Photography: John Force Racing / Gary Nastase / Auto Imagery
SONOMA, Calif. (July 23, 2025) – Riding the momentum born of last week’s national record-setting performance at Seattle and mindful of her past success at Sonoma Raceway, an increasingly confident Brittany Force sends her Monster Energy dragster back to work this week in the 37th NHRA Sonoma Nationals.
The two-time Top Fuel World Champion will begin the qualifying process Friday from the No. 5 position in the Mission Foods driver standings with only three weekends remaining in which she can improve her position before the start of the NHRA playoffs.
“Coming off a strong weekend in Seattle, laying down the fastest speed ever at 341.85 miles per hour, and making a final round appearance, our team is looking for a big weekend in Sonoma,” said the Queen of Speed, owner of five of the seven fastest finish line speeds in NHRA tour history.
In addition to the new record, she also has run 341.59 mph (last April at Charlotte, N.C.), 341.42 (last May at Epping, N.H.), 340.47 mph (in Seattle qualifying) and 340.82 mph (in a first round Seattle win over former European Top Fuel Champ Ida Zetterstrom).
The only other drivers to have broken the 340-mph barrier are Top Fuel rival Doug Kalitta, who ran 341.34 mph at Seattle, and John Force Racing teammate Austin Prock, who set the national Funny Car record when he drove the Cornwell Tools Chevrolet SS to a speed of 341.68 mph last November at In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip.
Nevertheless, crew chief David Grubnic insists that he and tuning partner John Collins are not actively pursuing big speed numbers which are, he has said, just a product of the process.
Instead, he and Brittany and the team are focused on qualifying well and turning on four win-lights Sunday, just like they did in 2022.
“(That was) one of our strongest race day performances at the Sonoma Nationals,” Brittany said of a race in which she beat current point leader Shawn Langdon in the semifinals, “and we feel confident rolling into this track, back in our Monster Energy colors, that we can maintain our consistent performance.
“I love this track,” said the second youngest of Force’s drag racing daughters, the only woman to have won as many as 300 competitive rounds of racing in Top Fuel. “I love the area and would love to end Sunday in the winners’ circle with the Sonoma Raceway wine goblet! (a trophy unique to the track, celebrating its proximity to the Sonoma and Napa Valley wineries).”
Before she races for a 19th tour victory, though, the 2013 NHRA Rookie-of-the-Year will try to win her first Mission Foods 2Fast/2Tasty Challenge trophy of the season. The 2Fast/2Tasty Challenge reprises the semifinal rounds from the previous event, paying Countdown bonus points and cash to those who are most successful.
