Greg Stanfield’s victory at the Denso NHRA Sonoma Nationals was the kind of moment drag racing lives for – a generational, once-in-a-lifetime final round that pitted father against son, and ended with a proud dad hoisting the Wally for the first time in more than a decade. In his Janac Brothers Racing / The Rod Shop Camaro, Greg lined up against his son Aaron, driving the Johnson’s Horsepowered Garage / Melling Performance / Janac Brothers hot rod. Aaron left first with a sharp .016-second reaction time to Greg’s .030, but Greg ran him down with a 6.552 at 211.49 mph to Aaron’s 6.568 at 209.39, turning on a win light he admits he wasn’t sure he’d ever see again.
“I’m in shock right now. I can’t believe that just happened,” Greg said. “Obviously, this is something we’ve both dreamed about – to race each other in the finals. To have Aaron in the finals with me makes it even better. I’m blessed and honored to have this opportunity, and a lot of credit goes to him. He tunes my engine, the Elite guys, and all the people who support us. Janac Brothers, The Rod Shop – they’ve been with me since the beginning, and having them back on the side of my car means a lot.”
The road there was anything but simple. Starting from the No. 3 spot – his best qualifying performance of the season – Greg opened race day with a 6.502 at 211.36 to take out teammate Stephen Bell. In the quarterfinals against Matt Latino, both cars struck the tires and had to pedal, but Greg’s 9.400 got there before Latino’s 13.041. Then came a marquee semifinal against six-time world champion Greg Anderson, where both veterans shook the tires. Greg pedaled to a 7.236 while Anderson shut off early. Aaron’s march to the final was just as sharp, starting with a holeshot win over Cory Reed, advancing past a red-lighting Cody Coughlin, and beating four-time 2025 winner Dallas Glenn in the semis with a clean 6.579.
On the NHRA Insider Podcast with Brian Lohnes, Greg admitted his car had been the benchmark within the Elite camp for several races leading into Sonoma. “I was probably making the better part of the runs out of all the cars,” he said. “My car seems really happy and balanced right now. As long as you’re within two hundredths of the fastest guy out there, it’s a drag race – and I felt like we were right there.”
When it came time for the family face-off, there were no team orders. “We didn’t cut each other any slack,” Greg said. “Aaron’s one of the best out here. I knew I’d have to make a perfect run to beat him.” He added with a grin, “When I put it in high gear, I glanced over and thought I was in trouble. I tried to hit the chutes early to get weight off the car and maybe pick up a couple of inches. It worked out. I want Aaron to win, but I also wanted us to have a great race – and we did.”
Aaron echoed that sentiment. “They asked if I cut my dad any slack in the finals – heck no,” he laughed. “He wouldn’t do that for me, and I wouldn’t want it any other way. I grew up watching him race Pro Stock. He’s always been my hero. I credit my accomplishments to him.”
For Greg, the win carried an extra layer of meaning: it put the Rod Shop name back in the NHRA Pro Stock winner’s circle. “That’s huge for me,” he said. “Larry Morgan got me hooked up with the Rod Shop back in the ’80s. I was the last driver they hired to drive for them, and I might be the last to close the chapter. Gil and Rick Kirk were way ahead of their time on the team concept, and it’s an honor to carry that flagship for them and for Joe and David Janac, who’ve given so much to drag racing.”
It was Greg’s sixth career Pro Stock victory, his first since the 2011 NHRA Finals, and Elite Motorsports’ first win of the 2025 season. “It’s huge for Elite to come out on top here,” Greg said. “They’ve been working double overtime to get our cars faster. We’re showing it in qualifying; we just needed it to show on race day. Peaking at the right time is everything. We’ve got a lot of grit on this team, and nobody here takes losing lightly. We’re going to keep grinding, and hopefully our peak comes right around September.”
In the end, Sonoma was more than just a long-awaited win. It was a celebration of family, legacy, and the kind of pure, unscripted competition that makes drag racing unlike any other sport – a memory Greg Stanfield will carry for the rest of his career.
This story was originally published on August 8, 2025. 
