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On Thursday, longtime NHRA racers and team owners Terry Vance and Byron Hines were inducted into the International Drag Racing Hall of Fame, and it’s only fitting that the ceremony was held in Gainesville as that has been the venue for much of the team’s success.

Vance enjoyed a dominant career as a rider in both Pro Stock Motorcycle and the Top Fuel Motorcycle class, and he won his first NHRA Gatornationals title in 1981, defeating Florida resident “Superbike Mike” Keyte in the final round. A year later, Vance and Keyte met in the final round again, with the same result.

Before he retired following the 1988 season, Vance had racked up six Gainesville titles, including wins in 1983, 1984, 1987, and 1988.

A decade later, second-generation racer Matt Hines made his debut, and the results were nothing less than stunning. Riding the team’s Suzuki entry, Hines won 20 of his first 40 starts and three championships. Racing against some of the toughest competition in the history of the class, including world champs Dave Schultz, John Myers, and Angelle Sampey, Hines scored a pair of Gainesville wins in 1998 and 2001.

Fast forward to 2004, and the Vance & Hines team had started to build a successful relationship with the Harley-Davidson brand�� and Matt Hines transitioned to a tuning role, while his younger brother, Andrew, began his riding career. Andrew bagged a pair of Gainesville wins in 2004 and 2019. He also made history at the 2005 Gatornationals when he became the first rider to venture into the six-second zone.

Hines got a teammate when the Vance & Hines squad added a second rider, former Englishtown track manager Eddie Krawiec. It took more than a year for Krawiec to claim his first win, but he quickly made up for lost time, especially in Gainesville, where he matched Terry Vance’s performance by claiming six wins over an eight-year span. Krawiec earned Gainesville titles in 2010, 2011, 2012, 2016, 2017, and 2018. In three of those years, Krawiec beat Andrew Hines in an all-Vance & Hines final.

The latest version of the Vance & Hines team features riders Gaige Herrera and Richard Gadson aboard a pair of RevZilla-backed Suzuki Hayabusa entries. While 2024 rookie of the year contender Gadson is still seeking his first NHRA win, Herrera has been the talk of the class with 21 wins in the last two seasons. Herrera has won the last two Gatornationals titles, including a record 6.62 performance last season.

So, will the Vance & Hines team continue their Gainesville domination this season?

Herrera is clearly the favorite, and Gadson is clearly among the leading contenders in the class, although Matt and Angie Smith, John Hall, Chase Van Sant, and Jianna Evaristo each represent a significant road block.