Bob Tasca III, Brittany Force, Erica Enders, and Joey Gladstone Win Their Divisions At NHRA Sonoma Nationals

Part two of the 2022 NHRA Camping World Series Western Swing kicked off this past weekend in Sonoma, California for the annual Sonoma Nationals and we saw some first-time winners in both classes. Joey Gladstone earned his first ever career Pro Stock Motorcycle victory, while Erica Enders took home her first Sonoma win, Brittany Force powered her way through to earn her fifth Top Fuel win of the year, and Bob Tasca III broke a winless streak after falling short in the finals last weekend at Norwalk to Robert Hight. 

1. Funny Car – The Sonoma Nationals was a special victory for the Rhode Islander Bob Tasca III. Not only did he eliminate Funny Car legend John Force, but the victory marked his first win of the 2022 season after being close to victory lane over the last two races. Tasca qualified in the fourth position posting a run of 3.875 and 331.04 mph, giving him a first-round victory over No. 13 qualifier Jason Rupert. Tasca advanced to the quarterfinals to face Blake Alexander and won with a 3.875 over Alexander’s 3.952. As for last week’s winner Robert Hight, Hight scored victories against Jeff Diehl and Jim Campbell. The victories Hight scored would see him face a rematch from last week’s final pair at Norwalk, Bob Tasca in the semis. Eventual Sonoma runner-up John Force would win over Ron Capps in the first round and J.R. Todd in the second to move to the semis. In the semis, Tasca III never trailed Hight for the win and defeated the John Force Racing driver by 0.0112 seconds, eliminating any chance of a potential John Force Racing double-up in the finals. Force scored a win over Alexis DeJoria posting a time of 3.909 and 328.38 mph over DeJoria’s 3.933 and 325.06 mph run. And so with those runs, Tasca would enter the finals for the third time this season, and Force for the first time. 

   When the finals came up, Tasca had the advantage over Force and picked up the first victory of the 2022 season and the 10th of his Funny Car career. 

   “The only reason we’re out here is to run for a championship,” Tasca said. “We’ve sacrificed a lot to get where we’re at this season and with this set-up, we’ve put the field on notice. We made the decision to get our car set up to run for a championship and the car showed the field today it is capable of that. It’s exciting for me as a driver and this thing was as straight as an arrow all day long and it was lights out in the final. I have the ultimate respect for John and what he’s done and to beat him in the finals, it’s pretty special.”

   John Force made the final for the 263rd time in his illustrious career and the 108th runner-up of his career. 

   “It was a good day for this PEAK Chevy. Yeah, would have been better to get the win but we figured some things out from qualifying. Danny Hood and Tim Fabrisi had my hot rod running well, we were getting after it today. We’re in a good place, we’ll pick up and just get it after it again in Seattle in a couple of days. Flav-R-Pac race, looking forward to putting on a show for everyone, Brittany going in there with a win, hopefully, do it again.”

2. Top Fuel – For the fourth time this season in Top Fuel competition, Brittany Force scored a Sonoma Nationals Wally, eliminating Team Scrappers Mike Salinas in the finals. Like Erica Enders, the victory was also Force’s first Sonoma win and had a rocket Monster Energy, Flav-R-Pac machine in all four rounds of competition. The California native had to earn the victory though as she was not the No. 1 qualifier. The No. 1 qualifier went to Norwalk event winner Leah Pruett, while Brittany qualified in the fifth position and earned a first-round with her teammate Austin Prock. Unfortunately for her teammate, Prock, he was eliminated by Force after Force posted a 3.662 and 336.07 mph. Meanwhile, Pruett got a victory over Jim Maroney with a 3.729 and 328.96 mph pass to advance to the second round. Mike Salinas got an easy win over Cameron Ferre after Ferre’s machine did not start. 

   For the second-round action, race fans saw a familiar matchup that took place many times throughout the 2021 season. Brittany faced last year’s champion, Steve Torrence in round two. The competition was going to be for Force as Torrence left with starting line advantage, however, Force chased him back down and scored the round win with a 3.663 and 336.49 mph over Torrence’s 3.716. The No. 1 qualifier Pruett, lost out to Shawn Langdon. This round victory for Langdon would see him face Force in the semis. 

   In the semis, Force had another monster run, posting a speed of 337.75 mph with a close drag race of .0782 over Langdon. The victory would see Force go to her fourth final round of the season. Team Scrappers, Mike Salinas, eliminated Doug Kalitta to face Force in the finals with a 3.844 to Kalitta’s 4.354. 

   The finals saw a great race between Salinas and Force as Force had a .033 reaction to Salinas .069 reaction time. The John Force Racing driver never trailed for the win and scored the fourth victory of the year and the 15th of her Top Fuel career.
   “Incredible race day for this Flav-R-Pac/Monster Energy team. Coming into races, you go off of how you have done in the past and we’ve always struggled with the Western Swing. Sonoma has always been one I’ve wanted to win. It’s almost a home track for me. I’ve watched my dad as a kid with my sisters, raced Super Comp and A-Fuel, celebrated all the other John Force Racing team wins, to be able to pull this win is huge,” Force said.

   Salinas saw the seventh runner-up of his career. 

3. Pro Stock – Erica Enders continues her 2022 Pro Stock domination by scoring yet another victory over a familiar foe in the final round. Enders faced 99-time career winner Greg Anderson in what turned out to be a close drag race. The Pro Stock driver denied Anderson once again for a shot at his 100th career victory, going 6.574 to Anderson’s 6.565. Despite Anderson being quicker, Enders scored the win on a holeshot with a .018 reaction time to Anderson’s .049. 
   “Today was excellent,” Enders said. “For 18 years victory evaded us somehow, someway. Every year at the beginning of the year m family and I sit down and we set our goals for the year. Sonoma, Indy, and the world championship always seem to make an appearance on that list. So, this means a lot to me. I’m really excited. My Melling Performance team is great and my car is just running on mean.”For Enders performance, she earned the No. 1 qualifier for the third time of her career and had a first-round match with Fernando Cuadra Jr. Enders scored the win over Cuadra Jr after Cuadra Jr fouled -.004 too early. In the second round, Enders faced Mason McGaha and scored the win in a tight ET of 6.540 to McGaha’s 6.546. Additionally, Enders’s final-round opponent Greg Anderson qualified in the second position and scored victories over Steve Graham and Bo Butner. Another item to note, Aaron Stanfield would eliminate Dallas Glenn in the quarterfinals and face Enders in the semis. Anderson would face Kyle Koretsky in the semis and score the win with a 6.557 pass after Koretsky had tire shake. 

   Enders, meanwhile, faced Stanfield but was given an easy victory after Stanfield doubled-stepped, causing him to foul and give Enders the victory. She would move onto the finals once again to face her rival competition, Anderson, once again. 

   Despite Anderson being quicker on the ET, he was eliminated by Enders who had the quicker reaction time, and Anderson had to settle for his first runner-up of the year. 

   “I could have snuck one there, if I’d had a better light,” said Anderson, noting that Enders slowed at the stripe with problems of her own. “We weren’t going to dominate today, but we could have won, and that’s a step forward. We’ll keep working at it, but we raced well today. That’s what it takes, you have to race well and drive well, and until the final, I was able to hold up my end of the bargain.

   “The positive is that KB Racing won last week and we were in the final here with the HendrickCars.com Chevrolet. We’re coming back. I feel good about it, and we have another chance next weekend to finish the Western Swing with a win. I’m going to keep digging and build on this momentum.”

4. Pro Stock Motorcycle –  Joey Gladstone had been searching for his first career Pro Stock Motorcycle victory ever since he entered class competition back in 2012. Sonoma weekend will be a weekend to remember for Gladstone getting the elusive victory in his 69th career start. The Delaware native bested Vance and Hines rider Eddie Krawiec in the finals using a time of 6.759 over Krawiec’s 6.758. The victory has been a long time coming for Gladstone who has been waiting ever since he was a kid. “I’ve been waiting for this day since I was 12 years old when I decided I wanted to race Pro Stock Motorcycles,” Gladstone said. “To finally be here to do it and race the best guys in the world, this means everything to me. I just had to do my job out there. It’s been quite the road, and this means a lot and more than you could ever imagine. I’ve spent my whole life trying to get here and this is just the start for us.”The day started off for Gladstone in the third position with a 6.743 and 198.73 mph run in qualifying, earning him a first-round against Scott Bottorff. Lousiana native, Angelle Sampey, scored the No. 1 qualifier for the third time this season and faced Lance Bonham in the first round. 

   Gladstone, in the first round, earned the win over Jianna Evaristo going 6.747 and 201.40 mph to face Katie Sullivan in the quarterfinals. Sullivan was making a rare appearance and got an upset victory over Karen Stoffer in round one. Sampey advances as well with a victory over Bonham. 

   In E2, Gladstone eliminated Sullivan having a solid run of 6.735 and 202.18 mph and a reaction time of .014. Gladstone never trailed Sullivan in the second round and he advanced to the semis to face Jerry Savoie. Also to note in the second round, Gladstone’s eventual final round match with Eddie Krawiec saw Krawiec defeat Sampey after Sampey fouled. The final round appearance would mark Gladstone’s fifth of his career. 

   Entering into final round competition, Krawiec was 9-3 over Gladstone, therefore holding an advantage. However, the advantage was meaningless at the end of the day, with Gladstone scoring the win for the first time in his career while Krawiec was runner-up for the 41st time in his career. A special day indeed for Gladstone. 

   Official NHRA Camping World Results following the Sonoma Nationals. 

Funny Car 

1. Bob Tasca III
2. John Force
3. Robert Hight
4. Alexis DeJoria
5. Blake Alexander
6. J.R. Todd
7. Jim Campbell
8. Cruz Pedregon
9. Ron Capps
10. Matt Hagan
11. Steven Densham 
12. Jason Rupert
13. Paul Lee
14. Tim Wilkerson
15. Terry Haddock
16. Jeff Diehl 

Top Fuel 

1. Brittany Force
2. Mike Salinas
3. Shawn Langdon
4. Doug Kalitta
5. Steve Torrence
6. Leah Pruett
7. Josh Hart
8. Justin Ashley
9. Clay Millican
10. Austin Prock
11. Antron Brown
12. Alex Laughlin
13. Ron August Jr
14. Jim Maroney
15. Tony Schumacher
16. Cameron Ferre 

Pro Stock 

1. Erica Enders
2. Greg Anderson
3. Kyle Koretsky
4. Aaron Stanfield 
5. Mason McGaha
6. Dallas Glenn
7. Bo Butner
8. Troy Coughlin Jr
9. Cristian Cuadra
10. Deric Kramer
11. Camrie Caruso 
12. Fernando Cuadra 
13. Steve Graham 
14. Chris McGaha
15. Matt Hartford
16. Fernando Cuadra Jr

Pro Stock Motorcycle 

1. Joey Gladstone
2. Eddie Krawiec
3. Angelle Sampey
4. Jerry Savoie 
5. Steve Johnson
6. Matt Smith
7. Katie Sullivan 
8. Angie Smith
9. Karen Stoffer
10. Kelly Clontz
11. Ryan Oehler 
12. Jianna Evaristo
13. Scott Bottorff
14. Lance Bonham 

Official NHRA Camping World Series Points Standings 

Funny Car 

1. Robert Hight, 1,133 points
2. Matt Hagan, -144
3. Ron Capps, -210
4. John Force, -306
5. Bob Tasca III, -400
6. Cruz Pedregon, -486
7. J.R. Todd, -518
8. Alexis DeJoria, -533
9. Tim Wilkerson, -611
10. Chad Green, -693 

Top Fuel 

1. Brittany Force, 982 points 
2. Mike Salinas, -6
3. Justin Ashley, -140 
4. Steve Torrence, -178
5. Josh Hart, -356
6. Shawn Langdon, -381
7. Leah Pruett, -381
8. Austin Prock, -412
9. Doug Kalitta, -416
10. Clay Millican, -431

Pro Stock 

1. Erica Enders, 976 points
2. Aaron Stanfield, -80
3. Kyle Koretsky, -307
4. Greg Anderson, -386
5. Dallas Glenn, -415
6. Mason McGaha, -435
7. Matt Hartford, -487
8. Camrie Caruso, -489
9. Troy Coughlin Jr., -522
10. Bo Butner, -533

Pro Stock Motorcycle 

1. Angelle Sampey, 597 points 
2. Joey Gladstone, -2 
3. Steve Johnson, -10 
4. Matt Smith, -36
5. Eddie Krawiec, -69 
6. Karen Stoffer, -98
7. Angie Smith, -99
8. Jerry Savoie, -131
9. Marc Ingwersen -253
10. Jim Underdahl, -308

Up Next: The NHRA Camping World Series will head to their final race of the Western Swing by going to the Seattle Nationals, July 29-31st live on NHRA TV and FOX affiliates. 

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