NHRA drag racing finals bring thousands to Sonoma Speedway

Thousands of fans of fast cars and photo-finish races packed the stands of the Sonoma Raceway as vehicles supercharged with special built engines and nitromethane zoomed down a quarter-mile strip, often completing the trip within a few seconds.

Two of drag racing’s most popular categories, Top Fuel and Funny Car, electrified the crowd throughout the day. The vehicles, made up of custom steel frames and fiberglass or carbon fiber bodies, can accelerate to hundreds of miles per hour and impose six times the force of gravity on drivers.

The final round was made up by San Jose’s own Jasmine Salinas and Doug Kalitta, the defending world champion. Kalitta won after reaching 339 mph and at 3.731elapsed time and Salinas reached 319 mph and 3.815 elapsed time.

The winner of the Funny Car race was Jordan Vandergriff, who faced Daniel Wilkerson. Vandergriff topped out at 330 mph and Wilkerson reached 301 mph.

The Pro Stock category, made up of heavily modified cars people may see at a dealership, was full of upsets. Several drivers that ranked last in preceding qualifying rounds beat competitors with higher standing, while other races were won by split second reaction times, called holeshot wins.

Erica Enders and Greg Stanfield went head-to-head, with Stanfield ultimately winning. He topped out at 211 mph to Enders’s 210 mph.

Around the speedway, people from across the Bay Area were thrilled to spend their Sunday under the sun in Wine Country. First-time spectators ambled amongst fans who have been attending NHRA events for decades.

Before races even began, fans were invited to walk a portion of the drag strip. People took pictures and laughed as they felt how sticky the roadway was, a measure taken to ensure vehicles can maintain traction as they accelerate.

Steven Harcourt, a decades-long fan, brought his friend and first-time attendee Walter Berringer. The two smiled as they created new memories walking down the strip, holding a flag with the signatures of drag racers.

Father and son duo Patrick and Mac Doherty from Petaluma wore ear protection and brandished a small camera as they stood behind barriers alongside the track. Patrick, who owns an auto shop, said he was elated to spend time with his son at the race.

“Anything auto-related I love a lot,” said Doherty. “So, getting to spend time with him is awesome and we love to do it when we can.”