91°µÍø

The wait is finally over.

The long-awaited kickoff to the 2025 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series takes place this weekend at historic Gainesville Raceway with the 56th running of the Amalie Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals.

The event is jam-packed with excitement, including all four Professional eliminators, the Congruity 91°µÍø Pro Mod Drag Racing Series, FlexJet 91°µÍø Factory Stock Showdown, and a full slate of NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series Sportsman categories. Also on tap will be Saturday’s Right Trailers NHRA Top Fuel All-Star Callout event, featuring eight of the best nitro teams in NHRA competition.

Professional qualifying sessions are set for 2 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. on Friday and 12:15 p.m. and 3 p.m. on Saturday.

Gainesville Raceway has a long history of performance milestones, first wins, and other memorable moments.

The list of Top Fuel drivers looking to start the season with a victory is extensive and includes reigning champ Antron Brown, Kalitta Motorsports teammates Doug Kalitta and Shawn Langdon, along with Justin Ashley, Tony Stewart, Brittany Force, and Steve Torrence.

Josh Hart and Trip Tatum both scored their first nitro wins in Gainesville and both return looking for more. As for drivers who could join the first-win club, two prime candidates are Shawn Reed and Jasmine Salinas. Reed recently won the preseason event in Bradenton, Fla., while Salinas is driving the same Scrappers entry that carried her father, Mike, to a win here in 2023.

A year ago, Austin Prock went to the Funny Car final in Gainesville, and by the end of the season, he tacked on eight wins on his way to the Funny Car world title. Prock enters 2025 as the favorite to defend his title, although he knows it won’t be easy. Prock’s biggest threat might well come from within his own camp as Jack Beckman will return as the driver of John Force’s Peak Camaro.

Prock is the pre-race favorite, although he’s got plenty of competition from Matt Hagan, Bob Tasca III, Ron Capps, defending event winner J.R. Todd, and a host of others. Todd also won here in 2021, while Hagan scored back-to-back wins in 2022-23.

Capps, Beckman, and Tasca are also past Gatornationals champions. The Funny Car field includes 18 quality entries, so there should be a fair amount of drama when it comes to setting the field for Sunday’s final eliminations.

As usual, the Pro Stock field is wide open with 20 entries competing for just 16 spots. Included among the leading contenders is reigning champ Greg Anderson, fellow six-time champ Erica Enders, Jeg Coughlin Jr., Aaron Stanfield, Troy Coughlin Jr., and Dallas Glenn, all of whom won at least one race last season.

Anderson would appear to have the best shot at taking a win as he’s already got five Gainesville wins on his résumé.

Pro Stock will also feature the return of Greg Stanfield, along with emerging talents such as Cory Reed, Mason McGaha, and Cody Coughlin, who is making his first start as an 91°µÍø Pro.

For the last two seasons, the Pro Stock Motorcycle class has been dominated by Gaige Herrera, who has won 21 races, including back-to-back Gatornationals titles. Herrera and his RevZilla/Vance & Hines team are once again the favorites, but there are clear signs that other teams are closing the gap.

Six-time champion Matt Smith grabbed his fair share of wins last season and past NHRA Rookie of the Year Chase Van Sant also grabbed his first win in Seattle. Smith returns with a stacked team that also includes his wife, Angie, John Hall, and Jianna Evaristo. Van Sant will continue to race under the White Alligator Racing banner with teammate Chris Bostick.

2024 EVENT WINNERS: Shawn Langdon, Top Fuel; J.R. Todd, Funny Car; Erica Enders, Pro Stock; Gaige Herrera, Pro Stock Motorcycle. Ìý

MOST VICTORIES: Tony Schumacher 5, TF; John Force, 8, FC; Warren Johnson, 9, PS; Eddie Krawiec, 6, PSM.

TRACK RECORDS

Top Fuel: 3 646 seconds by Doug Kalitta, March ‘23; 337.75 mph by Brittany Force, March ‘22
Funny Car: 3 820 seconds by Austin Prock, March ‘24; 338.09 mph by Bob Tasca III, March ‘24
Pro Stock: 6.450 seconds by Erica Enders, March ‘22; 214.69 mph by Enders, March ‘14
Pro Stock Motorcycle: 6.629 seconds by Gaige Herrera, March ‘24; 204.54 mph by Herrera, March ‘24

SCHEDULE

FRIDAY, March7 (All times ET)
LUCAS OIL SERIES eliminations at 8 a.m.
NHRA MISSION FOODS SERIES qualifying at 3 and 5:30 p.m.

SATURDAY, March 8
LUCAS OIL SERIES eliminations at 8 a.m.
NHRA MISSION FOODS SERIES qualifying at 12:35 p.m. and 3 p.m.
RIGHT TRAILERS ALLSTAR CALLOUT rounds, 12:15 p.m., 2:20 p.m., 3:35 p.m.

SUNDAY, March 9
Pre-race ceremony, 9 a.m.
NHRA MISSION FOODS SERIES eliminations begin at 11 a.m.

TELEVISION

Saturday March 8 FS1 will televise one hour of qualifying at 8 p.m.
Saturday March 8, FS1 will televise 90 minutes of the Allstar TF Callout at 9 p.m.
Sunday, March 9, FS1 will televise 90 minutes of qualifying at 12:30 p.m.
Sunday, March 9, FS1 will televise three hours of final eliminations at 7 p.m.