NHRA Sonoma Nationals 2026: Full Schedule, Qualifying Times, TV Coverage & Streaming Guide

Sonoma is a three-day professional NHRA weekend, but the event begins building before the nitro cars make their first Friday pass. Sportsman eliminations fill the early schedule. The pits and Manufacturers Midway then open before the professional program takes over.

Top Fuel, Funny Car and Pro Stock contest the regular national-event eliminators. Pro Stock Motorcycle has a different role this weekend. Eight invited riders compete in the GETTRX All-Star Callout rather than a standard points eliminator.

That format gives Saturday unusual weight. The nitro and Pro Stock teams are fighting for final qualifying positions. Meanwhile, the motorcycle riders are racing through a complete specialty event with a $25,000 winner’s prize and major bragging rights.

Sonoma Raceway uses Pacific Time. The tables place Eastern Time first for a national U.S. audience. Central and Mountain conversions are included so viewers can set reminders without doing the math.

The most important distinction is between a class’s first scheduled appearance and the headline nitro session. Friday’s professional program begins with motorcycle time trials and Pro Stock. Top Fuel and Funny Car follow later.

The broader NHRA preview rounds the professional session times to 4:45 and 6:45 p.m. PT for Pro Stock, and 5:30 and 8:15 p.m. PT for nitro. The detailed event timetable above separates class calls within those blocks.

Each professional team aims to complete four qualifying runs. The best elapsed time from any legal run sets the qualifying order. A quicker run always beats a slower one, regardless of which session produced it.

Speed acts as a tiebreaker when elapsed times match. That detail mattered immediately at Sonoma. Doug Kalitta and Shawn Langdon both recorded 3.714-second Top Fuel runs on Friday, but Kalitta’s 337.07 mph edged Langdon’s 336.49 mph.

Why Friday night is the headline session

The Sonoma night session often produces the quickest conditions of the weekend. Air temperatures fall after sunset. Moreover, the racing surface can retain enough heat to provide strong traction.

That combination lets crew chiefs lean on the tune-up. More power can reach the track without immediately smoking the tires. However, the margin remains small, and a dropped cylinder can erase the advantage.

Friday’s 2026 session delivered exactly that kind of performance. Jordan Vandergriff ran 3.849 seconds at 332.43 mph in Funny Car. It stood as the quickest Funny Car pass of the season at the time of the official Friday recap.

Friday provisional leaders entering Saturday

Shawn Langdon sat second in Top Fuel with the identical 3.714 elapsed time. Tony Stewart followed with a 3.736. In Funny Car, Jack Beckman ran 3.873, while Daniel Wilkerson posted 3.899.

Pro Stock produced an especially tight fight. Cody Anderson’s 6.499 trailed Vang by one thousandth. Erica Enders followed with a 6.503 at 211.33 mph.

Why the bubble matters at Sonoma

NHRA’s standard professional eliminators use a 16-car ladder. A team outside the top 16 after the final session does not race on Sunday. Therefore, Saturday is not only about chasing No. 1.

Funny Car arrived with 18 entries. That guarantees at least two teams will miss the eliminations field if every car makes a representative pass. The bubble battle can become more intense than the contest for the top half.

Drivers near 16th also face a tactical choice. A conservative run can secure a place. Yet a cautious tune-up may leave the car in the bottom half against a leading contender in round one.

The Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge runs inside qualifying

Saturday’s challenge pairs semifinalists from the previous national event. The competitors still make official qualifying passes. However, they also race head-to-head for bonus money and championship points.

This creates a double objective. A driver may need a clean pass to improve the ladder, while also needing a quicker reaction and elapsed time than the opponent. Consequently, a safe qualifying strategy can conflict with an aggressive challenge tune-up.

The event-specific Friday and Saturday previews are the best guide for the current weekend. Earlier season-wide listings showed slightly different Saturday specialty-show windows. Late programming changes are common, so viewers should check the live FS1 guide before airtime.

FS1’s Sunday elimination show is not a live start-time listing. The race begins at 2:00 p.m. ET. The television program airs later at 10:00 p.m. ET. This delayed window lets FOX Sports package the major rounds into a focused national broadcast.

NHRA.tv is the option for live, round-by-round viewing

NHRA states that its streaming service carries live video every day of each 2026 Mission Foods Series event. That includes qualifying and eliminations. Select Sportsman coverage and an archive of previous seasons are also part of the service.

The value is straightforward at Sonoma. Subscribers can watch the nitro cars when they are actually on the starting line. They do not need to wait for the evening FS1 program.

Streaming availability can depend on account status and regional rules. Therefore, sign in before the first session. Also test the app or browser on the device you plan to use.

Can viewers use FOX One?

NHRA’s 2026 broadcast announcement includes FOX One as a streaming destination for FOX and FS1 programming. Access usually depends on the viewer’s television package or subscription. The exact sign-in flow can vary by platform.

FOX One should be treated as the streaming route for the FS1 shows, not as a substitute for the full live NHRA.tv feed. The two products serve different viewing habits.

For broader weekly broadcast help, see World of Speed’s what channel is NHRA on today guide. The 2026 NHRA schedule also tracks the full championship calendar.

Top Fuel: Sonoma’s speed showcase

Top Fuel cars race over 1,000 feet rather than the traditional quarter-mile. They can cover that distance in less than 3.7 seconds. Sonoma’s cool evening air often helps engines produce exceptional power.

Doug Kalitta entered the weekend as the track’s winningest Top Fuel driver with six Sonoma victories. He also won the 2025 event. However, teammate Shawn Langdon arrived as the 2026 points leader after a four-win first half.

Tony Stewart, Leah Pruett, Antron Brown and rookie winner Maddi Gordon add depth. For a deeper look at the machinery, World of Speed explains what a Top Fuel engine costs and how far Top Fuel cars race.

Funny Car: 18 entries chasing 16 positions

Funny Car has the weekend’s clearest qualifying pressure. With 18 cars on the entry list, two teams must miss Sunday’s ladder. One tire-smoking pass can move a contender close to the cutoff.

Jordan Vandergriff’s Friday 3.849 placed a newer class contender at the top. Jack Beckman and Daniel Wilkerson followed. Meanwhile, Ron Capps entered Sonoma with the points lead.

Cruz Pedregon has a compelling local storyline. The two-time champion is chasing his first Sonoma victory in nearly 30 years. His experience matters, but the final qualifying session leaves no room for nostalgia.

Pro Stock: thousandths decide the order

Pro Stock does not deliver nitro flames, but it may offer the closest racing. The cars use naturally aspirated engines, manual transmissions and quarter-mile competition. Reaction time often separates two nearly identical passes.

Chris Vang’s 6.498 showed how quickly the established order can change. Cody Anderson was only 0.001 second slower. Erica Enders remained close with a 6.503.

Greg Stanfield won the 2025 Sonoma race over his son Aaron. Meanwhile, KB Titan Racing entered 2026 with Greg Anderson and Dallas Glenn among the leading championship forces.

GETTRX Pro Stock Motorcycle All-Star Callout

The motorcycle program is a specialty race rather than a standard Sonoma points eliminator. The invited field includes Gaige Herrera, Richard Gadson, Matt Smith, Angie Smith, John Hall, Jianna Evaristo, Chase Van Sant and Steve Johnson.

Friday’s two time trials give riders data before the Saturday bracket begins. Round one starts at 11:15 a.m. PT. The semifinals follow at 1:30 p.m., and the final is scheduled for 3:30 p.m.

The Callout format produces immediate pressure. A rider must win every pair to continue. There is no second chance through a qualifying ladder.

Sportsman racing fills the weekend

The Lucas Oil program is not background entertainment. Competition Eliminator, Super Stock, Stock, Super Comp, Super Gas, Top Dragster and Top Sportsman racers bring large fields and detailed handicap racing.

Sportsman eliminations begin before the headline pro sessions and continue between them. Fans who arrive early see a much broader picture of NHRA competition than television usually shows.

Sonoma Raceway sits only about 15 feet above sea level. Dense air helps engines make power. Consequently, crew chiefs can pursue aggressive settings when the track surface cooperates.

The evening schedule adds another advantage. Temperatures fall while the sun drops behind the surrounding hills. More oxygen reaches the engine, and the supercharger can move a denser charge.

Power alone does not create a record. The clutch must apply torque without overpowering the rear tires. Track preparation must remain consistent from the starting line through the early increments.

Track records show the potential

Funny Car’s Sonoma elapsed-time record is 3.807 seconds, set by Robert Hight in 2017. Austin Prock raised the speed record to 340.90 mph in 2025.

Dallas Glenn owns the Pro Stock elapsed-time record at 6.461. Shane Gray’s 213.00 mph remains the class speed benchmark. In Pro Stock Motorcycle, Matt Smith has the 205.04 mph track record.

Wind can change the final half of the run

Sonoma’s open setting can produce crosswinds. Nitro cars generate huge downforce, yet a gust still asks the driver to make a quick steering correction. The correction must remain small because the car is covering hundreds of feet each second.

Motorcycles are even more sensitive. Riders expose a narrow frontal area and use body position as part of the control system. A change in wind direction can alter the line between rounds.

The shutdown area is part of the challenge

A successful pass does not end at the finish line. Drivers deploy parachutes, manage braking and steer into the turnout. A parachute failure can transform a quick run into an emergency.

This is why teams inspect every packed parachute and tether. The speed number attracts attention, but safe deceleration completes the run.

Round one can eliminate a favorite immediately

NHRA uses a knockout bracket. The No. 1 qualifier races No. 16, while No. 2 meets No. 15. A leading qualifier receives a theoretical advantage, but there is no points cushion inside a pair.

A tire-smoking launch or red light ends the day. Therefore, the opening round often demands a safer tune-up than the quickest qualifying pass.

Reaction time can beat a quicker car

Elapsed time measures the car from movement to finish. Reaction time measures how quickly the driver leaves after the green light. The first car to the finish wins, so a strong launch can create a holeshot victory.

This is especially important in Pro Stock. The mechanical performance gap can be only a few thousandths. A 0.020-second starting-line advantage is enormous in that context.

Lane choice is data-driven

The quicker winner normally earns lane choice for the next round. Teams compare starting-line grip, bumps, wind and recent runs before choosing. However, the lane that looked better in round one may change as the sun heats the track.

Crew chiefs also watch which lane absorbs oil or debris cleanup. A long delay can change the surface temperature before the next pair.

Turnaround time tests the crews

Nitro teams tear down and rebuild the engine between rounds. The work happens in public because every NHRA ticket includes pit access. Fans can watch clutch service, cylinder-head changes and final checks.

A damaged part can place the team behind schedule. Meanwhile, the opponent may complete service early and reach the staging lanes without stress. The race between rounds can matter as much as the race on track.

Readers new to the sport can use World of Speed’s NHRA drag racing guide. Our explainer on how race timing works also helps decode reaction and elapsed times.

Arrive well before the first pro session

Sonoma Raceway traffic can build as the professional program approaches. Parking, security and the walk to the grandstands take time. Arriving early also gives fans a chance to explore the pits.

Friday gates open at 1:00 p.m. PT. Saturday gates open at 9:00 a.m., while Sunday gates open at 8:00 a.m. Those times leave a useful buffer before the major sessions.

Use the included pit access

NHRA’s open-pit experience is one of motorsport’s strongest fan features. Spectators can stand near the team areas as crews rebuild engines. Drivers often sign autographs between obligations.

Ear protection is essential in the pits. A nitro engine warm-up creates intense sound and exhaust. Families should carry properly rated hearing protection for every person.

Tune to the track radio

The official event guide lists 87.9 FM for the on-site public-address broadcast. A small battery radio can help fans follow class calls while walking through the midway.

Phone reception can slow when the venue fills. Therefore, a simple radio remains useful even for fans carrying the event app.

Prepare for sun and temperature swings

Afternoon temperatures can feel hot in exposed grandstands. However, the evening session becomes cooler. Sunscreen, water and a light outer layer cover both conditions.

Check the venue’s current bag and cooler policy before leaving home. Tickets are commonly handled digitally, so save the barcode to the phone before reaching the gate.

Do not leave immediately after the final

The winner’s celebration is scheduled around 4:30 p.m. PT on Sunday. Fans can see the Wally trophies, team photos and post-race emotion after the final pairs run.

Traffic may also be easier after the first exit rush. Spending a few extra minutes at the Winner’s Circle can improve both the experience and the drive out.