Sonoma Raceway notes: Focus turn to drag racing

With NASCAR's annual visit to Wine Country over, Sonoma Raceway returns to drag racing as the highlight of the next few weeks, starting with the return of regular drag races and then two back-to-back weekends of hot rods going down the quarter-mile drag strip.

The NHRA will host the Division 7 races and Sonoma Nationals in the last two weekends of July, with Division 7 hitting the drag strip July 18-21, followed by the pros of the Funny Car, Pro Stock, Pro Motorcycle and Top Fuel divisions hitting the nitro the next weekend from July 26 -28.

Tickets for the Nationals weekend start at $55 for a one-day pass on Friday or Saturday, and $60 for Sunday. Kids 12 and under are $25 for single-day tickets each day. A full weekend pass for adults is $135-$145 and a full weekend pass for kids 12 and under is $75.

Visit www.sonomaraceway.com/events/nhra-sonoma-nationals/tickets for ticket info.

For more information on the Division 7 races, visit www.sonomaraceway.com/events/nhra-division-7.

NHRA update

The series was in Norwalk, Ohio, for the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals this past weekend. Steve Torrence edged Pat Dakin in the finals of the Top Fuel division by less than .082 seconds at the line. Bob Tasca III cruised in the Funny Car division.

Torrence currently holds a more than 400-point lead in the Top Fuel standings. Robert Hight holds a 153-point lead over legend John Force in the Funny Car standings.

NASCAR in review

Martin Truex Jr. won his second straight race at Sonoma, not letting the challenging “Carousel” addition to the track dash his hopes or stymie his day on the full road course.

Truex held off a hard-charging Kyle Busch in the final laps, as the two were well in front of the rest of the field. Truex won by 1.8 seconds for his third win at Sonoma.

Multiple-time polesitter Kyle Larson didn't lead a lap, but recorded his first top-10 at the raceway in his career and recorded the third most points in the race behind Denny Hamlin and Truex.

Joey Logano holds a 1-point lead in the standings ahead of Busch. Busch leads Truex in the playoff standings.

The race had only two cautions for six laps.

Wednesday Night Drags

An all-Sonoma County high school finals highlighted the most recent of the weekly drag races at the Sonoma Raceway.

Sebastopol's Joseph McBurney cruised in a 2017 Chrysler 300 to a more than 2.5-second victory against Rohnert Park's Antonio Manzilla in a 1986 Chevrolet C10.

In the Comp Rod division, Santa Rosa's Mark Scheuer cruised in a 2018 Ford Mustang in the finals.

The Wednesday Night Drags program runs almost every Wednesday. Currently in its 31st year, it runs from March 13 through Nov. 13. Fans can race their vehicles down the quarter-mile drag strip in a controlled environment away from city streets. Gates open at 3:30 p.m., with racing from 4-10 p.m.

Competitors must have a driver's license to compete, their cars must pass a technical inspection and all vehicles must have mufflers. Up to 300 cars are allowed to enter.

Running alongside the drags will be Sonoma Drift, where pros and amateurs can swing wheels to perfect their drifting techniques. Speed is secondary as competitors are judged on the style and execution of their drift through a marked course in the raceway's paddock. Cars must pass a technical inspection before being allowed to drift.

Drifting starts at 4 p.m. Drivers pay $25 and high school students with ID can race for $15 at the gate. Spectators can watch for $10.

The next Wednesday Night Drags event is scheduled for July 10, with Hooked on Driving taking over the raceway July 3 prior to the July 4 bracket drags. Entries for the July 3 Hooked on Driving event are sold out.