The DENSO NHRA Sonoma Nationals at Sonoma (Calif.) Raceway marks the culmination of the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series’ two-week long Western Swing. The previous event of the Western Swing was the NHRA Northwest Nationals July 19-21 at Pacific Raceways in Kent, Washington. The DENSO NHRA Sonoma Nationals is the 12th event on the NHRA’s 20-race calendar.
Tony Stewart, Driver of the Rinnai Dodge//SRT Top Fuel Dragster
After having a couple weeks off prior to Seattle, what benefit will it be having back-to-back races while on the Western Swing?
“It’s always nice when we can race back-to-back to stay in the groove of things. We obviously didn’t have the weekend we were hoping for in Seattle, so we’re going to re-group for Sonoma and hopefully we can go some rounds on Sunday.”
You made 18 starts on the Sonoma Raceway road course while in NASCAR and collected three wins, including your last career NASCAR Cup Series win in 2016. You’re looking to become the first driver to conquer both the Sonoma road course and the drag strip. How special would that feat be?
“Sonoma is one of my favorite tracks. I made a lot of starts there in NASCAR and was able to collect a few wins. It would be really neat to be able to win on both the road course and the drag strip.”
Matt Hagan, Driver of the Johnson’s Horsepowered Garage Dodge//SRT Hellcat Funny Car
After having a couple weeks off prior to Seattle, what benefit will it be having back-to-back races while on the Western Swing?
“Any time we go back-to-back, you stay in the groove of what you’re doing. The flow is there and the guys are working hard. Heck, I wish we raced every weekend. Sonoma is one I still have to check off the list, so we’ll keep working on our combination and see what we can do.”
Sonoma marks the home race for Jason Johnson and Johnson’s Horsepowered Garage. How special would it be to bring home the Wally in wine country?
“Jason is a special individual because he is down to earth. He’s a good guy that likes to have fun, like fast cars and loves drag racing. He really cares about the sport and is sponsoring a lot of cars out here. I’ve won for a lot of my major sponsors in the past and we still need to get one for Jason. I’m looking for my first win at Sonoma, so it would be a special race.”
Tony Stewart Racing
