The normally quiet college town of Gainesville once again became the staging ground for the NHRA’s season opener: the Gatornationals.
The three-day event began on Friday, where cars of all classes participated in qualifying races that determined who raced on Sunday. The track speed record was broken twice in two consecutive runs, first by Tony Stewart, who drove 339mph, then by Florida native Josh Hart at over 340mph.
“I’ve waited five years for this hat,” Hart said upon earning the number one qualifying position. “We’ve literally broke every one of my career bests this weekend.”
Nitro Funny Car was topped by four-time Champion Ron Capps, who ran 3.89 seconds at 334mph.
Sunday saw Josh Hart in the final round against defending series champion Doug Kalitta. Kalitta had a misfiring cylinder, which greatly hindered his speed and handed the win to Josh Hart. This is Hart’s second career Gatornationals win; the first was in 2021 at his Top Fuel debut.
Nitro Funny Car saw the opportunity for a John Force Racing “Double Up,” where the same team wins in two pro-categories. Alexis DeJoria carried the JFR banner against Chad Green, the defending event champion. DeJoria’s car ended up smoking the tires while Green thundered to the finish at 329 mph.
“It’s so hard to win any race, especially for somebody like me,” Green said. “But it all came together, and I was also thinking, how nice would it be to win one of those diamond Wallys.”
The NHRA heads to Phoenix this weekend for round two and will return to Gainesville next March.
