna Evaristo in the final round of the GETTRX Pro Stock Motorcycle All-Star Callout as part of this weekend’s 36th annual Denso NHRA Sonoma Nationals.

Doug Kalitta (Top Fuel), Bob Tasca III (Funny Car), Greg Anderson (Pro Stock) and Smith all qualified No. 1 at the 12th of 20 races during the 2024 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series season.

In the final round of the specialty race, Smith went 6.655-seconds at 204.23 mph on his Denso Auto Parts Buell, defeating Evaristo’s 6.703 at 203.77 to win his first Callout race. Smith topped the track record he set earlier in the day – when he beat top seed Gaige Herrera in the opening round with a 6.662 – and also qualified No. 1 for the fourth time this season as he looks for his first event win of the season.

“I’m really thrilled. This is my first win in the GETTRX Callout but my third win in a specialty race,” Smith said. “We’ve had a tough year. We haven’t won a race, but we’ve been good on Saturdays. Now, we’ve got to be good on Sunday. This is a big payday, and it means a lot so I have to say thanks to Steve Bryson and GETTRX for putting this deal on.

“(Jianna) is going to be an excellent rider and I’m proud of what she’s doing. Before the final, I didn’t cut her any slack. We’ve both struggled to cut a light here, but I still told her I was going to spank her.”

Evaristo qualified second in PSM with a career-best 6.674 at 204.54 – also making the second-fastest pass in class history – and Herrera is third after going 6.688 at 202.55, which took place in the opening round of the Callout.

Top Fuel points leader Doug Kalitta fell in the final round of the Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge to teammate Shawn Langdon, but he kept his No. 1 spot on the strength of Friday’s track-record 3.649 at 336.40 in his 11,000-horsepower Mac Tools/Toyota dragster. It handed the points leader his No. 1 qualifier of the season and the 58th in his career, as he looks to win in Sonoma for a sixth time in his career.

“On that last run in Q4, we pushed a bit harder and it didn’t hold so Shawn ended up with the [Mission Challenge] win,” Kalitta said. “Even though I ran a 3.64 there were other cars that were close and tomorrow I don’t think it will be much hotter, so I expect a real battle.

“I’m actually a bit relieved because we now know how hard we can push and that should be a bit tomorrow. You might get one lucky round, but you need to be on your game. Shawn pushes me and he keeps me on my game especially now that both of our cars are as close as possible. He’s one of the best out there and he’s one up on me right now.”

Clay Millican jumped to second with a 3.664 at a track-record 338.26 and Brittany Force qualified third after going 3.668 at 335.57.

In Funny Car, Matt Hagan came close to bumping him out, but Bob Tasca III hung on to the No. 1 position in the loaded category, as Friday’s run of 3.839 at 338.43 in his 11,000-horsepower Motorcraft/Quick Lane Ford Mustang held up. It gave the veteran his second No. 1 qualifier of the season and the 18th in his career, putting Tasca in a strong position to try and pick up another Sonoma victory.

He'll open eliminations against Buddy Hull, keeping the top position after reigning world champ Matt Hagan went an identical 3.839 at a slower 330.49 to take the second spot. Ron Capps qualified third with a 3.864 at 332.43. Tasca did close qualifying with a stout 3.868 at a whopping 337.66, adding to his momentum for Sunday.

“We tried to run 340 mph this morning and it nearly put me into the wall so on the last run we slowed it way down to make a full pull,” Tasca said. “I say this all the time but you could take a fan in the stands, put them in one of these cars and tell them to keep it straight and on most runs they could do it. That was Q4 where the car did exactly what it was supposed to do.

“We’ve had some vibrant conversations in our trailer and a lot of discussions about going 340 mph. We have parts that are faster, but we had to be smart. This car is set up to win a championship and when it warms up, like today, we need to be smart.”

Pro Stock’s Greg Anderson made the most of Saturday morning’s conditions, shattering the track E.T. record and taking the No. 1 spot for the fifth time this season with a spectacular run of 6.491 at 211.20 in his HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro. It was nearly a picture-perfect run for the five-time world champion and Pro Stock’s winningest driver, earning his 128th career No. 1 qualifier in the process. Anderson has a Pro Stock-best six wins in Sonoma and will open raceday against Derrick Reese.

“I love coming here because it’s so fast but we have to rely on Mother Nature to do it for us,” Anderson said. “I love it when she shines on us like today and you can throw everything at it. I didn’t have a great day yesterday but today we had a turn of fortune. We made two great runs today.

“We have a good book on this place and when you come here, you don’t have to de-tune it. That’s a tribute to the guys in our engine shop. I love it here, from the track to the people – everyone is happy.”

Points leader Dallas Glenn took second with a 6.497 at 211.00 and Eric Latino is third with a 6.501 at 210.60.

Eliminations for the Denso NHRA Sonoma Nationals begin at 10:30 a.m. PT on Sunday at Sonoma Raceway.


SUNDAY ELIMINATION PAIRINGS

SONOMA, Calif. -- Sunday's first-round pairings for eliminations for the 36th annual Denso NHRA Sonoma Nationals at Sonoma Raceway, the 12th of 20 events in the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series. Pairings based on results in qualifying, which ended Saturday. DNQs listed below pairings.


Top Fuel -- 1. Doug Kalitta, 3.649 seconds, 336.40 mph vs. 14. Ron August, 4.657, 165.29; 2. Clay Millican, 3.664, 338.26 vs. 13. Steve Torrence, 4.076, 218.05; 3. Brittany Force, 3.668, 335.57 vs. 12. Josh Hart, 3.755, 324.36; 4. Shawn Langdon, 3.677, 336.65 vs. 11. Tony Stewart, 3.748, 332.02; 5. Justin Ashley, 3.683, 333.91 vs. 10. Tony Schumacher, 3.733, 323.97; 6. Billy Torrence, 3.684, 332.92 vs. 9. Jasmine Salinas, 3.725, 329.10; 7. Antron Brown, 3.685, 336.40 vs. 8. Shawn Reed, 3.685, 330.39.


Funny Car -- 1. Bob Tasca III, Ford Mustang, 3.839, 338.43 vs. 16. Buddy Hull, Dodge Charger, 4.081, 319.60; 2. Matt Hagan, Charger, 3.839, 330.39 vs. 15. Jeff Diehl, Toyota Camry, 4.057, 289.94; 3. Ron Capps, Toyota GR Supra, 3.864, 332.43 vs. 14. Cruz Pedregon, Charger, 4.040, 314.24; 4. Austin Prock, Chevy Camaro, 3.872, 335.07 vs. 13. Steven Densham, Mustang, 4.013, 313.73; 5. Daniel Wilkerson, Mustang, 3.887, 334.82 vs. 12. Dave Richards, Camry, 4.012, 307.09; 6. J.R. Todd, GR Supra, 3.904, 327.66 vs. 11. Jason Rupert, Mustang, 3.984, 321.42; 7. Chad Green, Mustang, 3.908, 328.22 vs. 10. Blake Alexander, Mustang, 3.936, 320.89; 8. Alexis DeJoria, GR Supra, 3.919, 331.28 vs. 9. Paul Lee, Charger, 3.921, 323.19.

Did Not Qualify: 17. Chris Morel, 4.099, 270.81; 18. Alex Miladinovich, 4.409, 231.40.


Pro Stock -- 1. Greg Anderson, Chevy Camaro, 6.491, 211.20 vs. 16. Derrick Reese, Ford Mustang, 6.587, 208.97; 2. Dallas Glenn, Camaro, 6.497, 211.00 vs. 15. Kenny Delco, Camaro, 6.584, 209.14; 3. Eric Latino, Camaro, 6.501, 210.60 vs. 14. Sienna Wildgust, Camaro, 6.567, 210.54; 4. Aaron Stanfield, Camaro, 6.505, 210.34 vs. 13. Mason McGaha, Camaro, 6.566, 209.43; 5. Erica Enders, Camaro, 6.508, 211.49 vs. 12. Chris McGaha, Camaro, 6.539, 210.97; 6. Cory Reed, Camaro, 6.515, 210.90 vs. 11. Deric Kramer, Camaro, 6.523, 209.88; 7. Matt Hartford, Camaro, 6.515, 210.28 vs. 10. Jerry Tucker, Camaro, 6.520, 211.20; 8. Jeg Coughlin, Camaro, 6.516, 211.26 vs. 9. Troy Coughlin Jr., Camaro, 6.518, 211.63.

Did Not Qualify: 17. Joey Grose, 6.605, 208.07.


Pro Stock Motorcycle -- 1. Matt Smith, Buell, 6.655, 204.23 vs. 12. Eiji Kawakami, Suzuki, 7.055, 189.44; 2. Jianna Evaristo, Buell, 6.674, 204.54 vs. 11. Clayton Howey, Suzuki, 6.996, 191.51; 3. Gaige Herrera, Suzuki, 6.688, 202.55 vs. 10. Steve Johnson, Suzuki, 6.847, 197.80; 4. Angie Smith, Buell, 6.722, 202.42 vs. 9. John Hall, Beull, 6.806, 198.73; 5. Hector Arana Jr, EBR, 6.724, 201.31 vs. 8. Chris Bostick, Suzuki, 6.777, 197.19; 6. Chase Van Sant, Suzuki, 6.730, 201.34 vs. 7. Richard Gadson, Suzuki, 6.761, 199.82.


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PROCK, LANGDON & T. COUGHLIN JR. WIN MISSION #2FAST2TASTY CHALLENGE AT SONOMA RACEWAY


SONOMA, Calif. – Funny Car points leader Austin Prock won for the fifth straight time in the Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge on Saturday at Sonoma Raceway, defeating Blake Alexander in the final of the bonus race at this weekend’s 36th annual Denso NHRA Sonoma Nationals.

Shawn Langdon (Top Fuel) and Troy Coughlin Jr. (Pro Stock) also won the Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge at the 12th of 20 races during the 2024 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series season.

After failing to make it down the track during Friday’s two qualifying sessions, Prock and his John Force Racing team turned it around on Saturday, capped off by a run of 3.897-seconds at 332.10 mph in his 11,000-horsepower Cornwell Tools Chevrolet Camaro SS in the final round of the bonus race against Alexander. It’s the fifth straight bonus race win for Prock, the Funny Car points leader, and the sixth overall this season, giving him an extra 20 points in the Countdown to the Championship playoffs.

“We definitely struggled yesterday but we turned it around today,” said Prock, who went 3.872 at 335.07 earlier in the day. “Six wins, that’s 20 points which is a whole round, and as we’ve seen, every point matters.

“We backed off on Q3 but that was a nice run (in the finals). That’s the run we wanted. I know I’m happy and I hope [my crew] is also happy. To win these bonus races is a big confidence booster. It’s more money for our crew and more points for the team. Both are important.”

In a wild Top Fuel final round in the bonus race, Shawn Langdon defeated his Kalitta Motorsports teammate, reigning world champion Doug Kalitta, to win his first Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge of the 2024 campaign. Langdon went 4.660 at 160.94 in his 11,000-horsepower Kalitta Air Careers/Toyota dragster, defeating Kalitta’s 7.028 at 113.52 as both cars ran into trouble. Kalitta suffered tire smoke almost immediately and Langdon coasted to the win.

It wasn’t the way he envisioned it, but Langdon will gladly take the bonus purse and championship points, hoping to turn it into a double-up weekend at one of his favorite tracks.

“This is the first win this season for me in this bonus race and it’s nice to get it out of the way and to race Doug in the final is even more special,” Langdon said. “We’ve got two Kalitta dragsters that are competitive and in the final we made a good run. In Seattle last week, we didn’t qualify where we wanted to, so it was nice to come here and make some nice runs to get some confidence for Sunday. Every little point matters and it’s nice for our crew to win these deals. It’s a nice reward for all they do.”

Troy Coughlin Jr. enjoyed his first Mission #2Fast2Tasty win of the year, defeating his uncle, Jeg Coughlin Jr., on a holeshot with a run of 6.529 at 211.63 in his JEGS.com/White Castle car. It’s the first bonus race win of the year for the younger Coughlin and the difference was his .024 reaction time, which proved to be enough to beat Jeg’s run of 6.522 at 211.26. It was enjoyable moment for Troy to race – and then beat – the five-time world champ, who also won last weekend in Seattle.

“This was tons of fun. It’s fantastic facing uncle Jeg especially at this majestic facility in front of these awesome fans,” Coughlin said. “Our team has worked their tails off to make these cars competitive. We’ve struggled a bit on race day but it’s coming together.

“I didn’t think that [.024 reaction time] would be enough but it was, this time. I’ve thought about racing with [Jeg] for about 28 years. It doesn’t matter if it’s a local race or a big bracket race or NHRA Pro Stock. It is great to race against him. To do this is a dream fulfilled.”

Eliminations for the Denso NHRA Sonoma Nationals begin at 10:30 a.m. PT on Sunday at Sonoma Raceway.


MISSION FOODS #2Fast#2Tasty CHALLENGE ROUND-BY-ROUND RESULTS

SONOMA, Calif. -- Final Mission #2Fast2Tasty NHRA Challenge round-by-round results from the 36th annual Denso NHRA Sonoma Nationals at Sonoma Raceway.


TOP FUEL CHALLENGE:

ROUND ONE -- Shawn Langdon, 3.677, 336.65 def. Clay Millican, 3.664, 338.26; Doug Kalitta, 3.679, 334.32 def. Steve Torrence, 4.080, 216.20;

FINAL -- S. Langdon, 4.660, 160.94 def. D. Kalitta, 7.028, 113.52.



FUNNY CAR CHALLENGE:

ROUND ONE -- Blake Alexander, Ford Mustang, 4.174, 231.08 def. Paul Lee, Dodge Charger, 10.853, 69.92; Austin Prock, Chevy Camaro, 3.872, 335.07 def. J.R. Todd, Toyota GR Supra, 4.671, 174.44;

FINAL -- A. Prock, 3.897, 332.10 def. B. Alexander, 3.936, 292.20. A. Prock, 3.897, 332.10



PRO STOCK CHALLENGE:

ROUND ONE -- Troy Coughlin Jr., Chevy Camaro, 6.518, 210.54 def. Dallas Glenn, Camaro, 6.497, 211.00; Jeg Coughlin, Camaro, 6.516, 210.41 def. Chris McGaha, Camaro, 6.539, 210.97;

FINAL -- T. Coughlin Jr., 6.529, 211.63 def. J. Coughlin, 6.522, 211.26.