Still riding high after his first career Pro Stock Motorcycle victory on Sunday in Seattle, Chase Van Sant kept rolling on Friday in Sonoma, taking the provisional No. 1 spot with a run of 6.768 at 197.10 on his Trick Tools Suzuki at the 36th annual Denso NHRA Sonoma Nationals.. Should that hold, Van Sant, the 2023 NHRA Rookie of the Year, would pick up his first career No. 1 qualifying spot, which would continue his recent momentum. He made a pair of solid runs on Friday, which could bode well for Saturday’s GETTRX Pro Stock Motorcycle All-Star Callout.
The bonus race takes place on Saturday after riders made their first-round selections on Friday. Herrera, the top seed, picked Matt Smith, who was seeded second, while Hector Arana Jr. took Steve Johnson as his first-round opponent. Jianna Evaristo will face off with John Hall, with the other first-round matchup featuring Van Sant and Angie Smith.
“It’s been a whirlwind week to say the least and it’s cool to knock it out and get the provisional No. 1 here today,” Van Sant said. “I know the Vance & Hines team has issues today, so I expect a battle but it’s good to be here. I had my best 60-foot time ever on that run. It’s just reassuring to know we can get the job done and it reaffirms my faith in Tim [Kulungian, crew chief], not that I ever doubted him.
“I’ve got to run Angie [Smith] tomorrow in the GETTRX All-star Callout and we’ve gone back and forth a few times this season. They’ll be fast too. The wind was a bit tricky, which explains why our mph was down a bit. For me, I really didn’t notice it too much, but the bike just feels a bit more mundane. The win is so unpredictable here in Sonoma because it gusts but it’s usually either a head wind or a tail wind.”
M. Smith is currently second with a 6.770 at 198.73 and A. Smith is right behind after going 6.784 at 199.26.
Qualifying continues at 11:30 a.m. PT on Saturday at the Denso NHRA Sonoma Nationals at Sonoma Raceway.
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