Force Destroys World Speed Record; Hagan, Anderson & Gadson also Blast to Top at Denso NHRA Sonoma Nationals

SONOMA, CA – July 26, 2025 – (Motor Sports NewsWire) – Brittany Force made the fastest run in NHRA history on Friday in front of a huge crowd at Sonoma Raceway, setting the speed world record and taking the provisional No. 1 spot at the 37th annual Denso NHRA Sonoma Nationals presented by PowerEdge.

Matt Hagan (Funny Car), Greg Anderson (Pro Stock) and Richard Gadson (Pro Stock Motorcycle) are also the provisional No. 1 qualifiers at the 12th of 20 races during the 2025 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series season.

Force went a track-record 3.645-seconds at a stunning 343.16-mph in her 12,000-horsepower Monster Energy dragster, shattering the speed record of 341.85 she just set on Sunday in Seattle. It was the seventh 340-mph pass for Force since April as the two-time world champion looks for her third No. 1 qualifier of the season and the 55th in her career. Force went 304.94 to the eighth-mile in a truly monumental and special moment, making history at one of her favorite tracks on the NHRA tour.

“I have to credit David Grubnic and John Collins and the whole team. I’m so proud of them. This is incredible,” Force said. “On that run it actually moved around a little and I thought about taking my foot out of it for a second and then I said, ‘No, I can get it there.’

“I couldn’t hear anything on my radio and then they repeated the 343 speed and I thought they were joking. I’m so pumped and so excited to do this in front of all the fans here. The stands were packed.

“This is still settling in. We’ve run great mph lately but our goal is always elapsed time, not mph but to jump over 342 and go right to 343, I still can’t believe we did it. We’ve worked hard to get here but we’ve got a cleaner more consistent package than we’ve had.”

Doug Kalitta is second with a 3.661 at 332.84 and Clay Millican is currently third with a 3.699 at 335.15.

Hagan continued to roll after winning Sunday in Seattle, taking the provisional No. 1 spot in Funny Car with an outstanding run of 3.861 at 332.59 in his 12,000-horsepower Johnson’s Horsepowered Garage Dodge//SRT Hellcat. The four-time world is looking for his first No. 1 qualifier of the season, but more importantly, the 53-time event winner is also after his first career victory at Sonoma Raceway.

It’s one of the few places the standout has never won and he would love to change that this weekend and keep rolling for Tony Stewart Racing. The team has shown continuous improvement under first-year crew chief Mike Knudsen and the team took another step in front of a huge crowd Friday night in Sonoma.

“I’m still in awe over Brittany [Force’s] 343 mph run. They lowered the boom on everyone,” Hagan said. “Conditions were incredible. It was a mineshaft out there. These nitro motors like to be loaded and we got that tonight. I’m happy for my crew chief, Mike Knudsen. I hope this is his first low qualifier. Last week we got him his first race win and I want that to continue.

“Everything that’s good takes time and we’re getting there with this team. It would be special to get a win here in Sonoma because this is the one track where I haven’t won except for Richmond but we didn’t run there for quite a while. I really want to get this under my belt.”

Rookie Spencer Hyde is currently second with a career-best 3.865 at 333.58 and Paul Lee went 3.890 at 299.00 to sit third.

In Pro Stock, stellar conditions made for more record-breaking runs for a second straight week and reigning world champion Greg Anderson took advantage on Friday in Sonoma, setting the track record with a run of 6.472 at 210.14 in his HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro. Should that hold, Anderson would get his fifth No. 1 qualifier of the season and the 137th in his career.

Anderson set the track record last year in Sonoma and it didn’t hold up for long on Friday, as Anderson broke it the first session and then it lowered two more times before Anderson delivered his spectacular run to close out qualifying and start what he hopes is a winning weekend at his favorite track.

“If you’re a Pro Stock racer, you wish all year long for days like this and conditions like this. I say it all the time but I absolutely love this place. This is my favorite racetrack and all year long If anyone asks, I always tell them Sonoma. I feel good every time I come through the gates,” Anderson said.

“They [Elite Motorsports] are getting closer. I’m actually surprised it’s gone on this long. No one likes getting their teeth kicked in and I know they’ve closed the gap. They’ll be right there for the rest of the year. I have tunnel vision. We work on our own program and we don’t worry about what other people do. You can get lost if you pay attention to what the other guy is doing.”

Points leader Dallas Glenn, who won on Sunday in Seattle, is right behind with a 6.473 and Greg Stanfield made a pair of solid runs, including a 6.480 that has him third.

A month after winning his first career Pro Stock Motorcycle race, Richard Gadson would love to add another first this weekend and the second-year standout is on track to do so, claiming the top position through two sessions with a run of 6.702 at 200.77 on his RevZilla/Motul/Vance & Hines Suzuki.

The run put a significant distance between Gadson and the next-closest rider, a solid sign heading into the rest of the weekend. After winning in Bristol in early June, Gadson can pick up a No. 1 qualifier on Saturday, when more ideal conditions are expected. He’ll also try to pick up a victory in the GETTRX Pro Stock Motorcycle All-Star Callout.

First-round selections were made for Saturday’s GETTRX Pro Stock Motorcycle Callout. Top seed Gaige Herrera called out Chris Bostick, while defending event winner Smith took Chase Van Sant. Gadson selected Jianna Evaristo to open the bonus race, setting the last matchup as Angie Smith against John Hall. The opening round of the Callout starts at 11:15 a.m. PT, with the semifinals at 1:45 p.m. and the final of the bonus race at 4:15.

“I am a big advocate of taking small victories and this was one of them because I’ve never been a low qualifier before,” Gadson said. “Not only are we No. 1, but that was also the best run of my career. To be honest, I was a little disappointed because I wanted to make my first run in the 6.60s. I was mad for a second but it takes perspective, and I realized we did something really good.

“For tomorrow, I feel good about the [GETTRX Pro Stock Motorcycle All-Star Callout] and my [first round] race against Jianna Evaristo. I don’t take anyone lightly and if you remember, she was the Queen of this track last year. I wasn’t completely happy with my staging routine today but I’ll clean that up for tomorrow.”

Matt Smith is currently second with a 6.740 at 200.26 and John Hall is third with a run of 6.759 at 197.28.

Qualifying continues at 11:45 a.m. PT on Saturday at the Denso NHRA Sonoma Nationals presented by PowerEdge at Sonoma Raceway.

SONOMA, CA — Friday’s results after the first two of four rounds of qualifying for the 37th annual Denso Sonoma Nationals presented by PowerEdge at Sonoma Raceway, 12th of 20 events in the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series. Qualifying will continue Saturday for Sunday’s final eliminations.

Top Fuel — 1. Brittany Force, 3.645 seconds, 343.16 mph; 2. Doug Kalitta, 3.661, 335.73; 3. Clay Millican, 3.699, 335.15; 4. Antron Brown, 3.699, 332.18; 5. Tony Stewart, 3.727, 328.62; 6. Josh Hart, 3.737, 331.28; 7. Ida Zetterstrom, 3.754, 328.70; 8. Justin Ashley, 3.770, 323.19; 9. Ron August, 4.316, 194.38; 10. Shawn Langdon, 6.940, 94.66.

Funny Car — 1. Matt Hagan, Dodge Charger, 3.861, 332.59; 2. Spencer Hyde, Ford Mustang, 3.865, 333.58; 3. Paul Lee, Charger, 3.890, 299.00; 4. Austin Prock, Chevy Camaro, 3.891, 334.24; 5. Jack Beckman, Camaro, 3.895, 331.45; 6. Hunter Green, Charger, 3.897, 331.12; 7. Ron Capps, Toyota GR Supra, 3.927, 330.96; 8. Chad Green, Mustang, 3.927, 329.18; 9. J.R. Todd, GR Supra, 3.945, 332.43; 10. Daniel Wilkerson, Mustang, 3.952, 296.57; 11. Bob Tasca III, Mustang, 3.959, 321.35; 12. Jason Rupert, Mustang, 3.982, 298.54; 13. Dave Richards, Mustang, 4.027, 316.60; 14. Jeff Diehl, Toyota Camry, 4.066, 316.67; 15. Buddy Hull, Charger, 4.096, 290.57; 16. Cruz Pedregon, Charger, 4.441, 196.44.

Not Qualified: 17. Alexis DeJoria, 4.484, 193.85; 18. Tim Gibbons, broke.

Pro Stock — 1. Greg Anderson, Chevy Camaro, 6.472, 210.41; 2. Dallas Glenn, Camaro, 6.473, 211.00; 3. Greg Stanfield, Camaro, 6.480, 211.66; 4. Aaron Stanfield, Camaro, 6.489, 211.16; 5. Cody Coughlin, Camaro, 6.503, 210.11; 6. Matt Latino, Camaro, 6.505, 210.18; 7. Troy Coughlin Jr., Camaro, 6.513, 210.08; 8. Jeg Coughlin, Camaro, 6.514, 210.31; 9. Mason McGaha, Camaro, 6.534, 209.46; 10. Cory Reed, Camaro, 6.535, 211.10; 11. Erica Enders, Camaro, 6.536, 210.24; 12. Stephen Bell, Camaro, 6.551, 210.57; 13. Deric Kramer, Camaro, 6.570, 211.00; 14. Kenny Delco, Camaro, 6.587, 208.26; 15. Chris McGaha, Camaro, 6.589, 209.46; 16. Joey Grose, Camaro, 6.635, 207.02.

Not Qualified: 17. Matt Hartford, 6.761, 183.12.

Pro Stock Motorcycle — 1. Richard Gadson, Suzuki, 6.702, 200.77; 2. Matt Smith, Buell, 6.740, 200.26; 3. John Hall, Beull, 6.759, 197.28; 4. Gaige Herrera, Suzuki, 6.761, 198.82; 5. Angie Smith, Buell, 6.780, 198.09; 6. Chase Van Sant, Suzuki, 6.860, 196.36; 7. Jianna Evaristo, Buell, 6.916, 196.24; 8. Freddie Camarena, Suzuki, 6.933, 194.04; 9. Clayton Howey, Suzuki, 7.014, 191.76; 10. Brad Hawkes, Suzuki, 7.339, 181.28; 11. Charles Poskey, Suzuki, 7.600, 184.12; 12. Chris Bostick, Suzuki, broke.

To purchase tickets to the Denso NHRA Sonoma Nationals, fans can visit www.sonomaraceway.com or call 800-870-7223. For more information about NHRA, visit www.nhra.com.

About DENSO and PowerEdge

Globally headquartered in Kariya, Japan, DENSO is a $47.9 billion leading mobility supplier that develops advanced technology and components for nearly every vehicle make and model on the road today. With manufacturing at its core, DENSO invests in around 180 facilities worldwide to provide opportunities for rewarding careers and to produce cutting-edge electrification, powertrain, thermal and mobility electronics products, among others, that change how the world moves. In developing such solutions, the company’s 158,000 global employees are paving the way to a mobility future that improves lives, eliminates traffic accidents, and preserves the environment. DENSO spent around 8.6 percent of its global consolidated sales on research and development in the fiscal year ending March 31, 2025. For more information about DENSO’s operations worldwide, visit https://www.denso.com/global/en/.

In North America, DENSO is headquartered in Southfield, Michigan, and employs 27,000+ team members across nearly 50 sites in the U.S, Canada and Mexico. In the fiscal year ending March 31, 2025, DENSO in North America generated $12.5 billion in consolidated sales. To learn more about DENSO operations in the region and explore career opportunities, please visit https://www.denso.com/us-ca/en/.

PowerEdge® is a value-driven line of high quality and durable aftermarket products, designed to deliver performance, and reliability. Backed by the sales, service, and logistics support of DENSO Products and Services Americas, Inc.—DENSO’s North American aftermarket headquarters in Long Beach, California—PowerEdge brings trusted quality at a competitive price. For more information, visit https://www.poweredgeproducts.com.

About Mission Foods

MISSION®, owned by GRUMA, S.A.B. de C.V., is the world’s leading brand for tortillas and wraps. MISSION® is also globally renowned for flatbreads, dips, salsas and Mexican food products. With presence in over 112 countries, MISSION® products are suited to the lifestyles and the local tastes of each country. With innovation and customer needs in mind, MISSION® focuses on the highest quality, authentic flavors, and providing healthy options that families and friends can enjoy together. For more information, please visit https://www.missionfoods.com/

About NHRA

NHRA is the primary sanctioning body for the sport of drag racing in the United States. NHRA presents 20 national events featuring the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series and NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series, as well as the Congruity NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series, NHRA Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown™, NHRA Holley EFI Factory X and Johnson’s Horsepowered Garage NHRA Mountain Motor Pro Stock at select national events. NHRA provides competition opportunities for drivers of all levels in the NHRA Summit Racing Series and NHRA Street Legal™. NHRA also offers the NHRA Jr. Street® program for teens and the Summit Racing Jr. Drag Racing League® for youth ages 5 to 17. With more than 100 Member Tracks, NHRA allows racers to compete at a variety of locations nationally and internationally. NHRA’s Youth and Education Services® (YES) Program reaches over 30,000 students annually to ignite their interest in automotive and racing related careers. NHRA’s streaming service, NHRA.tv®, allows fans to view all NHRA national events as well as exclusive features of the sport. In addition, NHRA owns and operates three racing facilities: Gainesville Raceway in Florida; Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park; and In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip in Southern California. For more information, log on to www.NHRA.com, or visit the official NHRA pages on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.

Source: National Hot Rod Association 

####