Leah Pruett came back to Sonoma Raceway for the first time since 2023 and nearly made the final. Three rounds of consistent nitro-burning and a semifinal exit on a holeshot loss to Jasmine Salinas is a strong reintroduction to Top Fuel competition after two years away to start a family with her husband and team owner Tony Stewart.
Pruett, who qualified ninth in the Tony Stewart Racing Mobil 1/Dodge dragster, ran 3.744 to beat recent Norwalk winner Maddi Gordon in the opening round. The quarterfinal against Billy Torrence was closer: Torrence ran a quicker 3.751, but Pruett’s reaction time was better, and a holeshot 3.766 moved her to the semis. There, she posted another 3.751. Salinas, a Northern California local, left the line faster and won at 3.772 on reaction time alone. Salinas went on to the final.
“I won in the second round on a holeshot. I didn’t quite have that great of a light in the semifinals against Jasmine and, again, I got beat on a holeshot,” Pruett said. “That’s drag racing. That’s the roller coaster.” The California native remains third in the NHRA Mission Top Fuel points standings, 803 points to her name, with the series heading to Pacific Raceways in Kent, Washington, this weekend.
Matt Hagan’s day followed a similar shape: a holeshot win in round one, a quarterfinal exit, and a points position that keeps him relevant. The four-time Funny Car world champion ran 3.944 to beat J.R. Todd’s quicker 3.933, winning on reaction time in what the series calls a holeshot. The quarterfinal matched him against No. 1 qualifier Jordan Vandergriff. Hagan held the starting-line margin again but Vandergriff ran 3.932 against Hagan’s 3.956 at the finish, and that gap was enough. Vandergriff collected his second national event win of 2026.
Hagan, a 57-time NHRA national event winner with 744 championship points, sits fourth in Funny Car standings. He has not won at Sonoma but did win the Northwest Nationals at Pacific Raceways last year. “We have won a bunch at Seattle, including last year,” he said. “I believe we can continue to win races this year.”
Stewart, running the Elite Motorsports Top Fueler rather than the TSR entry, beat Justin Ashley in round one with a 3.712 before smoking the tires against Antron Brown in the quarterfinals. He sits sixth in Top Fuel points. Stewart won the Top Fuel event at Pomona in April.
Qualifying at Pacific Raceways opens Friday, July 25, with sessions at 2:30 p.m. and 5 p.m. PDT. Saturday qualifying runs at noon and 2:30 p.m. PDT. Sunday eliminations begin at 10 a.m. PDT, with the FOX broadcast at 4 p.m. EDT. For Pruett and Hagan, Seattle arrives at exactly the right time.
Source: Dodge. Images courtesy of Dodge.
