Drag racing fans had a high-speed treat at this weekend’s NHRA Division 7 Drag Races, presented by Korbel, at the drag strip at the beautiful Race Sonoma track in Sonoma.
Competition will be featured in 11 NHRA categories, including the return of Top Alcohol Dragster, which should make for an outstanding weekend of drag racing. As well as the Top Alcohol Funny Car, Comp Eliminator, Super Stock, Stock Eliminator, Super Comp, Super Gas, Super Street, Sportsman Motorcycle, Top Sportsman and Top Dragster. The weekend will also feature the six-second door slammers of the West Coast Outlaw Pro Modified Series. In all, there will be 11 categories of racing and more than 400 entrants.

This event is part of the Lucas Oils Drag Racing Series.
The Top Alcohol categories were topped by the husband-wife team of Jim and Ann Marie Whiteley. Jim, took the Top Alcohol Dragster win in Sonoma back in 2010, and is the current national points leader for Top Alcohol Dragsters, while Ann Marie is fourth in points in the Top Alcohol Funny Car series.

Other top racers who competed in the Top Alcohol Dragster are Chris Demke and Joey Severance, while Funny Car featured Jay Payne and Steve Gasparrelli. Top speeds in the 270 mile-per-hour range in Top Alcohol Dragster and 260 mph in Funny Car were seen over the weekend and this event marks the first visit to Sonoma by the Top Alcohol cars since 2010.

San Dimas’ Mike Maggio posted the fastest speed in the five-year history of the West Coast Outlaw Pro Modified Series, with two passes of better than 261 mph in British Columbia, Canada. He also posted the win as well. Redding’s Rod Burbage, the 2011 Outlaw points champion, won the first race of the season in Idaho. Burbage expects a healthy 17-car field, as everyone loves to race in Sonoma. This is the third race of the year for Pro Mods.

“It’s a great track and makes lots of speed,” Burbage said. “I just think we’re going faster and faster, and we’ll go even faster than what we did in British Columbia. Maggio wants to go 270 (mph).”
Maggio returned as the defending champion in Sonoma, having bested Dan Nickelson in the 2011 finals. Danville’s Marc Meadors, who placed second in points last year behind Burbage, made his 2012 Pro Mod debut in Sonoma.
Results will be posted as soon as they are available. For detailed results, go to Drag Race Central.