SONOMA, Calif. — Reigning Top Fuel world champ Doug Kalitta made the quickest run of the 2024 NHRA season on Friday at Sonoma Raceway, setting the track record and taking the provisional No. 1 spot at the 36th annual Denso NHRA Sonoma Nationals.
Bob Tasca III (Funny Car), Matt Hartford (Pro Stock) and Chase Van Sant (Pro Stock Motorcycle) are also the provisional No. 1 qualifiers at the 12th of 20 races during the 2024 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series season.
Kalitta, who has a Top Fuel-best five career wins at Sonoma, powered to a run of 3.649-seconds at 336.40 mph in his 11,000-horsepower Mac Tools/Toyota dragster, obliterating the track record and putting the points leader in line for his fifth No. 1 qualifier of the season and the 58th in his career. It was a spectacular run under the lights and Kalitta was thrilled to start the weekend in that fashion.
“That was really cool. I got my first win here in Sonoma and I have a lot of cool history here,” Kalitta said. “(Crew chief) Alan Johnson puts a lot of thought into his tune-up and he had a plan. He’s one bad dude.
“I could tell it was on a run and honestly, I was happy to be the first car out. I knew it would get cooler as the night went on and you never know what conditions might do. I thought it might have rattled a bit but not much. The car was hooked up and I managed to keep it in the middle, as straight as possible. This is one of the nicest tracks on the tour, and I love the layout with the road course. I’d love to get another win this weekend.”
Brittany Force went 3.668 at 335.57 to go to the second spot, while Billy Torrence is third after going 3.684 at 332.92.
Funny Car’s Bob Tasca III just missed out on history on Friday, rocketing to the top with an outstanding run of 3.839 at 338.43 in his 11,000-horsepower Motorcraft/Quick Lane Ford Mustang. The goal was a 340-mph run and Tasca just missed out, still delivering a spectacular blast under the lights.
The run could give the standout his second No. 1 of the season and the 18th in his career, putting him on track for what could be another great weekend in Sonoma. He won the race in 2022 and will look to replicate that this year, but Tasca had another goal in mind for Friday.
“I’ve never been so disappointed to run a 3.83 at 338-mph. I really wanted to go 340 for these fans,” Tasca said. “We would have done it if not for that 15-knot headwind. We were a little concerned about the track, so we also cranked a little more spoiler in it. I’d trade the low qualifier for a 340 run in a second.
“We ran 338 in Charlotte, and we ran 338 in Seattle and did it again here. I can tell you there won’t be a time when conditions are there that we don’t try and do it. Believe it or not, we run a little different set-up to try and run those speeds. If we tuned the car a little different, it might be a little bit quicker. As for tomorrow, we’ll see what the conditions are like. It all depends on which way the wind is blowing.”
Ron Capps is currently second thanks to his run of 3.864 at 332.43, while defending world champion Matt Hagan is third after going 3.869 at 328.22.
In Pro Stock, the early-season slump for Matt Hartford appears to be over, putting down an impressive 6.515 at 210.41 in his GETTRX/Total Seal Chevrolet Camaro to go to the No. 1 position on Friday. It puts Hartford on track for his first No. 1 qualifier of the season and fifth in his career and the veteran hopes it’s a sign that the frustrations from earlier this year are a distant memory. Hartford, who is currently 11th in points, has qualified fourth three of the past four races and Friday’s run is another positive step forward. The next step is turning it around on raceday after Hartford has suffered through five straight first-round losses.
“Things are starting to come around although this feels like the first race of the season for us,” Hartford said. “It’s no secret that this hasn’t been a good year for our team but I’m a big believer that it’s not where your start it’s where you finish.
“The last three or four races it’s started to come together, and we’ve had a fast race car and I’m getting my confidence back. In Seattle, I thought we had a chance to go to the pole and we missed it. Here, we said we could run a 6.51 and we did. I think Chicago was the turning point for us. We brought two cars and let John DeFlorian drive the other one. We were able to compare notes from both cars and we’ve been improving ever since.”
Defending world champion Erica Enders is currently second with a run of 6.520 at 209.46 and Seattle winner Jeg Coughlin Jr. is third after a 6.524 at 209.82.
Still riding high after his first career Pro Stock Motorcycle victory on Sunday in Seattle, Chase Van Sant kept rolling on Friday in Sonoma, taking the provisional No. 1 spot with a run of 6.768 at 197.10 on his Trick Tools Suzuki. Should that hold, Van Sant, the 2023 NHRA Rookie of the Year, would pick up his first career No. 1 qualifying spot, which would continue his recent momentum. He made a pair of solid runs on Friday, which could bode well for Saturday’s GETTRX Pro Stock Motorcycle All-Star Callout.
The bonus race takes place on Saturday after riders made their first-round selections on Friday. Herrera, the top seed, picked Matt Smith, who was seeded second, while Hector Arana Jr. took Steve Johnson as his first-round opponent. Jianna Evaristo will face off with John Hall, with the other first-round matchup featuring Van Sant and Angie Smith.
“It’s been a whirlwind week to say the least and it’s cool to knock it out and get the provisional No. 1 here today,” Van Sant said. “I know the Vance & Hines team has issues today, so I expect a battle but it’s good to be here. I had my best 60-foot time ever on that run. It’s just reassuring to know we can get the job done and it reaffirms my faith in Tim [Kulungian, crew chief], not that I ever doubted him.
“I’ve got to run Angie [Smith] tomorrow in the GETTRX All-star Callout and we’ve gone back and forth a few times this season. They’ll be fast too. The wind was a bit tricky, which explains why our mph was down a bit. For me, I really didn’t notice it too much, but the bike just feels a bit more mundane. The win is so unpredictable here in Sonoma because it gusts but it’s usually either a head wind or a tail wind.”
M. Smith is currently second with a 6.770 at 198.73 and A. Smith is right behind after going 6.784 at 199.26.
