The finale of this year’s NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series Western Swing occurs this weekend at Pacific Raceways outside Seattle, Wash. To get to this event, racers have traveled from their home bases to Denver, Colorado and then to Sonoma, California. Now, with perhaps a bit of R&R between contests, Top Fuel, Funny Car and Pro Stock competitors are en route to the Pacific Northwest with the goal of earning a Wally winner’s trophy, after not racing at Seattle for the past two seasons.
The pandemic we’ve faced over the past three years has stunted the explorations of newer members of the NHRA community. Some of the racers working the 2022 series have never seen this track and have no idea how to work it. Thankfully, for nearly everyone in this predicament, a crew chief (or two) has all the information necessary to prep a car for three qualifying sessions and, hopefully, four Sunday trips down the drag strip.
One thing everyone will be dealing with over this weekend is excruciating heat. All over the country heat waves have been making life difficult for citizens and the Pacific Northwest is bracing for hot days and mild nights. Where temps would normally be in the high 70-degree range at this venue, this weekend calls for 90-plus degree temperatures for the three qualifying sessions and four rounds of eliminations. That might be normal for the first two rounds of the Western Swing but not for this one. We’ll have to see who gets it right.
Sonoma saw Brittany Force get it right for the fourth time this season, as she earned the Top Fuel win in her Flav-R-Pac dragster., taking her 15th career victory, her first at Sonoma and, by stopping Mike Salinas in the finals, taking the points lead by a measly six points. Her sponsor is the sponsor of the race this weekend.
Bob Tasca III and Erica Enders prevailed in Funny Car and Pro Stock, marking both drivers’ first victories at the wine country-adjacent and picturesque Sonoma Raceway track. Although his class is not racing at Seattle, last weekend Joey Gladstone earned his first national event win in Pro Stock Motorcycle aboard the Reed Motorsports Suzuki; it was his third consecutive final round appearance.
With 16 cars on the entry list, Top Fuel has a full field, made up of everyone in the top-10 as closure of the regular season occurs four races away on Labor Day weekend in Brownsburg, IN. Everyone in the current top 10 is parked at the track. Justin Ashley,…
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