NHRA Weekend at Sonoma Raceway

The top drag racers in the world will visit the Sonoma Raceway for the 31st annual Toyota NHRA Sonoma Nationals this coming weekend, July 27-29. The three days will feature professional drag racing in the Top Fuel, Funny Car, Pro Stock and Pro Stock Motorcycle divisions.

This is the 15th stop on the 24-race NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series schedule.

NHRA dragsters will compete on the celebrated local drag strip located just 15 feet above sea level and featuring a 660-foot concrete launch pad. This combination makes the drag strip one of the quickest and fastest in the country. In 2015, the last 720 feet of the drag strip was repaved.

Sonoma’s drag strip continued to post some of the quickest and fastest runs on the NHRA circuit in 2017, including Funny Car driver Robert Hight’s national speed record of 339.87 mph.

J.R. Todd secured his first career Funny Car victory there last year, making him the first African-American to win in the NHRA Funny Car category and the second driver in NHRA history to win at Sonoma Raceway in both nitro categories; the first was Don Prudhomme in 1989 and 1992.

Race weekend will also feature the Mickey Thompson Tires Pro Stock Bike Battle, as a field of world-class Pro Stock Motorcycle racers compete on Saturday, July 28. Riders will compete for a total purse of $10,000, with the winner receiving $7,500 and the runner-up $2,500.

Off track, the weekend will also feature the ninth annual Nostalgia Get-Together, with a collection of nearly 30 vintage dragsters, hot rods and more, as well as the eighth annual Blast on the Grass car show among other events.

On Sunday, FOX will televise three hours of live finals coverage at 1 p.m. Tickets for the NHRA weekend include Friday and Saturday, $55-$60 for adults, kids (12 and under) for $25. Sunday: Adults $60-$65; kids $25. Three-day tickets are $135-$145 for adult, $75 for kids. For tickets call 800-870-RACE (7223) or SonomaRaceway.com/nhra.