Sonoma Advance for the DENSO NHRA Sonoma Nationals

Leah Pruett & Matt Hagan

Top Fuel | Funny Car
DENSO NHRA Sonoma Nationals
July 28-30 | Sonoma, California

Event Overview

Friday, July 28 (Nitro Qualifying, streamed live on NHRA.TV)
• Nitro qualifying session (Q1): 5 p.m. PDT/8 p.m. EDT
• Nitro qualifying session (Q2): 8:10 p.m. PDT/11:10 p.m. EDT

Saturday, July 29 (Nitro Qualifying, streamed live on NHRA.TV)
• Top Fuel qualifying session (Q3): 1 p.m. PDT/4 p.m. EDT
• Funny Car qualifying session (Q3): 1:30 p.m. PDT/4:30 p.m. EDT
• Top Fuel qualifying session (Q4): 4 p.m. PDT/7 p.m. EDT
• Funny Car qualifying session (Q4): 4:30 p.m. PDT/7:30 p.m. EDT

Sunday, July 30 (Nitro Eliminations, streamed live on NHRA.TV)
• Round 1: 10:30 a.m. PDT/1:30 p.m. EDT
• Round 2: 12:30 p.m. PDT/3:30 p.m. EDT
• Semi-Finals: 2 p.m. PDT/5 p.m. EDT
• Finals: 3:20 p.m. PDT/6:20 p.m. EDT

TV coverage
• Saturday, July 29: Qualifying show recapping Friday’s action (9 a.m. PDT/12 p.m. EDT on FS1)
• Sunday, July 30: Qualifying show recapping Saturday’s action (11:30 a.m. PDT/2:30 p.m. EDT on FS1)
• Sunday, July 30: Finals show (1 p.m. PDT/4 p.m. EDT on FOX)

Notes of Interest

• The DENSO NHRA Sonoma Nationals at Sonoma (Calif.) Raceway marks the culmination of the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series’ three-week long Western Swing. The two previous events of the Western Swing were the Dodge Power Brokers NHRA Mile-High Nationals July 14-16 at Bandimere Speedway in Morrison, Colorado, and the Flav-R-Pac NHRA Northwest Nationals July 21-23 at Pacific Raceways in Kent, Washington. The DENSO NHRA Sonoma Nationals is the 12th event on the NHRA’s 21-race calendar.

• Tony Stewart Racing (TSR) will be represented in Top Fuel by 11-time event winner Leah Pruett and in Funny Car by 47-time Funny Car winner and three-time champion Matt Hagan. Pruett and Hagan enter Sonoma representing Rayce Rudeen Foundation and Johnson’s Horsepowered Garage, respectively.

• The Rayce Rudeen Foundation is a non-profit organization that works with organizations and programs to encourage a healthy and productive life that is free of addiction. The designated 501(c)(3) is named in honor of Rayce Rudeen, who at age 26 passed away from an accidental Fentanyl overdose. Since its inception, the Rayce Rudeen Foundation has advocated for creating a supportive community in which everyone can access prevention, treatment, recovery and family-support services, all free from stigma. By collaborating with local universities, researchers, organizations, businesses and community coalitions, the Rayce Rudeen Foundation is leading communities toward a united and compassionate response to addiction by identifying gaps in care and building educational tools.

• Johnson’s Horsepowered Garage (JHG) was formed in 2021 and brings a passion and flare to the automotive world. They aim to inspire, drive and celebrate progress. JHG spans across Jason Johnson’s car collection featuring more than 200 sought after vehicles from classics, to hot rods and supercars. Johnson’s Horsepowered Garage’s mission is to preserve and showcase the automotive industry. The vehicles are driven to and displayed at events by Johnson and his team with the goal of growing interest and keeping car culture thriving. Johnson’s history in the industry began with Mather Auto Dismantler, Mather Mini Trucks and U-Pull It in Northern California. He later held an instrumental role in the growth and success of Copart, Inc., a global provider of online vehicle auction and remarketing services. JHG also serves as a primary sponsor of Elite Motorsports in the NHRA Pro Stock series.

• Coming into Sonoma, Pruett is currently third in the Top Fuel standings, 136 points behind leader Steve Torrence. Hagan is leading the Funny Car standings, 17 points ahead of Ron Capps.

• The DENSO NHRA Sonoma Nationals will serve as Pruett’s 198th career Top Fuel start and her seventh at Sonoma. For Hagan, this will be his 323rd career Funny Car start and his 14th at Sonoma.

• Pruett is eyeing her first victory in the DENSO NHRA Sonoma Nationals. She advanced to the final round in 2021, where her 3.768 ET at 23.04 mph run was narrowly defeated by Steve Torrence’s 3.757 ET at 327.98 mph run. Pruett has two No. 1 qualifiers at the event, which came in 2017 (3.669 ET at 328.38 mph – set a new track record for the 1,000-foot long dragstrip) and 2022 (3.689 ET at 327.59 mph).

• Hagan is also seeking his first victory in the DENSO NHRA Sonoma Nationals. He has advanced to the finals three times – 2012 (5.462 ET at 146.67 mph, lost to Johnny Gray: 4.142 ET at 305.15 mph), 2019 (4.030 ET at 316.60 mph, lost to Robert Hight: 3.973 ET at 325.45 mph) and 2021 (3.991 ET at 324.44 mph, lost to Hight: 3.871 ET at 322.50 mph). Hagan has two No. 1 qualifiers at the event, which came in 2009 (4.068 ET at 307.51 mph) and 2013 (3.986 ET at 320.51 mph).

• On Friday at Sonoma, Pruett will present the Juggers Annual Scholarship to William Baker-Johnson, who graduated from nearby American Canyon High School in June. The Juggers Annual Scholarship was formed in San Mateo, California, in 1953, by the 120 members of the Juggers Racing Team who participate primarily in drag racing, land-speed racing and autocross. Their premier program in support of organized drag racing for high school students is their annual scholarship, which awards a certificate and $1,000 in cash. Baker-Johnson, this year’s recipient, works at the Napa County Airport for a flight school, where he is head aircraft detailer and an apprentice mechanic. This August, Baker-Johnson will attend Solano Community College, where he will pursue a career in the aircraft industry. He plans to become a commercial pilot and obtain his Airframe and Powerplant Certificate and eventually become Inspection Authorized.

• Stewart, Pruett and Hagan will participate in a Heat Wave Visual autograph session on Saturday at 3:45 p.m. PDT. The session will take place at the Heat Wave Visual Display.

• DYK? The dragstrip at Sonoma is located inside the track’s road course, which annually hosts the NASCAR Cup Series. While Tony Stewart Racing is looking for its first NHRA win at Sonoma, Tony Stewart the owner is already a three-time winner at the track. The NASCAR Hall of Famer won three NASCAR Cup Series races on the 1.99-mile, 10-turn road course – 2001, 2005 and 2016. His victory in 2016 was his 49th and final NASCAR Cup Series victory as Stewart retired from NASCAR racing at the conclusion of the season.

Leah Pruett, Driver of the Rayce Rudeen Foundation Top Fuel Dragster

Sonoma is historically known for cooler air temperatures. The weather this year is forecasted to be warmer with conditions similar to Seattle. Expand on how the race will be a continuation of the Seattle weekend.
“We had a very responsive race car to the changes we were asking it to make in Seattle come race day and it delivered us a smooth run, allowing us to return next to the offense of picking up speed in the middle. We always say that we wish we had one more run and with Sonoma being similar conditions, the first round of qualifying will be the run we wanted to do next.”

You’ll have the Rayce Rudeen Foundation back on your Top Fuel dragster for the first time this season. Talk about the importance of racing for their cause.
“Racing for the Rayce Rudeen Foundation is unequivocally highly important because it is very impactful in making the difference in the quality of life for hundreds of thousands of people and families. It is an ironic time of the season for me to highlight and be hyper-focused on their mission of empowering communities to fight addiction, which is something that takes strength to do. Right now as a driver, I have been fighting various physical and mental battles getting locked into the zone and as I keep missing my target, I become frustrated. I know however that the best version of myself is on the other side of my adversity. All I have to do is think about the adversity that families go through when it comes to addiction, treatment, and recovery, and easily get strength from them, knowing their battle is the most difficult. I’m just trying with all my being to drive a race car to the best of my ability and the Rayce Rudeen Foundation is putting their every being into saving and changing lives. I am humbled to represent them on and off the track.”

Matt Hagan, Driver of the Johnson’s Horsepowered Garage Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Funny Car

You’ve maintained the points lead heading into Sonoma with four races remaining in the regular season prior to the Countdown to the Championship. What fuel does that give you in your quest for your first Wally from wine country?
“The quest to win at wine country has always been there, since I’ve never won there before. It’s always challenging and keeping the points lead is challenging. (Ron) Capps’ team is great. They’ve won back-to-back championships and he’s fighting hard to take over the lead, but we’re fighting hard to stay on top. This Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Funny Car is running good. We had a tough weekend in Seattle, but that’s drag racing and you’re going to have that. As much as you want to be on top all the time, it makes you appreciate the weekends when things do go well. Coming into Sonoma, we found some things we need to fix and the guys are working hard at it. Capps seems to always pull out a win in wine country, so now it’s his turn to watch us in the winner’s circle.”

Your Funny Car will feature Johnson’s Horsepowered Garage for their first primary race with Tony Stewart Racing. How special is it to welcome them onboard on the nitro side given their involvement in Pro Stock?
“It’s super special to be able to debut the Johnson’s Horsepowered Garage scheme in Sonoma. Jason (Johnson) is a great guy and his group is incredible. They bring a great atmosphere to the track when they’re around and I love racing with them. His garage is unbelievable. They’re big Dodge enthusiasts and they have so many incredible cars that blow you away. They’ve been big supporters of drag racing for a long time. His dad sponsored both Kenny and Brandon Bernstein back in the day. They have nothing but love for drag racing and they’re huge supporters in the Pro Stock ranks with Elite Motorsports. To have them on the nitro side is awesome. We appreciate their support for the sport. When I won in Denver, it was a special race to me. Trophies are obviously always special. It was Jason’s birthday and I was able to give him my trophy for being a part of our program. What a great weekend to honor him with that and show him love. I know this Tony Stewart Racing group is going to win a lot of races, so I can’t wait to get JHG in the winner’s circle.”

-TSR-

Contact Ashley Wilson
Tony Stewart Racing
(303) 594-8147 or [email protected]