Sonoma Event Recap for the DENSO NHRA Sonoma Nationals

Leah Pruett & Matt Hagan

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

Event Recap

Leah Pruett, driver of the Rayce Rudeen Foundation Top Fuel Dragster:
• Earned No. 3 provisional qualifying position in Q1 on Friday (3.781 ET at 321.96 mph)
• Scored one bonus point for third-quickest run of the session
• Fell to No. 9 provisional qualifying position based off of Friday’s Q1 run. In Q2 on Friday, Pruett ran a 7.504 ET at 88.84 mph.
• Maintained No. 9 provisional qualifying position based off of Friday’s Q1 run. In Q3 on Saturday, Pruett ran a 6.204 ET at 109.69 mph.
• Secured No. 10 qualifying position based off of Friday’s Q1 run. In Q4 on Saturday, Pruett ran a 3.851 ET at 318.39 mph.
• Eliminated following Round 1 on Sunday:
• Round 1: 3.746 ET at 328.38 mph, lost to Shawn Langdon (3.755 ET at 331.12 mph)
• Currently fifth in the Top Fuel championship standings, 217 points behind Top Fuel leader Justin Ashley

Matt Hagan, driver of the Johnson’s Horsepowered Garage Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Funny Car:
• Earned No. 3 provisional qualifying position in Q1 on Friday (3.951 ET at 333.49 mph)
• Scored one bonus point for third-quickest run of the session
• Maintained No. 3 provisional qualifying position based off of Friday’s Q1 run. In Q2 on Friday, Hagan ran a 4.398 ET at 179.28 mph.
• Scored two bonus points for second-quickest run of the session
• Maintained No. 3 provisional qualifying position based off of Friday’s Q1 run. In Q3 on Saturday, Hagan ran a 4.004 ET at 321.73 mph.
• Scored three bonus points for quickest run of the session
• Secured No. 5 qualifying position based off of Friday’s Q1 run. In Q4 on Saturday, Hagan ran a 4.774 ET at 166.37 mph
• Advanced to the Semifinals on Sunday:
• Round 1: 3.997 ET at 317.87 mph, defeated Jason Rupert (4.038 ET at 314.24 mph)
• Round 2: 3.955 ET at 324.98 mph, defeated Tim Wilkerson (4.014 ET at 297.81 mph)
• Semifinals: 3.999 ET at 323.12 mph, lost to J.R. Todd (3.965 ET at 325.14 mph)
• Currently leading the Funny Car championship standings, 19 points ahead of Ron Capps

Notes of Interest

• By advancing to the Semifinals, Hagan has secured his position in the NHRA’s Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge, where he will face off against J.R. Todd at Topeka. The semifinalists from Sonoma will rematch during qualifying on Saturday, with bonus money and points on the line.
• Hagan represented Johnson’s Horsepowered Garage (JHG) for their first race as primary sponsor with Tony Stewart Racing. 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.
• Pruett represented the Rayce Rudeen Foundation on her Top Fuel Dragster. 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.
• Pruett presented the Juggers Annual Scholarship to William Baker-Johnson during the DENSO NHRA Sonoma Nationals. 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.

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

“A driver should have confidence in their crew chief and Neal Strausbaugh (crew chief) and Mike Domagala (co-crew chief) have worked very hard. There’s a big difference between running those night races and in the heat on race day. They’ve done a phenomenal job. I’m blessed to be able to race for them. It stings losing on a holeshot. I gave it my absolute all and gave our Rayce Rudeen Foundation dragster the best chance it had. Both lanes are great. I’m doing everything in my ability to be a better driver. Some people are naturally a better driver, but some people have to work really hard at it. For my crew chiefs, they’re working really hard to get this car right and I’m working hard at getting me right.”

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

“The big takeaway from the weekend is that (Ron) Capps didn’t gain any ground on us and we were able to maintain number one in the point standings. There are some guys back there that are digging hard and popping up on the radar. Someone we can’t take lightly is Chad Green. He’s doing a great job. Same goes for J.R. (Todd) making it to his second Final in a row. He’s a great leaver and great driver. They had a little bit more on the racetrack than us and he had a little more on the tree. We had a good car and were making adjustments to it as it got hotter and hotter. Overall, I think the Western Swing was still successful. Obviously, we struggled a bit in Seattle, but between the win in Denver and making it to the Semifinals here, we walk away with a good attitude and the points lead. With three races to go before the Countdown, hopefully everyone else is running out of races to catch us. We still need to add more of a cushion. There are still drivers known for having good cars that are struggling. Look at Robert (Hight), (John) Force and (Bob) Tasca III. There are no easy draws nowadays. Everyone is so tough. You have to bring it every time and bring a little more than you think you have to. It takes that every time to turn a win light on.”

Next Up

The next event on the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series schedule is the Menards NHRA Nationals Presented by PetArmor August 11-13 at Heartland Motorsports Park in Topeka, Kansas.
 
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Contact Ashley Wilson
Tony Stewart Racing
(303) 594-8147 or [email protected]