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For just the second time, the Camping World NHRA Drag Racing Series, kicks off a season at historic Gainesville Raceway with the 54th running of the Amalie Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals. The first of 21 national events this season, the Gainesville event is also one of the most historic and most prestigious races in the sport.

As the first event, optimism abounds through the professional pit area as every racer in Top Fuel, Funny Car, Pro Stock, and Pro Stock Motorcycle is tied for first place until qualifying begins later on Friday. Then, the marathon begins until champions are crowned eight months from now in Pomona.

Much of the attention will be focused on reigning world champs Brittany Force, Ron Capps, Erica Enders, and Matt Smith and rightfully so, but there are plenty of others who are poised to win the season lid-lifter.

The Top Fuel field is stacked with Force joined by fellow world champs Steve Torrence, Antron Brown, Tony Schumacher, and Shawn Langdon. The field also includes 2022 winners Mike Salinas, Justin Ashley, Austin Prock, and Leah Pruett, as well as Doug Kalitta, Clay Millican and past Gatornationals champ Josh Hart.

Most of the Top Fuel teams tested extensively in Gainesville prior to the Gatornationals so they should be well prepared for the start of the season.

This race also marks the second annual Pep Boys Allstar Callout for Top Fuel where eight of the best drivers in the class will compete for a big cash prize on Saturday.

Last year, the Funny Car class was ruled, by and large, by Ron Capps, Robert Hight and Matt Hagan. That likely won’t be the case this season as Cruz Pedregon, Bob Tasca III, J.R. Todd, and a few other teams have taken steps to improve both performance and consistency.

This event will also mark the Funny Car debut of Alex Laughlin, who has already enjoyed success in a number of other classes including Pro Stock and Top Fuel.

There are 20 Pro Stock cars entered in Gainesville and all of them are competitive which means that qualifying will be intense as four drivers won’t make the 16-car field. Erica Enders is coming off the most dominant season of her career where she won 10 races and her fifth world championship. For all her success, Enders has never won the Gatornationals, and would love to check that off her list this season. Enders is part of the Elite team that now boast nine drivers including rookie Jerry Tucker.

The KB team has been rebranded as KB Titan, and they have a strong presence with five time world champ Greg Anderson, reigning Gainesville winner Dallas Glenn, Kyle Koretsky, Deric Kramer, Matt Hartford, and 2022 Rookie of the Year Camrie Caruso.

Last year, Karen Stoffer dominated in Gainesville with a record-setting performance but she has announced her retirement from full-time competition so the Pro Stock Motorcycle field is once again wide open. Reigning champ Matt Smith is surely among the favorites and the same goes for his wife, Angie.

The Vance & Hines team has been revamped with Gaige Herrera joining Eddie Krawiec on the team’s Mission Foods Suzuki’s while Joey Gladsone is looking to maintain pace following last year’s breakout season that included three wins.

In addition to the Camping World NHRA Series pros, the Amalie Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals features the FuelTech Pro Mod Series presented by Type A Motorsports, the Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown, and a full slate of Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series action.

You can catch the action all weekend on FOX Sports 1 and NHRA.tv.

You can follow NHRA on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram to get a closer look at the action.

2022 EVENT WINNERS

Tripp Tatum, Top Fuel; Matt Hagan, Funny Car; Dallas Glenn, Pro Stock; Karen Stoffer, Pro Stock Motorcycle.

TRACK RECORDS:

TOP FUEL
3.674 seconds by Tripp Tatum, March 2022; 337.75 mph by Brittany Force, March 2022
FUNNY CAR
3.828 seconds by Robert Hight, March 2017; 336.23 mph by Ron Capps, March 2022.
PRO STOCK
6.450 seconds by Erica Enders, March 2022; 214.69 mph by Erica Enders, March 2014
PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE
6.665 seconds by Karen Stoffer, March 2022; 201.76 by Matt Smith, March 2019.

SCHEDULE:

NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series qualifying will feature two rounds at 1:30 p.m. and 4 p.m. ET on Friday, March 10, and the final two rounds of qualifying on Saturday, March 11 at noon and 3 p.m. PT. Final eliminations are scheduled for 11 a.m. on Sunday, March 12. (NOTE: Daylight Savings Time begins at 2 a.m. on March 12).

TV SCHEDULE

SATURDAY, March 11, FS1 will televise 90 minutes of qualifying at 11 a.m. (ET).
SUNDAY, March 12, FS1 will televise 90 minutes of qualifying coverage at 9 a.m. (ET) and 90 minutes of the Pep Boys All Star Callout at 10:30 a.m. Three hours of final eliminations coverage will be on FOX TV at Noon on Sunday, March 12.