CHEVROLET AT SONOMA
What: 31st Toyota NHRA Sonoma Nationals
When: Friday, July 27-Sunday, July 29
Where: Sonoma Raceway in Sonoma, California
TV: FS1 taped qualifications, 8 p.m. ET July 28
FOX live eliminations and finals, 4 p.m. ET July 29
Chevrolet Aims to Continue Winning Ways on Western Swing
John Force will mark 750th Funny Car race, which includes 174 with Chevrolet
DETROIT (July 25, 2018) – Through an illustrious National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) Funny Car career, John Force has amassed numbers that reflect his longevity in the sport and attest to his abilities, including:
749 races – 173 with Chevrolet plus 160 with General Motors brands Pontiac and Oldsmobile.
149 NHRA Funny Car wins – 18 with Chevrolet (first in 1994 at Phoenix; most recent July 22 at Denver) plus 51 with Pontiac and Oldsmobile.
1,881 elimination rounds — In mileage, equals a round trip from his primary home in Loma Linda, California, to Las Vegas.
16 NHRA Funny Car championship – 10 with Chevrolet, Pontiac and Oldsmobile.
This weekend, in the Toyota NHRA Sonoma Nationals, Force will mark another milestone with his 750th NHRA Funny Car race.
“I am still out here chasing Don Prudhomme and Tom McEwen,” said Force, who has eight victories at the dragstrip in scenic Sonoma, California. “Those are the legends of the sport and my heroes. I know I will never catch them, but I want to keep racing and keep winning. I owe it to my sponsors and all the fans that have stuck with me through all the years and especially this one.”
Force, 69, extended his NHRA record for wins at Bandimere Speedway in suburban Denver in the first leg of the annual three-race Western Swing. It was the 130th in NHRA Funny Car competition for Chevrolet and the 50th for a Chevy Camaro Funny Car.
“We found the consistency on the Mountain,” Force said. “(Crew chiefs) Jon Schaffer and Ronnie Thompson and this whole PEAK team have been working really hard, it’s paying off. They’ve given me a race car and all I have to do is my job. I told them get me to the starting line and I will give it my best.”
Registering his 150th victory this weekend would be especially satisfying.
Force (1994 Funny Car with Chevrolet) and Greg Anderson (2004 Pro Stock with GM brand Pontiac) are the only drivers in their respective pro classes to sweep the Western Swing.
“Winning the Swing in 1996 was great because that was a magical season. We won a lot of races and I was Driver of the Year,” Force said. “Getting the swing this year might be bigger than that because we are having to really fight for every round win. My team has given me a good race car and now I just have to drive it like I know I can.”
In 2016, Force won the first two legs but fell in the first round of eliminations in Seattle. He also came close in 2003 by winning in Denver and Seattle (semifinal loss in Sonoma) and 1996 by winning in Denver and Seattle (runner-up in Sonoma).
Reigning Funny Car champion Robert Hight (Auto Club of Southern California Chevrolet Camaro SS) last year won in Denver and Seattle but lost in the second round in Sonoma, where he was the No. 1 qualifier and set the Funny Car national speed record with a pass of 339.87 mph.
In 2014, John Force Racing shared a Western Swing sweep with Hight winning in Denver and Courtney winning in Sonoma, both with final-round victories over John Force, who went on to win in Seattle.
Chevrolet teams/drivers have posted 21 victories combined in Top Fuel, Funny Car, and Pro Stock through the 14 rounds. Additionally, drivers of the Chevrolet COPO Camaro have recorded four Stock Eliminator wins and two victories in the SAM Tech NHRA Factory Stock Showdown.
Anderson, a five-time winner at Sonoma Raceway, claimed his 91st career Pro Stock victory in his 152nd final-round appearance (surpassing Warren Johnson for the most in Pro Stock history) July 22 at Bandimere Speedway in the Summit Racing Equipment Chevrolet Camaro SS. In 2017 at Sonoma Raceway, Tanner Gray won for the third time in his rookie season.
Reigning Stock Eliminator champion Justin Lamb of Henderson, Nevada, leads the Chevrolet COPO Camaro contingent in the NHRA Lucas Oil Sportsman class this weekend. He’ll be joined by Tom Ferruggia of Menifee, California, and Lane Goldstein of Woodland Hills, California.
Brian Brossart of Williston, North Dakota, will drive his Chevy COPO Camaro in Super Stock.
FS1 will telecast taped qualifications at 8 p.m. ET July 28 and FOX will telecast eliminations and finals live at 4 p.m. ET July 29.
CHEVY RACING ENGINEERING OUTLOOK
ROGER ALLEN, CHEVY RACING NHRA PROGRAM MANAGER: “After racing in Denver, we’re back at sea level for the second round of the Western Swing. Chevrolet Racing has been successful at Sonoma Raceway, which has yielded fast runs by Robert Hight in 2017 when he set the national Funny Car speed record and Brittany Force last year when she set the Top Fuel track record. John Force will mark another milestone in his illustrious career with his 750th race, and Team Chevy is proud to have had a long and successful partnership with the 16-time Funny Car champion and John Force Racing. Hopefully, he can also record his 150th win this weekend.”
CHEVROLET FROM THE COCKPIT
TOP FUEL
BRITTANY FORCE, JOHN FORCE RACING, PEAK COOLANT & MOTOR OIL MONSTER ENERGY CHEVROLET DRAGSTER (reigning class champion; No. 2 qualifier and winner at Houston; No. 1 qualifier at Charlotte; No. 2 qualifier at Denver; holds track Top Fuel speed record, set in 2017): “I am definitely excited and anxious to get to Sonoma and put Denver behind us. Wins don’t come easy and you have to work and fight for them. The team has to pull together and figure the race car out in qualifying to get ready for race day.”
FUNNY CAR:
COURTNEY FORCE, JOHN FORCE RACING, ADVANCE AUTO PARTS CHEVROLET CAMARO SS (Nine-time No. 1 qualifier and winner at Phoenix, Atlanta, Topeka and Richmond; class points leader): “Coming off of a semifinal round finish in Denver, I’m looking forward to heading to our second stop on the swing in Sonoma. Our Advance Auto Parts team has had success at this track in the past, with a No. 1 qualifier and a win back in 2014, so this has always been a favorite track to race on. I grew up coming out to the Western Swing to cheer on my dad, every summer as a kid with my family, and I can’t wait to get back out there with the whole family again this weekend. Our team is looking to extend our points lead so we are hoping for a win of our own this weekend, and I feel like we have a race car right now that is capable of that. This track has always felt like a home track to me, being from Southern California, and I can’t wait to be back in wine country with so many amazing fans.”
ROBERT HIGHT, JOHN FORCE RACING, AUTO CLUB OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA CHEVROLET CAMARO SS (reigning class champion; won at Chicago and three-time runner-up; 2017 No. 1 Funny Car qualifier at track and set national speed record; holds track Funny Car elapsed time and speed records, set in 2017; fourth in points): “I still consider Sonoma my home track because it is the closest racetrack to where I grew up. I have been to every single NHRA national event they have had there. I have seen races there as a fan, a crewman and a driver. Setting the speed record there last year was pretty special. I have only won that race one time and I want to get another win there. I feel like we have as good a car as anybody out here. We won two of the three races on the Western Swing last year and had a really good showing in Sonoma last year. This is the time when you really start looking towards the Countdown and these races will set us up for success.”
JOHN FORCE, JOHN FORCE RACING, PEAK COOLANT & MOTOR OIL CHEVROLET CAMARO SS (has 1,303 round wins and 149 class victories; eight-time winner at track, most recently in 2016): “I love Sonoma, I love this time of year. The family gets together in Tahoe all around the Western Swing. Sonoma is almost like a second home track for us being from Southern California.”
PRO STOCK:
GREG ANDERSON, KB RACING, SUMMIT RACING EQUIPMENT CHEVROLET CAMARO SS (No. 1 qualifier eight times this season and 101 in career; won at Denver; five-time winner at track, most recently in 2016; his 152 final rounds is most in Pro Stock; class points leader): “Until last week, it was like we had forgotten how to win, but maybe this reminded us. The thing is, nobody in the class is going to do it by dominance this year. Nobody is going to roll into the Countdown to the Championship with a huge point lead. Everybody is able to win right now, and nobody is safe. You better learn how to get knocked in the nose and get back up off the mat, because that’s going to happen a lot for the rest of the season. If you want to win, you have to get up and get back in the game; you can’t quit, no matter how bloody your nose gets.”
TANNER GRAY, GRAY MOTORSPORTS, VALVOLINE GRAY MOTORSPORTS CHEVROLET CAMARO SS (three-time winner this season and runner-up at Atlanta; won at track in 2017; second in points): “We’re going to have to get a better handle on race day to be able to win there again. I’m looking forward to going there. It’s a great track and I really like the area.”
BO BUTNER, KB RACING, JIM BUTNER AUTO GROUP CHEVROLET CAMARO SS (reigning class champion; winner at season opener; runner-up at Gainesville; runner-up at track in 2017 and ‘16; eighth in points): “Last week we were tied with Greg Anderson for low of the round in the first round, and that’s a big positive for me. It looks like the car is back – at least it was for that run, and that’s got me excited. For whatever reason, we seem to do well out West, even in my Sportsman cars. I can’t really tell you why, but it’s awesome. I’ve been to the final round in Sonoma the last two years, and I’d be happy for a win. You always want to close the deal – especially if you’ve raced for as long as I have, you want to win at every track you go to. That’s the goal, and we’ll start with that this weekend.”
JASON LINE, KB RACING, SUMMIT RACING EQUIPMENT CHEVROLET CAMARO SS (three-time runner-up; seeking 50th national event win – 47 in Pro Stock, two in Stock Eliminator; has 100 final-round appearances in Pro Stock and Sportsman classes; three-time winner at track): “It was a great weekend for Team Summit in Denver, and we were able to leave that track knowing that we did a good job. The challenges are different in Sonoma; we go back to sea level, and my car isn’t always the happiest at sea level. But we’re on the right track, for sure, and it was pretty darn happy last weekend. It felt good to have a weekend like we did up there in Denver, and hopefully we can repeat that in these different conditions. I always look forward to going to Sonoma Raceway. I’ve won a few times there, and so that’s always a good feeling going back to a place like that.”
VINCENT NOBILE, MOUNTAIN VIEW RACING, MOUNTAIN VIEW TIRE CHEVROLET CAMARO SS (two-time winner and runner-up at Charlotte four-wide; fourth in points): “We didn’t qualify well (seventh) at Denver, but it is such a tricky place that it’s difficult to really be consistent with the race car. Then we won our first round on a holeshot but I didn’t do my job on the Tree in the second round and we lost to Greg Anderson by a slim margin. We’re confident going into Sonoma that our car will be fast and hopefully consistent through qualifying and on race day.”
DREW SKILLMAN, RAY SKILLMAN MOTORSPORTS, RAY SKILLMAN AUTO GROUP CHEVROLET CAMARO SS (No. 1 qualifier at Charlotte four-wide; earned 100th round win at Richmond; 2017 No. 1 qualifier at track; sixth in points): “We had a good car at Sonoma last year, which carried over from our win at Denver, but didn’t get the job done. After Denver last week, which is a tough place to get a handle on the car from qualifying to race day, we’re looking forward to the familiar Sonoma track.”
JEG COUGHLIN JR., ELITE MOTORSPORTS, JEGS.COM/ELITE PERFORMANCE CHEVROLET CAMARO SS (two-time winner; No. 1 qualifier at Norwalk; seventh in points): “At the last race before Denver, Erica (Enders, Elite teammate) started using a new motor the guys back at the shop built for her and it showed tremendous gains. She went to the finals with it. They’ve been working on a second one for me and we hope to have it between the rails in Sonoma, so that’s very exciting. We’ve won two Pro Stock races this year (Chicago and Bristol) in this JEGS Chevy and we’re ready to win some more. We’ve gained lots of momentum this summer and we have a good taste in our mouths. I know we’re all anxious to get back to sea level and friendlier atmospheric conditions and barometer readings like we’ll have in Sonoma. I wouldn’t mind running some 6.40s and 6.50s again.”