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Tricky Tipster favors DSR, McGaha, Krawiec at Amalie Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals
After being shut out in the desert, Don Schumacher Racing is favored for a sweepĚýin the nitro categories at the Amalie Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals according to National Dragster's famed prognosticator, Tricky Tipster. Meanwhile, the defending race winner and defending champion in Pro Stock and Pro Stock Motorcycle are favored and "Tricky Rickie" Smith tops the rankings in Pro Mod.Ěý
TOP FUEL
Funny Car | Pro Stock | Pro Stock Motorcycle | Pro Mod
Tony Schumacher
U.S. Army
Hasn’t won this year, but one gets the sense that it’s coming soon. He’s also the defending champ and a five-time Gainesville champ, which counts for a lot.
ODDS: 3-1
Steve Torrence
Capco Contractors
Turned in a brilliant performance in Phoenix win. Won’t have his dad here as a teammate, but that shouldn’t affect his chances one bit.
ODDS: 4-1
Doug Kalitta
Mac Tools
Pomona win was followed by an ugly round one loss in Phoenix but that doesn’t change the fact that this is a top four car anywhere.
ODDS: 6-1
Antron Brown
Matco ToolsĚý
Scored his only Top Fuel win here in 2013 but he’s been to the final round four times including last year.Ěý
ODDS: 7-1
Clay Millican
Parts Plus/Great Clips
Same old story here. This car can easily go to No. 1, might even set the record. The bigger challenge is four win lights on Sunday.
ODDS: 9-1
Leah Pritchett
Papa John’s/Dodge/Pennzoil
Going to be a busy weekend with Top Fuel, Factory Stock, and Papa John’s Charity Challenge. Got to figure she wins at least one of the three, maybe more.
ODDS: 10-1
Brittany Force
Monster Energy
Might take another race or two to get back up to speed after tough Pomona crash but Phoenix was a big step in the right direction. The world champ will be just fine.
ODDS: 11-1
Scott Palmer
Cat Spot/Thompson Motorsports
Fourth in points after two events? You’d better believe it. This team gets a little better with every outing. No one should be surprised if he's the next first-time pro winner.
ODDS: 14-1
FUNNY CAR
Ron Capps
NAPA Dodge
Fact: He’s the only current DSR Funny Car driver to win this race and he’s done it three times. He’s also got a pair of runner-up finishes thrown in for good measure.
ODDS: 3-1
Robert Hight
Auto Club Chevy
The class’ performance leader stumbled a bit after solid runner-up finish in Pomona. That simply sets the stage for a strong Gainesville comeback. Could we also see another 3.7-second run? Don’t bet against that.
ODDS: 4-1
Matt Hagan
Mopar Express Lane Dodge
A bit surprised to note that he’s never won here or even been to a final but all that could change very quickly. A Gainesville win is a must-have for every pro driver.
ODDS: 6-1
Courtney Force
Advance Auto Chevy
Won Phoenix and then watched hubby Graham Rahal go from last to second at Indy Car opener. So far, auto racing’s first couple is off to a pretty solid start in 2018.
ODDS: 7-1
Tommy Johnson Jr.
Make-A-Wish Dodge
Nice rebound to reach the final round after tough loss in Phoenix. Make-A-Wish team heads to Gainesville with a fair amount of momentum.
ODDS: 8-1
J.R. Todd
DHL Toyota
Might be ranked a bit higher than normal based on results of the first two events but one gets the feeling that this team is currently under-rated and due for a big breakthrough.
ODDS: 10-1
Jack Beckman
Infinite Hero Dodge
We all know the deal here. This team is as capable as any team in the field, they just need to iron out all the details to claim first win of the season. So far, that hasn’t happened, but it will.
ODDS: 12-1
Shawn Langdon
Global Electronic Technology Toyota
So much for that long adjustment period in Funny Car. Two races in and he already looks like a veteran. Can he win this soon? No reason to think otherwise.
ODDS: 15-1
PRO STOCKĚý
Chris McGaha
Harlow Sammons Camaro
Leave him out of the Phoenix tipster and he runs the table. That’ll teach us. If this isn’t the best car in the class right now, it’s darn close, hence the No. 1 ranking. He’s earned it.
ODDS: 3-1
Bo Butner
Butner Auto Camaro
Hard to predict what’s going to happen in this crazy class but the reigning champ is clearly better than he was at this time last year. He will surely win more races.
ODDS: 7-2
Greg Anderson
Summit Camaro
In the last three years he’s got an 11-1 round win record at Gainesville Raceway which equates to two wins and a runner-up. Clearly, he enjoys spring break in the Sunshine State.
ODDS: 4-1
Jason Line
Summit Camaro
Off to a solid start with back-to-back runner-up finishes. Now, the four-time champ and current points leader just needs to close the deal. Also bodes well that he’s a four-time winner of this race.
ODDS: 5-1
Erica Enders
Melling/Elite Camaro
Despite rumors to the contrary, she’ll be racing just one car this weekend. No Pro Mod and No Factory Stock. All that means is that she can’t double. She could easily win in Pro Stock.
ODDS: 7-1
Deric Kramer
American Ethanol Camaro
For those who’ve often wondered “What would this guy do it he had some power?” Here is your answer. He’s been to the semi’s twice. Once he gets red-lights out of his system, he’ll be a factor.
ODDS: 10-1
Drew Skillman
Skillman Auto Group Camaro
Stumbled a bit out of the gate but he’s close enough to the leaders to pose a threat. This class is brutally competitive, but it’s not risky to pencil him in for a semifinal (or better) finish.
ODDS: 12-1
Alex Laughlin
Gas Monkey Camaro
He’d be the first one to tell you that he let one slip away in Phoenix. Still, coming off a No. 3 qualifying performance and a semifinal shows a tremendous amount of potential.
ODDS: 14-1
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PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE
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Eddie Krawiec
Screamin’ Eagle Harley-Davidson
This class is far too competitive to call this a sure thing, but he does have five wins and a runner-up here in the last seven years. That’s called domination.
ODDS: Even
Andrew Hines
Screamin’ Eagle Harley-Davidson
New year means a fresh start and time to resume the chase to become the first rider with 50 wins. Oh, and there’s that little 200-mph thing that still needs to be addressed.
ODDS: 5-2
Jerry Savoie
White Alligator Suzuki
A lot of changes in the WAR camp this season but one thing that has not changes is the 2016 champ will be on a very quick Suzuki and he’s likely to do some damage.
ODDS: 5-1
LE Tonglet
Nitro Fish Suzuki
Remains to be seen how he’ll do in his return to family-owned Nitro Fish team but he does have a tremendous amount of natural talent to fall back on.
ODDS: 7-1
Matt Smith
San Marino Excavating Suzuki
Ever think we’d see Matt Smith on a Vance & Hines-powered Suzuki? As the new rider of Joe Riccardi’s bike, we might just see something special this season.
ODDS: 8-1
Scotty Pollacheck
Suzuki Extended Protection Suzuki
There should be a lot of “firsts” this year in Pro Stock Motorcycle and this guy’s first professional win should be at or near the top of the list.
ODDS: 10-1
Hector Arana Jr.
Lucas Oil EBR
At some point, you’ve got to figure the Lucas team is going to overcome some of the nagging problems that have held them back for the last couple of years. When that happens, you’ll see Jr. win quite a few races.
ODDS: 12-1
Angie Smith
Denso Buell
There isn’t a single rider in the class who is more excited for the season to begin than Mrs. Smith. She’s got a great bike underneath her and she knows it.
ODDS: 14-1
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PRO MOD
Rickie Smith
Rickie Smith Racing Camaro
A new 2018 rules revision in the E3 Pro Mod Series should give some help to the nitrous cars but Rickie is the one guy who didn’t need it. He’s even more of a threat now.
ODDS: 2-1
Mike Castellana
AAP Camaro
The Al-Anabi Performance team fumbled the ball down the stretch last year and it cost them a championship. Don’t look for them to make the same mistake twice. They’re going to come out swinging.
ODDS: 4-1
Shane Molinari
S&T Truck Repair Firebird
This was easily last year’s most improved team. They won’t sneak up on anyone this time but they won’t have to either. A legit championship contender.
ODDS: 5-1
Danny Rowe
Danny Rowe Racing Camaro
New car, new look, and a new attitude for one of Pro Mod’s most accomplished drivers. He’s already put down some impressive numbers in pre-season testing.
ODDS: 6-1
Stevie Jackson
Jackson Racing Camaro
Warmed up for the big Gainesville Pro Mod opener with a recent win at a small tire event in Georgia. Honestly, this guy wins almost everywhere he goes.
ODDS: 7-1
Bob Rahaim
TLC Waste Disposal Camaro
Took a while to right the ship after last year’s accident, but not reason to think the former Gainesville champ isn’t in the mix once again.
ODDS: 9-1
Steven Whiteley
J&A Service Cadillac
Came out of the gate strong last season with an impressive Gainesville victory. Is there any reason to think he can’t do it again?
ODDS: 12-1
Richie Stevens
Al-Anabi CamaroĚý
Once again, if the nitrous cars are as good as advertised then this former Pro Stock ace should find himself solidly in contention come Sunday afternoon.
ODDS: 14-1
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