Greg Anderson remained dominant in Pro Stock qualifying, as the veteran driver continues to set a torrid pace in qualifying. Anderson earned his seventh number one qualifier in eight races over the weekend at the NHRA Sonoma Nationals. Driving the HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro, Anderson claimed the top spot in Pro Stock qualifying for the 113th time in his career with a 6.513 ET at 210.44 mph. On Sunday, he will try again to earn his 97th career win, which will tie Warren Johnson for the most in NHRA Pro Stock history. Kyle Koretsky was the second fastest qualifier followed by four-time Pro Stock NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series world champion Erica Enders. Enders joined the Elite Motorsports team in 2014 and has become a class sensation driving the Melling Chevrolet Camaro.
Working his way up the ladder in Sunday’s elimination rounds, Anderson found himself paired against a determined Aaron Stanfield in semifinals. The driver of the Janac Brothers Racing/Elite Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro relied on a .017 RT for a holeshot victory with a 6.551 ET at 209.59 mph to eliminate the Pro Stock points leader. On the other side of ladder, Dallas Green beat his KB Racing teammate and number two qualifier Kyle Koretsky off the tree. Green barely held off a the hard-charging (and faster) Koretsky to advance to the semifinal round where he relied on a .010 RT to defeat Troy Coughlin Jr. Stanfield would cowboy-up and won a thrilling duel in the Pro Stock final round, slipping past rookie Dallas Glenn with a run of 6.557 ET at 209.56 mph.
The close win gave Aaron Stanfield his second victory in the past three Pro Stock races and the third of his young career.
Karen Stoffer Defeats Andrew Hines in Pro Stock Motorcycle
To get the weekend at Sonoma started with a bang, Angie Smith capped off a wild, record-setting day of qualifying in Pro Stock Motorcycle by earning her first career number one qualifier with an impressive run of 6.736 ET at 203.06 mph. Aboard her Denso Auto Parts EBR race bike, Smith’s run came during the final qualifying session. Earlier in the day, she watched husband Matt Smith post the fastest run in Pro Stock Motorcycle history with a top speed of 205.04 mph. Veteran rider Karen Stoffer made a big jump in the final session with the second best ET at 6.750 seconds and 198.61 mph. Steve Johnson ran a slower 6.751 ET at a faster 199.94 mph for third aboard his Steve Johnson Racing Suzuki. Matt Smith, who won at the Mile High Nationals in Denver to open the Western Swing, got bumped to fourth in the final session.
Stoffer capped off her resurgent weekend, winning for the first time since 2019 in Pro Stock Motorcycle by eliminating Andrew Hines in the final round with a run of 6.798 ET at 197.36 mph. It was Stoffer’s tenth career win, as she was able to hold off a hard-charging Hines at the finish line aboard her Ray Skillman/Big St. Charles Suzuki. One of the biggest surprises in Saturday qualifying, Stoffer would beat Scott Bottorff, Joey Gladstone, and her White Alligator Racing (WAR) teammate Jerry Savoie to advance to the final round at a track with lots of memories. Hines, who went 6.800 ET at 200.98 mph against Stoffer, advanced to his 99th career final round. However, it was his first final in 2021. The veteran rider aboard the Vance & Hines machine had posted victories against Ryan Oehler as well as, points leader and defending world champion Matt Smith, and Cory Reed.
Photo of Nitro Club courtesy of Sonoma Raceway
NEXT UP:
Lucas Oil NHRA Winternationals
The NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series closes out its three-race Western Swing with next weekend’s Lucas Oil NHRA Winternationals presented by ProtectTheHarvest.com at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona, CA.
